James C Gilliam

Today, I have finished the First Draft of The Sword, the Song, and the Mage: Act 1. Roughly 100 pages in, I am finding that the process is becoming much smoother and the storyline finally coming together in a rhythm that I like. The main character is setting off into the wider world for the first time and finding out that it is not nearly as smooth going as the books in his father’s library make it out to be. As the distance grows so do the challenges.

As do the challenges of writing a book that has a bit of a life of its own. I find myself constantly rereading the scenes over and over (often up to 2am after a good writing/revising session). Already I find myself jumping ahead in the drafting process only to remind myself to stick to the current task and worry about the real work in the second draft. I do not think I have ever been this much invested in any story I have written up to this point and I look forward to sharing it with some of the more braver folk in the near future.

Until then…