A Soft Start to Draft 2 - Part 2

I'm sure it's not uncommon, but I wonder how many writers look at their in-progress first draft and imagine / envision loosely how it will change and evolve? Being in the process of writing a so called lite second draft, I am actively (or semi-actively) doing this, even when I write brand new content.

Perhaps there's will be so much more character and internal consistency that's missing from these drafts? Well, there has to be, but I wonder how that'll change it. The mentality of an author is so obviously fascinating to me that I'd love to hear someone else's side to it one day. I'm sure I will eventually, but still.

On a similar note, I've started to read the companion novels to Lord of the Rings, the vast majority of which start with a Christoper Tolkien "rambling" (and I mean that in a kind and respectful way) on about his father's process in creating Middle-Earth. Truth be told, it reminds me very much of myself - his monologues about his father's work. Perhaps years after this when I have more perspective on everything i will be better able to connect with Christopher Tolkien through his essays.

Although I doubt he'd have felt the same way, I wish I could've met him. I would of loved to look into the eyes of such a man that second only to JRR Tolkien himself (who died years before my birth) and heard stories and his advice for myself. I suppose that's very likely a dream most fantasy authors have. I wonder if that holds true to other genres? Actually, I wonder who the other genre-enthusiasts and writers look up to?

I do sort of know Sci-Fi - Dune being the most influential. That's a book series I'd love to read, but truth be told my bookshelf is already hilariously full of fantasy novels. Not that I wouldn't like to have more, but I still need to read what I have, right? Haha! I'm (slowly) working on that, but I can confirm progress is happening.

Anyway, this "lite-second draft" was meant to be a way my mother could read it without giving up the notebook I'm actually writing the story in. Understandably it takes her awhile to sit down and read 162 pages of semi-hastily scribbled text that's probably riddled with inconsistencies and edits done on the spot, but this version has slowly became to be more and more of a second draft, if truth be told. I really hope it does end up being better than the first draft, and the third better than the second and vice versa.