Hunting for riches in a foreign land, a disgraced mercenary must marry a young matriarch who is hiding the fateful legacy of her enchanted silveriron tattoo.

Skeleton outline of a gumleaf
Leaf skeleton in the bush

I recently finished the first draft of my current work in progress Binding the Strays, which sees the mercenary protagonist selling himself into a ‘binding’ (marriage) with a young pastoralist, who takes him away from his poverty-stricken country and introduces him to the flourishing matriarchy of her own country.

Being a fantasy story, there’s whispers of magic, and plenty of settings and characters inspired by Australia’s countryside and history. The twist on social hierarchy and arranged marriages has been a fun one to explore.

At the moment I’m close to finishing my first read through, to get a feel for areas that need more attention, then I’ll pick up the red pen and get stuck into the second draft. I tend to knock out my first drafts without much description of settings, so one of my first jobs is to add flesh to the skeleton.

What are you writing at the moment? What approach do you use to revise and edit your work?

I look forward to your thoughts and advice in the comments below.