I finished the first draft of In Sherlock’s Shadow last night, at 9.50pm GMT. That should sound more celebratory, but my overall feeling was one of exhausted relief. It may have something to do with having written 4500 words in a day, packed one of the kids for a residential trip, and taken a 7-mile walk, but hey.
The draft came in at 90,006 words, and has taken me just under 2 months. I’d planned for 80K, but there was no way to get it wrapped up any quicker without leaving lots of loose ends all over the place. I thought 82K was long; 90K was an endurance test!
Am I pleased with it? A cautious yes. Lots to fix, but lots of interesting stuff and emerging themes to work with. But as the title of this post implies, it isn’t the end. There will be a sequel. Probably more than one. I’d go as far as to say this is probably a five-book series, minimum. And if the next one’s going to be another 90,000-worder, I think I need to start training now. If anyone has any advice for strengthening your core writing muscles, please send it my way!
Liz Hedgecock 