There’s a strange feeling that comes with reaching the final act of a novel draft.
There’s excitement. Panic. A bit of, “how did I even get here?”
This week, I officially started Act III of Project Ember Draft 2, and while I thought I was stepping into the home stretch… the story had other plans.
Because apparently the universe decided that right as I entered the final act of my romantasy novel, it was time for:
- plot holes
- magic system problems
- emotional devastation
- a completely broken outline
- and a very humbling reminder that writing books is chaos.
So let’s talk about it.
📖 Starting Act III of Draft 2
At the end of my last writing vlog, I officially wrapped up Act II of Project Ember.
Which meant this week was all about diving into:
✨ Act III
✨ Chapter 26
✨ The final stretch of Draft 2
For months now, this story has consumed my brain in the best possible way. I’ve rewritten massive sections, completely changed the book’s direction, and rebuilt the world from the ground up.
So realizing I’m finally nearing the end of Draft 2 feels bittersweet.
Because now the real work begins.
⚡ The Problem With Magic Systems
The moment I sat down to work on Act III, I realized something horrifying:
✨ I found a plot hole.
Not a tiny one.
A magic-system-level plot hole.
And if you write fantasy, you know exactly how terrifying that is.
Fantasy worlds are built on rules.
You create systems. Boundaries. Costs. Consequences.
And in Project Ember, one of the biggest themes revolves around:
- immortality vs mortality
- magical limitations
- how power affects people over time
Which means that if one piece doesn’t line up correctly… the entire structure suddenly starts wobbling.
Thankfully, the issue mostly impacts Draft 3 rather than the current draft, so I can continue moving forward. But it definitely reminded me that writing fantasy isn’t just storytelling.
Sometimes it feels like solving a giant puzzle while blindfolded.
🌸 This Story Has Changed So Much
One of the biggest realizations I had this week is just how different Project Ember has become from the original concept.
The very first version of this story was:
- a Cinderella retelling
- revenge-focused
- much smaller in scope
Now?
It’s evolved into something bigger:
⚔️ knights
🔥 battle scenes
✨ magic
🗡 adventure
💔 emotional trauma
🌌 deeper worldbuilding
I’m so glad I gave myself permission to pivot.
Because the old version wasn’t bad, but this version feels alive.
💭 Missing My Deadline (And Why That’s Okay)
At the beginning of the year, I gave myself a goal:
✨ Finish Project Ember and have it agent-ready by May.
And technically, I missed that deadline.
A few months ago, that would have devastated me.
But now I see it differently.
Because halfway through writing this book, I realized:
“I can do better.”
And instead of forcing myself to push forward with a version of the story that no longer felt right, I stopped and rewrote huge portions of it from scratch.
That wasn’t a failure.
That was growth.
That was trusting my instincts as a writer.
And I genuinely believe this newer version of Project Ember will be far stronger because of it.
📝 My Draft Plan Going Forward
Right now, the plan looks something like this:
✍️ Draft 2
Finish the story from beginning to end.
🔍 Draft 3
Fix plot holes, deepen scenes, strengthen pacing, and smooth out the manuscript.
📚 Beta Readers
Send Draft 3 out for feedback and critiques.
✨ Draft 4
Implement feedback and prepare the manuscript for querying literary agents.
It’s a much longer process than I originally imagined, but that’s okay.
Books take time.
Good books, especially.
📊 How I’m Organizing My Writing Life
One thing that’s been helping me immensely lately is using monday.com to manage my writing timelines.
I know a lot of writers love Notion, but personally?
It’s too unstructured for my brain.
I need:
- deadlines
- timelines
- chapter tracking
- progress markers
- visual workflows
Right now I’m using it to organize:
- Draft 2 chapters
- beta reading timelines
- Draft 3 edits
- YouTube content
- future writing projects
Because one thing I’ve learned is that creativity thrives when my systems are organized.
😅 The Outline Disaster
So here’s where things got truly chaotic.
I sat down to start Chapter 26…
looked over my outline…
and immediately realized:
✨ My entire Act III outline no longer worked. ✨
The ending of Act II changed too much.
Which meant:
- scenes needed reordering
- emotional beats shifted
- pacing changed
- entire sequences no longer made sense
So instead of drafting immediately, I had to stop and completely rebuild my outline first.
Ugh.
This is such a normal part of the writing process.
I’m very much a hybrid between a plotter and a pantser:
- I outline heavily
- but I also allow the story to evolve naturally
Which means every act tends to reshape the next one.
That’s the beauty (and chaos) of writing novels.
✍️ Writing the Darkest Part of the Book
By the end of the day, I managed to write over 3,000 words for Chapter 26.
But emotionally, this chapter was heavy.
We’re entering one of the darkest parts of Project Ember—the section where my female protagonist’s trauma finally comes to the surface in a major way.
And these are the hardest scenes for me to write.
Not because the writing itself is difficult…
But because I feel everything alongside the characters.
There were scenes in Draft 1 that genuinely made me cry while writing them, and now I have to revisit those emotions all over again in Draft 2.
But that emotional depth matters.
The heartbreak matters.
Because without it, later growth wouldn’t feel earned.
💖 The Reality of Writing a Novel
I think people sometimes imagine writing a book as this magical, aesthetic experience where inspiration constantly flows and every scene comes together beautifully.
But in reality?
Sometimes writing looks like:
- rebuilding your outline halfway through the draft
- questioning your magic system
- staring at plot holes
- washing dishes between writing sprints
- emotionally damaging yourself for fictional people
- and rewriting entire acts because your story has evolved
And somehow that’s still magic.
🌸 For Anyone Chasing a Creative Dream
If you’re working on something big right now—whether it’s a novel, a business, a creative project, or a dream life you’re trying to build—please remember:
✨ Missing a deadline does not mean you failed.
✨ Rewriting does not mean you’re going backward.
✨ Pivoting does not mean you made the wrong choice.
Sometimes growth looks messy.
Sometimes the better version of your dream takes longer to create.
And sometimes the most important thing you can do is trust yourself enough to start over when something no longer feels right.
Even when it’s scary.
Even when it delays the timeline.
Even when it means rebuilding the entire outline from scratch. 💖
If you want more behind-the-scenes writing content, cozy routines, and updates on Project Ember, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter and following along on YouTube. ✨
