🥳 Rough Draft Phase: Complete!
I have some huge news to share—I just posted a Reel on both Instagram and TikTok announcing that my rough drafting phase is officially complete!
Timing could not have been better. Yesterday actually marked the official project anniversary for this book. I first started writing on December 14th, and now, exactly eight months later, it is officially out of the rough draft stage! I am so incredibly proud of the momentum and progress made so far. Compared to my original outline draft—which sat at a massive 10 sections and over 600+ pages—the manuscript is now a tight 477 pages, fully organized into 72 chapters!
Getting through that last 200-page chunk was both a breeze and a test of patience. It was simple in the sense that a lot of those pages were heavy, unnecessary dialogue that could easily be cut, shortened, or distilled down into the core plot points I needed. But goodness, reading through it all had me asking: What was I thinking when I wrote this?! In the end, I managed to squeeze 13 structured chapters out of that initial mess.
Right after that came the final section (formerly known as The Abyssal Truth). To my surprise, it was only 14 pages long instead of the 30 I had remembered! I smoothed out the narrative details, mapped out the remaining 3 chapters, and decided to combine that victory with the bigger update video—it made total sense to bring it all home in one single celebration.
Early Mornings & Commute Shifts
One major takeaway from this phase was discovering when my brain actually likes to write. Tackling edits early in the morning before work turned out to be far more productive than trying to write after a long shift. Lately, I’ve even had nights where I’d wake up wide awake at 3:00 AM—well before my set 5:00 AM alarm. Rather than tossing, turning, and getting frustrated, I just rolled out of bed and said, "Forget it, might as well write!"
The same went for my daily commute—the ride to work proved to be peak creative time compared to the exhausted ride back home.
Moving forward, I'm making a fresh commitment to myself. I’m stepping back from waking up before my 5:00 AM alarm and early pre-shift drafting sessions. Instead, I’ll use my morning travel time to re-read and jot down quick notes, saving the actual editing for when I get home and my days off. My main priority in the mornings will be focusing on wellness and starting the day off right—especially with my upcoming vacation next week before the fast-paced rush at my day job picks back up.
Looking Ahead & Manifesting the Dream
Like so many fellow authors, I’m putting my energy into manifesting the long-term success of this book series. My goal is to build a full-time writing career so I no longer have to rely on a high-stress day job for income, while opening up new creative doors along the way. I wish that exact same breakthrough and recognition for every writer out there working hard on their dream!
While wrapping this draft is a massive win, I know I’m not entirely out of the woods yet. Ahead lies a deep round of revisions and developmental editing before the manuscript is ready to head off to beta readers for feedback. But I am welcoming this next chapter with open arms, taking it one steady step at a time.
I’ll be continuing to share real-time updates as the developmental phase unfolds. Thank you to everyone who has been following along and cheering this project on—it means the world!
If you’d like to help fuel the journey toward self-publishing, feel free to pop over and check out my Support My Work page while you're here!