The life after the first draft

After weeks of rather zero productivity, I had managed to complete the first draft of "Das Leben ist gut" with the help of NaNoWriMo. About 150 pages, just a short novel. The rush of being near to the end was short-lived. It didn’t take me long to realize that the novel was far from "almost finished".

Up to that moment I didn't have a well-defined plan, I went day by day. I knew what I needed to do, but I didn't know how long it was going to take and which was the most effective way to do it.

The first downturn came with the cover design. Despite having a clear idea of what I wanted, the enormous number of hours I dedicated to it still makes me sick. I had read in many places that it is recommended not to design your own covers, but in this case, I didn’t want to pay for it. It was the first one, "even if it's not the best, unless it's mine", I thought.

But there's more. Much more. After the cover, I started with the revisions. I sent the draft to some friends, and I started reviewing it myself. It was a terrible week. I remember blaming all the time the day I decided to write a book.

Isaac Asimov used to say that when he reviewed a draft, it barely changed the 5% of its content. During that week I wanted to change everything except maybe a 5%. And maybe I should have. But "Das Leben ist gut" is more a collection of anecdotes than a novel, addressed to a very specific audience. It wasn't necessary.

But it didn't mean I shouldn't learn my lesson for future novels either. I swear I tried, but here I am again. Suffering with the revision of "The Factory of Gods" and wanting to change everything but the title. Maybe it’s true that in the end, one is just the way he is.