The Toil and Joy of Creation: first draft of my historical fiction novel

Yesterday, I finished the entire first draft of my next novel. This is a historical fiction novel based on the life of “desert Steve” Ragsdale, the man who founded Desert Center in 1921.

As Hemingway said, “All first drafts are shit.” Another writer calls this the “vomit draft.” Get your story on paper. This is the rough material from which a novel will be shaped, a block of limestone which will become a beautiful statue. No editing, no rewriting, just let it flow.

The second draft is perhaps the most important in terms of creating a viable novel. Here, I pay attention to the theme (and perhaps the moral of a story if there is one), plot, story, and structure. Is it interesting? Does the story flow? Is the plot consistent? Is the order in the format of the story conducive to telling this story? Are the characters genuine and True to who they are and how they see the world?

This is also when I begin to think of the beginning. It is true that first drafts almost always start in the wrong place. Often too early, sometimes the wrong scene. We need some that set up the story, incites the protagonist, in reveals a conflict.

This being a historical fiction novel about a man, I naturally began with his birth. But that’s relatively boring, and really has nothing to do with the story, its themes, and its plot. Of course, the birth of Steve’s rag could include some things, but it might be completely unnecessary.

I realized that Steve’s life was one of perseverance against sometimes incredible odds. Therefore, a scene that I had written for chapter 4 actually made more sense. Yes, he was an adult, it’s out of chronology, but it sets the tone and the conflict for the entire novel.

The question is, do I start with that scene and then jump back to his birth? Or is the birth scene unnecessary? How much of his childhood is important. Certainly, his experiences with his father, his alcoholic relative, his run-in with the Dalton gang, and growing up on a ranch being taught by his father, had a lot to do with a man he became.

Historical fiction novel based on a man’s life, the chronological parameters are already there. The basic arc of events already exist. But within those structural elements, how should the story be told? What should be included and left out (I have so much material)? Where is the balance between fictionalizing and facts? How can the story be engaging and moving, and not just a recitation of historical events?

I don’t always know how a novel will turn out. Sometimes, as in my novel mortals as they walk, the entire story took a different turn, and became a different novel about a different topic than I had envisioned when I was halfway through.

At this point, the 90,000 words feel like a series of scenes from a man’s life. How shall I craft them into a compelling story?

That’s the fun part. I know that I will even be surprised by some unexpected turns the story will take. I’ll find connections, transitions, symbolism, structural elements that will surprise me.

Art is fun, but it is also imbued with meaning. One can think of it as mimicking the image of God: as God creates beauty and complexity from chaos, so an artist creates beauty and complexity from the raw materials of a story.

Stay tuned … Desert Steve is about to blossom in the dry, hot desert.