I finished the first draft of my latest novel this week. While I was tempted to call it a piece of crap, I decided doing so wouldn’t be fair. Instead, I realized it just looks odd because it’s not finished. Kind of like the framing of a house. It doesn’t keep the rain out, and it’s got holes you could drive a truck through. But it gives my ideas a shape—a form. A place to meet my characters and give them somewhere to live while I work on building it out. Only when complete can its merit be judged. And hopefully, when the house for my characters is finally finished, some reader will like it enough to visit them.