(NOTE: I will be updating the progress on the 4th Joe Davis book as I more or less race against time to get it completed by the summer. Here's today's update on where I'm at.)

At this point, I have a draft of the book completed. As is standard with anything that's not the final draft, it's kind of crappy. There are elements of the plot that have to be untangled, both in relation to the main plot and all of the subplots involving Joe's friends. One element that's been missing for me is a feel for the entire book. It's fragmented in my mind. I can think of individual scenes and storylines, but I don't feel like I have my arms around the story as a whole. And I've decided to completely re-write the climax of the book, something that exists conceptually but hasn't been committed to the page yet.

Beginning April 1, I started going through the draft, writing quick notes on what each chapter and scene contains. I've been using the margins in my notebook to add little thoughts on what the next draft should contain. It's sort of like reverse-engineering an outline. It has at least had the effect of making me feel closer to the story. I'm finally able to see it as a whole. The plan is to complete the reverse-engineered outline today, then go through each storyline to see what needs to be worked out. I should be able to begin the untangling today.

By the end of April, I REALLY need to have this draft in almost-completed form, just needing some tweaking and proofreading. A long way to go and a short time to get there...