I am glad to say that the third draft of the first of the Kings And Crusaders novels is now complete. While having some problems of its own, I would say that the third draft is a considerable improvement over previous errors from the first two drafts. In my view, the story of the third draft has better dialogue, is more consistent with the plot, has limited unnecessary material, and is better written. Likewise, the romance between some of the characters is less forced, the characters are better individually described, and the action is more plot-driven. One of the greatest improvements of the third draft, however, has been its use of Medieval Catholic themes throughout the work. My growing familiarity with Gothic Architecture and illuminated manuscripts has made this edition more literary beautifully than those that I have formerly written.
As I wrote the third draft, I did not rewrite much of the original novel. The reason for this is because I have felt for many years that the first half of The Rise of the Saracens (my first novel) was more literary problematic near the beginning than it was in its second half. Soon, I will begin to read the entire text of the first draft before beginning (or during) what may be the final draft of the first novel. Until then, I have some other work to finish up on, however. I hope that the upcoming fourth draft succeeds in areas where the other previous texts fell short of my vision.
The Rise of the Saracens is the first book a trilogy of books about the King's Crusade (1189-1192). A work of historical fiction, it follows the collision between the English crusaders headed by Richard the Lionheart of England and the Ayyubid Saracens commanded by Saladin of Syria.
