Setting Expectations

I have managed to rough out the first three chapters of my historical novel. Finally. What I would normally write in three days took me three weeks. Yes, it hurts to (re)read this blog post as much as it hurt me to write it. Three chapters took me three weeks!

I have come to the realization that writing this book will be slow. It took me only three weeks to come to the realization. Funny, that. To be honest, part of me still hasn’t grasped this slow pace, probably because I can’t accept it. Up until now, writing has been quick enough. Writing 3000 words per day was the norm. But with this book there are confines that I can’t cross, and I fooled myself regarding this. I thought it would be easy to ‘fill in the blanks’, but actually it’s much harder than just writing from nothing. With historical characters the milestones that they met have to be respected. And then there is the mountain of research and cross checking that needs to be done constantly.

Despite the snail’s pace, I am fairly satisfied with the outcome of the tiny, rough draft. The three chapters have a shape and form, the characters feel real and the stage is set. Chapter four is scaring me.