I’ve been rereading my draft of Aliki Martin and the Chocolate Cartel and it’s making me laugh. Not in a bad way—just one of those “this makes no sense now” laughs.
I’m not unhappy with the draft, but I can definitely tell that a lot of the story lived in my head and never quite made it onto the page.
Which is exactly what drafts are for, right? Getting the ideas down, like the numbers of a dot-to-dot picture. You scribble them out fast so you can go back later and actually connect the dots into a picture later.
I’m really glad I gave myself a few weeks away from it before diving back in. The space made it easier to spot what’s missing, like more setting details. I keep realizing scenes need more grounding. There are also bits that just plain don’t make sense, and a few sections lost their purpose entirely once I figured out how to end the book properly.
Also, since I’m not posting the edits online, that old urgency to finish quickly has vanished. Other projects are taking over, and now here I am. Still in Chapter 4 after a whole month of editing.
Meh. It’s all good. This is the pace I expected. It’s still a story I believe in and one I want to finish right. However long that takes is just part of the journey.
