Update on The Duchess of Idaho

The first draft for The Duchess of Idaho is finally done. It took me ten weeks to finish, which, for me, is crazy fast. I mean, lightning speed. I wrote in this post about how sometimes it takes me months to write my outline, months to write my first draft, and months to make it all pretty-like. For some books, the first draft happens faster than others.

Now, with the dreaded first draft complete, DOI is tucked away in a warm, safe, dark place, covered by a kitchen towel (okay, not really—it’s tucked away in a computer file) completing its “baking time.”

What Is Baking Time?

My stories take time to come together. I have to roll them, knead them, press them this way and that way. Then I have to decide which shape the story is going to take. The story needs to rise again. Time away from the manuscript is a good thing because I need to step back and look at the story with fresh eyes. “Baking time” allows me space for that.

Most of what I write in the first draft will be changed, rearranged, or deleted. My first drafts are really a fleshed-out outline with a bit of description, a few historical details, and a little dialogue. The first draft is my brain’s way of working through the superficial layer of the story. Then, after some time away, I can see my story more clearly and peel away the outer layers so I can dig deeper.

This time away is what I refer to as “baking time.” This time between drafts, the “baking time,” is important for my writing process.

What Did I Do While My Story Was Baking?

I read a lot during the “baking time.” I’m currently looking for books written during or about the Oregon Trail. There are a number of primary sources—journals written by women as they traveled the trail. I’ve started reading some of the journals and they are providing great insight into what the women were thinking and feeling during the dangerous journey.

I just watched the documentaries Lewis and Clark and The West by Ken Burns. Both documentaries provided insight into the pioneering spirit. Burns also has a documentary about the Donner Party, the doomed pioneers on the Oregon Trail, so I’ll be watching that too. I’ve reread a few of the Little House books, and I’ve been watching the TV show. Again, they’re not specific to the Oregon Trail, but they still have inspirational value.

I started a private board on Pinterest about the Oregon Trail, and I’ve found some great book recommendations about the westward expansion, examples of food and clothing, detailed maps of the trail, and other goodies. In Las Vegas, there’s a historical site called the Mormon Fort that dates from 1850. Although the fort wasn’t part of the Oregon Trail, I’m sure I’ll find some useful information when I visit. I’m also listening to music that would have been played along the trail, largely fiddle music similar to what we would call Bluegrass.

Baking Time Can Be Fun

I enjoy baking time because it’s a fun time when I immerse myself in the time period I’m writing about. Reading other authors, learning new information, seeing the clothing and the covered wagons, listening to the music, and watching the movies and documentaries, all of it gives me an abundance of ideas for revising the story.

Not everything will end up in the novel, but it doesn’t matter. Everything works together to provide a framework I can use to revise my story so it’s the best it can be.

I have to play tricks on myself to get the first draft written, but I push through because I know that the second draft is so much more of a joy. This break between the first and second drafts costs me some time, and it means I write more slowly than others, but it’s time well spent.

I used to worry that I wasn’t writing quickly enough because I took a deliberate break from my story. Over the years, I’ve come to terms with my “baking time.” Bringing stories to life is what I love most, and the baking time allows me to do that to the best of my ability.