Last year, I’d edited, revised and rewritten like crazy until my manuscript was so polished it gleamed. It was finished. My beta readers heaped glowing praise upon me while I put my feet up, ate a chocolate hobnob and contemplated my next step. I’d written a novel!
That evening, I went to dinner with a friend.
‘You’ve finished your first book, how exciting,’ she said. ‘Is it any good?’
‘Yes,’ I topped up my wine, ‘but my next one will be better.’ What? Where did that come from? I smiled and nodded my way through the rest of the meal, while the inner me covered her face with her palms and shook her head. What was wrong with my book?
At home, I sat and thought. What wasn’t I happy with? Nothing too major, just……..the plot. Oh dear. It was time to pull it apart, ditch 50,000 words, and have another go.
Fast forward a few months and I was finished. I’d written a novel!
I met my sister for coffee.
‘Is it any good?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’ I bit into a chocolate muffin. ‘There are a couple of chapters that are a bit slow, but the rest is great.’ Arrgghhh! The inner me wrung her hands and cried.
By November I’d weaved in a new plot line and ramped up the suspense. I was finished. I’d written a novel!
Christmas Eve I had an idea. I tried to ignore it, I was finished after all, but I was itching to rewrite, and Boxing Day found me sitting at my desk, not moving for days, until. I’d written a novel! Only this time I felt something I hadn’t felt before. Pride, satisfaction and the urge to open a bottle and celebrate, and so I did.
It finally feels complete.
So, is it any good?
Haha. Yes, I think it is 🙂
Good, I’m glad to hear it.
Congrats. Finishing a novel is no small task.
Thanks so much. I’m excited about the next step.
As long as you don’t get the editing part of the process get you down, it really is a rewardinf and exciting experience.
I love the challenges and possibilities editing presents.
Good. The editing process is when the novel really comes to life. Congrats.
Sage advice and a marvelous post. Congrats on finally, truly finishing your novel.
Thanks Karen – It’s been a long haul.
I’m doing the same thing with mine and I’ve only just started writing it! Decided now I’m just going to write as much as I can, get people to read then edit what I have haha!
Good luck – I hope you enjoy the process as much as I have.
Got a long way to go, haven’t written in a while but loving it so far!
I’ll look forward to reading it 🙂
Congratulations! That must be a great feeling: to know you’ve finally finished.
I can relate to what you say here. I thought my novel was “finished” this time last year, but when I went back to it recently I (once again) found quite a few things I wanted to improve/change.
Thanks Claire. I think after they go to print there are still things authors would change if they could. I’m not reading mine again now!
So true about things authors would change after press, I once had an editor come unruffled causes I kept making changes after the editor had gone through my ms and I kept tweaking up until it went to print. With ebooks, I’ve gone in and changed, made tweaks with books after publication. One novel, I changed the ending to how I always envisioned it.
Congrats on finishing your novel, it’s quite an accomplishment!
Thanks Catherine. Wow – I didn’t know you could change ebooks after publication.
So, is it any good? Haha. I’m sure it is!! Yay, congrats Louise. You did it!
You really can feel it when it’s done! It’s weird, that. I never got it until it happened to me and then it was like “ooooh, this is what I’ve been missing…”
Me too – I shall know next time!
I’ve been tearing apart and putting my manuscript back together for over a year now. I will be so happy when I am finally satisfied with it.
Hopefully soon Mary. Good luck.
Congrats
Thanks Nic.