The End!

 A few nights ago, I wrote THE END on the first draft of my novel.

What a feeling! But finishing this particular novel (my eighth) was particularly meaningful. I wrote earlier this year about withdrawing from my PhD program and focusing on what brings me joy. I made myself a promise: I needed to pour myself into my fiction, and make it a priority.

And that's exactly what I did.

I've never written a novel this fast before. The last one took me a good four years to finish! (Well, life was in turmoil! Cheating husband, a divorce, therapy, dating, selling a house, finding my boyfriend, moving to an apartment, then moving in with my boyfriend, then grad school...YEESH.). This one, however, took me about nine months. 

Though I didn't write each night (my writing time), I did try to "touch" the novel every day, if possible: the document was always open on my laptop. Even if I just read through a chapter, or made some notes, or even wrote a few sentences, I kept my head in the story. And it worked wonderfully. 

To say this novel has been challenging to write is an understatement. I've never attempted a story like this before, and the revisions will probably be significant. But I've discovered the heart of the story in the first draft, and made some significant discoveries. Though I try and have a rough outline of the novel, it is fluid, and often changes. It certainly did this time around. I completely changed the ending, and it's so much stronger than what I'd originally planned.

I printed out all 95k words yesterday, and just holding the weight of all that paper only impressed upon me what an achievement it is to write a book. Those are my words on the page! I don't always print out my novels, but I wanted to for this one. I like to make notes and use a pen to slash through sentences or scenes I no longer need. Something about the tactile experience, I guess.

I should let it set for a few weeks, but I've already started making notes to myself and thinking of how I can change certain scenes. 

For this weekend, though, I plan to relax. The boyfriend is on a fishing trip and I want to relax. My daughter and I plan to go see the Barbie movie - a great way to escape the punishing heat wave we're in!

Clouds right before the hail storm!