Monday, July 11, 2011

It Is Finished

The novel, that is.

This is my fourth completed novel.

Over the weekend, I wrote nearly 7,500 words, most of them yesterday. It was the ideal time to do it since we had temperatures in the triple digits. Because my office is on the second floor and gets nice and hot, I worked on my bed with my two kitties at my feet. Perfection.

To celebrate (because these things must be celebrated!), my daughter and I went and got ice cream from that handy Dairy Queen down the block and watched a World War II movie, Since You Went Away.

Most people advocate waiting a week or more before diving into the edits. But since I already had this novel pretty much finished before and had to go in and rework a bunch of stuff, I feel like I should keep pushing forward. I'm one of those writers that needs to stay in touch with the work, otherwise it takes me a very long time to get back to it. And I don't want that!

The best part? I get to edit and revise to my heart's content.

I can't wait.

20 comments:

  1. I am so happy for you Melissa! And you have fun with those edits and revisions too!

    Amy and I love that movie, by the way-we cry every time we watch it-but we love it all the same:)

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  2. Oh congratulations!! That is such a wonderful feeling, hoot hoot!

    I too like keeping my hand in the thick of things. If you feel like diving back in, by all means go for it!

    Yeah! A great way to start the week...

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  3. Congratulations!! And have fun revising. That's my favorite part! :)

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  4. Wooo! Congrats! That is such a good feeling!

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  5. Congrats, isn't that a great feeling! I was just saying yesterday that January and July are great writing months ... the weather is too extreme to do anything outdoors, so it's perfect for writing :)

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  6. Hurray!! Congratulations!!!

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  7. Valerie - Oh, I cried, too! :-) Thanks for the words of encouragement!

    Anna - I think I shall do just that - in fact, going to open the file now!

    Heidi - Me, too. :-)

    DK - It's a splendid feeling. Thank you!

    Joanne - Oh, I agree. January would, IMO, be the perfect time to do NaNo instead of November.

    Thanks, Colene!

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  8. Congratulations, Melissa! Such a delicious feeling to be done with a first draft and looking forward to revisions...I love revising, too. Enjoy!

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  9. Congratulations! That's awesome. I know what you mean about staying connected to the work. I'm glad you celebrated. It's a big deal. I say you go get another ice cream! Cheers!

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  10. Elizabeth Parker12:22 AM

    How wonderful! Four books finished. Wow.

    That's great because when you start selling, I bet those others will be picked up, too.

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  11. Christine - Thank you! I'm going to wait at least a week before I look at it again - fresh eyes are a must on this one.

    Lyn - LOL. I better not get any more ice cream - I think the last hot fudge sundae went straight to my hips!

    Betty - Oh, that first novel is going to stay out of daylight.
    ;-)

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  12. Congrats, Melissa!!

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  13. Whoop! Congrats, thats wonderful news! I'm impressed, this is your fourth novel - how fantastic!

    And, edits - I like them better than the first drafts, because I now have something to work with.;)

    Have a lovely week!

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  14. Congratulations. Finishing is always a good thing and I think waiting is good after you've done the first round of edits. After the first draft it's easier to change things while it's still fresh.

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  15. Thanks, RT!

    Talei - Oh, working with words already on the page is SO much better than staring at a blank computer screen. :-)

    Patti - I completely agree!

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  16. Well done on completing novel number 4. That's a huge tick off the to do list and a massive pat on the back - as well as ice cream and feel-good movies. Congratulations. :-)

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  17. Diane - Thank you very much! :-)

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  18. Congratulations. What a wonderful achievement and what an incredible feeling. Well done.

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