The Seven-Draft Novel-Writing System

How to Write a Fantasy Novel

The question came up the other day on my Youtube channel, The Imaginarium, of exactly what system do I use to write my novels? So I thought I would give a quick rundown of how I do it right here.

So, first and foremost, I should tell you that I believe in a LOT of prep work before I get to actually writing. That might be a good subject for another blog post--what do I do BEFORE I actually start writing. But that's not what I'm getting into here. Here I want to tell you exactly what I do once I have my outline all worked out. That is, I have a paragraph or two of what each scene is going to look like and I'm ready to start actually writing the novel.

I go through seven drafts.

1. First draft—this is just me expanding what I have from my outline into a full scene. It's raw material. Do NOT over-edit this one. The only thing this draft needs to do is EXIST! Get it on the page, then move one. I tend to write about 1000 to 3000 words on days that I write. So this can take a few months to finish. This is my "bricks and mortar" draft.

2. Second draft—For this draft, I go back and incorporate world-building, setup/payoff and atmosphere elements, but only in service to character impact. I could get into more detail about what I do here, but for today, let's just say it's my "paint in the corners" draft. This draft is the longest draft, because I'm still adding in more "raw material", I haven't really started to "trim the fat".

3. Third draft—For this draft, I go back to the beginning and focus on condensing the scenes as much as I can, and paying attention to the overall pacing and momentum. I try to intensify each scene for emotional impact, whether that's through micro-emotional reactions or in epic flourishes in the prose. This is my "emotional punch" draft.

4. Fourth draft—For this draft, I am laser-focused on making every sentence count. I have a long list of "filler" words that I edit out as much as possible, and I scan for filter words, unnecessary adverbs, passive voice, and filler words and I give them the AXE. At the same time, I look at every sentence and ask if it can be more immersive, flow better, or overall be stronger. This is the "Scalpel draft"

5. Fifth draft— For this draft, the last one I do before I send it to alpha readers, is focus entirely on dialogue. Is it voicey, is it succinct, does it sound clunky, "as you know", or just off. I include quirky mannerisms for various characters--generally this is where I try to make each character as absolutely distinct as possible (just try not to overdo it lol). This is the "symphonic dialogue draft".

6. Sixth draft - at this point I send it to my alpha readers and await their input. Based on that, I return to the manuscript again and incorporate any useful feedback.

7. Seventh and final draft - after my alphas have had a look, betas get to look at it. So I go back again and edit appropriately based on this feedback.

8. Query agents and publishers - NOW, after having done all this, I feel I'm ready to query agents and/or publishers.

So there ya go! That's my system. Maybe it gives you some insight into how I write. And for everyone out there wondering, I am currently on step 2 of this process for the sequel to King of the Forgotten Darkness!

Stay tuned for more to come!

EG