Chapter 2: Roughed In

Every novelist approaches projects differently.  My technique is usually to get what I call a semi-polished rough draft in place for one chapter before moving on to the next.  In my case, that means that I’ve got most of the dialogue down as well as a goodly chunk of the action.  Instead of polished description, I’ll usually have list of adjectives and nouns that I want to eventually work in.  Some transitions will be weak; others will be non-existent. 

I’ve found that a good way to remember where a character is emotionally is to return to the previous chapter to read and edit it.  By the time I finish tinkering with phrasing and sharpening descriptions, I’m back in the world of my book.