I can’t really believe it’s true, but last week I finished the first draft of my book! It was at 4:00 AM on the 29th of September that the very last sentence was finished, and afterwards I just sat there for a moment. I actually did it!
The first draft ended up at 79,600 words, which is so much more than I ever imagined it to be. My brain has been completely fried from the shock of it all, and it’s been really hard to really put my thoughts and feelings about the whole thing into words at the moment, but I just wanted to put a little announcement out to mark the occasion!
After finishing, I gave myself a few treats and rewards, like having a nice dinner and getting some new exercise clothes. But most importantly of all, I’m giving myself a rest! It felt kind of like I should immediately start on another one of my book ideas, but I realised I actually wanted to take just a few weeks off to relax, get my brain back to working condition, and to do some of my other hobbies that I had neglected recently.
Mainly dancing, which is something I absolutely love but haven’t had the energy to do any of. Also, it’s Winter time now, which for me has always been Cross Stitch season! So that’s something else I’d love to do in my resting period.
But then after that, once I’ve regained the lost sleep and caught up on my hobbies and all that good stuff, what happens next?
What do I actually do with this book draft?
Well, of course I’ve got plenty of editing to do, which I enjoy. I can go back over and over, checking for typos and making sure it’s as absolutely perfect as I can get it to be.
But then what next?
I’d totally love to get it published, that’s kind of the ultimate dream, right? But how do you go about that? Do you just… email someone, I guess? I am completely clueless about the process, apart from the fact that I know to expect endless rejections, so that’s something to look forward to (*dread*) after my rest!
But! I shouldn’t be worrying about that right at this moment! I should simply be enjoying the fact that I finally managed to finish something all the way through without quitting!
Well, my mind is getting fogged out already, so I’m going to have to leave it there for this time, but I’ll be back next week- hopefully with a slightly more coherent post than just a ramble…
The Worlds Worst Writer (Maybe) 
Congratulations! That’s a major – MAJOR – milestone! Enjoy the well deserved rest. Well done!!!
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Thank you very much! I’m going to savour the rest, haha : )
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Congratulations! It takes a lot of determination to reach the end of a project like that.
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Thank you very much! : )
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Congratulations! Have a great celebration! And also have a wonderful time in the revision process–with many treats standing by!
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Thank you very much! : )
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Oh, congratulations! That’s the best feeling, and half the battle to getting it published. I’m in the revising stages of my own novella, and I can honestly say that actually getting it *done* in the first place was the toughest part. I wish you the best of luck in editing and publishing, but for now, take a break! You’ve earned it. 🙂
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It really is quite a surprising feeling, but definitely a pleasant one! Thank you very much, and congratulations on your novella too! : )
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Thank you! Good luck to both of us.
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My brain was fried and shocked doing my last assignment at uni. That was only around 4000 words. Wow I can’t even think that big for word count. Congratulations!
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It’s as if all the words that we put onto the page go missing from our heads! Haha. Thanks for reading! : )
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Yay you, that is a very big deal! You should be proud of all your hard work.
Congratulations!
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Thank you very much! : )
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wow lots of words, congrats
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Thank you! : )
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Congrats! Are you thinking about any type of publishing that you’d be interested in?
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Thank you very much! To be honest, I’m so clueless about the different kinds, that I’d have to just say the traditional kind I think, haha. : )
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That’s cool! In that case I bet there’s a lot of resources for finding an agent or publishers that let you email them directly.
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Ah that’s great, I’ll look into it! : )
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