My writing computer has more drafts than a haunted house. Its creaking and groaning halls are home to drafts of my books that have passed on. They’ve made way for the next generation, and then the next, but the ghosts linger. They peer out from the darkened hallways, groaning…

“Remember us! We were your darlings once! Remember the clever times we shared!”

Two nights ago, I finished the fourth draft of “Blood Game,” the first book in the Thomas Vale series. I’m still waiting for beta-reader reviews of its sequel, “Crying Call,” and I’m still in research mode for the third book, so it’s back to revising.

I’m told it’s common for published authors to go through ten or more drafts of their manuscripts before they’re ready for publication. A few years ago that number seemed excessive, but now I get it. I don’t know what it’s like for most other writers, but I can tell my own journey.

After developing the basic identities and personas of the main characters for the series, I did months of research into the setting locations, military procedure and customs, poker, general espionage, and a number of other topics.

Then came the outline. And by outline, I mean a 28,000-word Draft Zero, which by the end was almost a third the length of the draft I have now.

Then came the writing of the first draft of “Blood Game,” which actually had a few titles previous to that one. I think that was the most fun part of the process, though I truly do enjoy all of it (except querying!). And then as per the good advice of a lot of online folks, I set the book aside and gave some beta-readers a chance to check it out.

The second draft involved a little bit of structural editing, or in other words, moving a few things around, cutting some unnecessary fluff, and putting a few extra scenes in, just to improve the pace and flow and to make sure everything makes sense.

For the third draft, I went through chapter by chapter to tighten up the prose. Replacing passive language with active wherever it made sense to do so. Being more efficient with language — if you can convey the same thing with ten words rather than fifteen, ten is usually better. Making sure the descriptors invoked as many senses as possible without being distracting. Showing instead of telling where possible (cliche, I know, but important).

And as much as possible, having opening sentences that launch the reader into the current chapter, and closing sentences that make the reader want to continue on to the next. “I couldn’t put the book down.” That’s what every author wants to hear. It’s better than receiving chocolates and flowers.

That third draft is the one I originally queried, and it got me five full manuscript requests and two agenting offers. But I turned one down (long story) and the other one didn’t work out (much longer story). So back to the drawing board.

Feedback from agents and editors informed me that the pacing was a bit slow in parts, and it would better if I toned down the technical details early on and focused more on action. So that’s what I did in the fourth draft. I’ve added another action scene where the pace lagged before, in the form of a flashback that helps develop the main character more. For the analyses and deductions that are present to establish the hero’s brilliance and invite the readers into it, I left the general analysis but toned down most of the distracting technical details.

And in a few days, I’ll write the fifth draft, which will be another round of general tightening. After that, I’ll be comfortable querying again. And this will be my last attempt at querying “Blood Game.” If it doesn’t work out this time, I’ll just self-publish my series and never look back.

But hopefully I’ll find a capable agent, who will undoubtedly want me to change a few things. Draft six. Seven?

Then a publishing house will acquire it, and I’ll work with the acquisitions editor. Eight? Nine?

Eventually the line editing and proofreading. Ten? More?

That’s a lot of ghosts floating around. A literary danse macabre. But they’re all friendly ghosts. Nothing to be afraid of. Happy Halloween, fellow writers!