Well it’s official – as of tonight, I have typed “The End” on the rough draft of my debut novel!
I am 70,000-ish words down, and it’s now time to sit back and relax…until the rewrites begin.
If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that I had a more conservative deadline in mind, of 19th November. Which I’ve beaten by 3 ½ weeks. I’m surprised and elated. I may have a polished draft out sooner than I had hoped.
I’m now looking at 35 chapters of rough-hewn copy, and I do mean rough. I’ve motored through, with the aim of finishing, rather than perfecting each sentence. I’ve resisted the urge to edit along the way, because it’s easier to re-write something you already have, rather than craft something from scratch. Did someone wise say ‘all writing is re-writing?’ In which case, the real work lies ahead.
Part of the reason for the early finish, is that I’ve kept myself accountable on this blog. It’s difficult to go back on a commitment made in print. I felt like I couldn’t let people down. So thank you for reading and keeping me honest! You could be brave and try this yourself. What would you like to commit to? Post it in the comments below. It doesn’t have to be writing-related. You could commit to a spring clean, or resisting the urge to binge-watch Stranger Things when it’s released in 20 hours’ time (although I’m not sure why you’d want to resist 10 hours of most excellent 80’s nostalgia).
There’s still a long way to go, but I’m already setting myself up for what happens afterwards (not to give too much away, but it will involve publishing on Amazon in the not-too-distant future). There’s still a tonne of work to be done, so I don’t have a hard deadline as yet, but stay tuned.
How does it feel to finish the rough draft? Honestly, I’m exhausted, I’ll let you know after a week’s worth of solid sleep!
Yours in creativity,
Jackie