I finished the first draft of The Long Hunt, book 4 of the Strongbow Saga, on Tuesday evening. The final chapter–which ended up becoming two chapters–took longer to write than I’d anticipated, partly because I just got stuck a few times, and partly because, as I was researching various sources about the town of Birka, trying to determine what it would have looked like, I discovered some actual historical events that were happening there about the time the story is taking place, and they suggested a new, dangerous situation that Halfdan and his companions might find themselves in.

That’s often the way this story unfolds for me: I’m writing it with a very broad outline in mind, but my research often suggests details, scenes, incidents, and the like that I had not anticipated. A completed book is never exactly like what I thought it would be when I began it, although this one held more surprises for me than the first three.

Yesterday I took a break from my computer–I’ve been practically chained to it the last few weeks– and enjoyed a hike and working in my garden. Today I’ve begun the next step: a reading through of the entire draft, from start to finish, making minor tweaks and changes as I go along. During this stage, I read it aloud, because that helps me hear how the writing and dialogue flow and what kind of rhythm they have. At the conclusion of this read-through, which should take less than a week, I’ll have my second draft. Then I’ll send that out to my three volunteer content editors–my wife Jeanette, an author friend, Luc Reid, who has been a first reader for each book since I first began the series, plus a new editor, a very dedicated fan who has, in email correspondence over the years, shown a remarkable degree of insight into the story and characters. When I receive their suggestions and comments back–and while I’m waiting for them, I’ll be writing the Historical Notes, glossary, list of characters, and working on the the maps, some diagrams, and the cover–I’ll complete the third and final draft. Then there will be a final copy edit, to check for any missed typos, etc. After that we’ll go into the pre-production phase, formatting the book for various types of editions, getting it copyrighted, and the like.

In other words, there’s still quite a lot of work to be done, but I’m still aiming to release it by the end of the year. The long wait for The Long Hunt is finally nearing its end.