Today I want to share with you my latest writing milestone: 100,000 words reached in my current high fantasy WIP, Iron Angels.
This book was actually planned to be about 100,000 words, but if you all know me as well as you probably do by now, you'll know I'm a MASSIVE overwriter, who then adds in details in editing rounds to get EVEN MORE overwritten, and then has massive cutting stages.
The aim? To be left with intense, deep worldbuilding and core of the book, and only the best of the best left for readers to enjoy.
So I'll probably end up taking it to 140,000 words with drafting and then detail adding, and then hope to cut back to about 100,000 - 110,000. Right on plan!
If you saw my latest newsletter, you'll know that my goals are now to self-publish Iron Angels, and that my hopes are to do it this year. That means I've got to get this last stage of the draft done ASAP, go back through my notes to add in the details I've prompted myself to add back in, do my usual rounds of self-revisions, and then get it in with one of my favourite trusted people for a developmental edit.
So, for now, cheer me on as I reach the finish line. We're storming towards the grand climax now, and this one needs clever twists and political intrigue, so I'll be cracking open the history books and Wikipedia for help getting that bit right. I'll let you know if anything weird and wonderful comes up.
Until then, next milestone will be the great 'Draft finished!' one, so please keep an eye out for that soon. I'm honestly at the point where this is all I can think about right now, and it's so hard to have to do anything else.
Work, what work? I have a job?! But Celyn's about to—
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