I’m knee-deep in the guts of my current work-in-progress, creatively titled “Keeper’s Legend” at the moment–a Urban (dark) Fantasy adventure-slash-thriller pitching ancient mythology against the fears and horrors of the modern times–and I thought I’d share a little bit of the progress.

A few weeks back, I managed to stop vomiting the first “draft” of that thing. I spewed forth the words, and constructed abominations that barely pass for sentences. And now I’m in the middle of fixing all that nonsense that may or may not hide a story somewhere within its gut-wrenching abyss of word-chaos.

A while back, I also shared an overview of the the then-current chapter/part structure (which of course has changed slightly already).

This time, I figured, I’d share a screenshot from the actual manuscript edit as it stands right now (as seen on my brand-new 27″ iMac, *har har*):

As you can decipher for yourself by looking at it, the longest parts and done with the first real edit. I consider them first draft–the draft I’d actually hand out to other people to read and tell me what they think.

That’s by no means close to the actual finished thing, which I would dare ask money for. But it’s a start. Something real. Something to be proud of.

Anyway. That’s that. Not much left to get this over with, at which point I’ll take this heap of words and put it somewhere, where it’s dark and moist. Let it all built up in the back of my head for a while. Focus on something else. I have a few ideas for new full-size novels, so maybe I start outlining some of it. I also want to produce some short fiction for this current novel as promotional work (book trailers, teasers, that sort of stuff). During that time, I’d like to hand out the First Draft to other people to beta-read. I’d like to offer it to people on my Patreon Campaign first, to the people that support me and my writing directly. If you want to be one of them, go check out my Patreon Page and consider leaving as little as $1 for my work. I’d love you to death.

If you wondering what “Fluff Poem” means, it’s something like this to set the mood for the narrative and the current part:

And next I caught a glimpse of powerful [Heracles]—

His ghost I mean: the man himself delights

in the grand feasts of the deathless gods on high…

Around him cries of the dead rang out like cries of birds

scattering left and right in horror as on he came like night…”

(Odyssey XI, Nekyia)