Monday, 8 March 2010

Finishing


I have been writing a story for as long as I can remember. It is one particular story that I have been wanting to tell. It has been bubbling around in my imagination for years trying to get out.

It took me a long time to get started. I worried that it wouldn’t be good enough, that no one would read it, that even I wouldn’t want to read it. I tried and tired and failed to start and tried again. Then I decided to take it slowly and steadily. 1000 words at a time. I chipped away at it gently and now I have almost finished the first draft. I am about 5,000 words from the end. Of course there is editing and re-writing to do but this is the end of the first stage.
 
It feels huge but doesn’t feel how I expected it to. When I have been this close to the end of writing a non-fiction book, I want it to end. I want to email it to someone and never see it again. I want print all the pages off the computer and send them far away. I feel relieved and tired, proud of myself but ready to finish. This time I want to hold on to the book. I am not exactly sure how it will end and I like that feeling. I like it how it is and I don’t want it to finish.

It is funny that I didn’t want to start this book and now I don’t want it to end.

5 comments:

  1. Wow, well done you! I'm looking forward to starting your eCourse next month. :)

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  2. Thank you. Can't wait for the e-course to start either!

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  3. Hello! Firstly a big congratulations on almost finishing your first draft - it is such an achievement. Maybe the difference with fiction and non is that fiction is like a little window to your soul – there’s so much more of ‘you’ in the tale, and so it is harder to let go. Also after spending a long time in creation it’s hard to stop breathing life into the characters – but that is what a series is for. ;)

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  4. Thanks Jayne. I think you're right. There does feel as though there is more of me in this book. I don't want to finish hanging out with the characters just yet.

    p.s I love your blog and read it all the time. Thanks for visiting mine.

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  5. Just seen this - aw thank you! It's really nice to know you like it. :)

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