The difficult second novel?

I have now finished the second draft of novel number two. This was the draft after I thought it was finished before I re-read it cover to cover and realised there was a lot still to do.

The whole ending needed to be redone and I am about 175% happier with it now than before. So has this second book been more difficult than the first? I would say, categorically, that it hasn't. It's been much, much easier, I think for a few reasons. Firstly, by finishing War Inc. I got myself in a regular rhythm of writing. Not every day but certainly several times a week. I needed that discipline to get War Inc. finished and now it feels a bit more natural and less of a burden on my time. Whisper it quietly but I actually quiet enjoy writing time!

Another reason is the difference in complexity and structure between War Inc. and "Book 2" (more title talk in another post soon). War Inc. was set across different time zones, with two storylines that overlapped and had to fit together perfectly, there are also a lot of characters in War Inc. that need to be covered and progressed. Book 2 is really a bunch of standalone, but interconnected, stories. This means the threads are shorter and easier to manage and progress. Book 2 is also a lot shorter than War Inc., as a first novel it became bloated, weighing in at over 195,000 words before being edited down to a more reasonable 125k. Book 2 tips the scales at 75,000 words, bang on target for what I was hoping for. I think my writing has improved and is tighter now, so hopefully the edit will be more laser surgery than full on amputation.

All of these reason have added up to a writing time for Book 2 of a little over nine months. Compared to the 14 years for War Inc. thats quite an improvement! I am hopeful of getting Book 2 back from the editor in mid-May, in the mean time (and once I get the first three chapters back) I am going to be hitting the literary agents again to try to drum up some interest in my little masterpiece 😉 🤞