how many drafts does it take

It's summer and I've been swimming a lot (and drafting!) so can I say it?!

Just keep swimming/writing/drafting. Whatever it is you're doing. I've heard the advice that the magic number is three. At least three drafts SOUNDS great. Because it's a tangible number, a number you can ASPIRE to, then ACHIEVE and be DONE with!

Hooray!

And, three drafts is AMAZING. You've accomplished something truly impressive. You should celebrate and swim and jump around.

But...*whispers* it may take more drafts than three. I'm not saying this to dishearten you, but so you keep going IF YOU NEED to when you hit three drafts.

For THE PROTECTRESS, it took way more than three drafts, but to be honest, I stopped counting. I'm just about to finish a very laborious MAGICAL third draft of NIGHT SOIREE where I completely changed when character's arc and added a bit of a twisty magical surprise. Both of which were long undertakings, and now that I'm approaching the end of that third draft, I know I'm not done.

Here are the things that have helped me most while drafting NIGHT SOIREE. I hope they're things that might help you, too:

1. Get an early reader. A reader you think is TOO EARLY, but someone you trust dearly. And then be prepared for them to offer some advice that completely shakes the core of your story. If you like the advice, take it! Then, ask them not to read until you've finished implementing.

2. By the time you're at your third draft (or beyond), you should have a really good idea what your characters want and need. So, in this draft, make sure you're paying attention to what they want and need most, and showing how they got to be the way they are so that your readers will better understand their motivations. Example: If you have a character who has cursed a town to participate in an Eternal Night Soiree, we, the readers, need to know WHY this character is doing it and WHAT HAPPENED to cause them to think this was a good idea.

3. The third draft is also a great time to start TIGHTENING up the world. Finding those 1-2 sentences that perfectly capture enough of what you want the reader to see, while leaving plenty of room for their imagination.

4. When you get stuck, don't stay stuck or write through it. TALK through it with someone who is happy to let you mostly talk at them while you work out the problem of how Della is going to trick Lord Umbra in a sneaky, yet, believable way.

These are all things that have IMMENSELY helped this draft, especially talking out problems. If you have anything that ALWAYS works for you, I'd love to hear what works!