The Relief of Finishing a Book Draft

Canva. Green grass and black tarmac with a black and white checkered finish line on the black.

I planned to have Killing Me finished in the first quarter of 2022. That did not work out. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes life gets complicated. Roll with it.  

Then I thought I would finish the book in May. Missed that. Out of the blue, yesterday, I wrote thousands of words and crossed over the finishing line. 

At 4:30 AM I typed “The End.” I never actually do that. Write The End. But this book challenged me in so many ways. It was like I was giving the book a kick in the rear to get it over the line.  

Photo by Vickie Intili: https://www.pexels.com/photo/anonymous-woman-demonstrating-burning-paper-sheet-with-title-5323336/

Woman holding up a white square of paper with black in “Good Vibes Only” . The paper is on fire.

The shock of being done with it for now rattled me for a moment. The goal had been with me for a while. A constant niggling in the back of my mind. Then there was an audible pop in my brain. Sort of like when you chew gum on a plane and you get the sudden noise explosion in your ear.  

There is so much more to do before Killing Me meets the world. I won’t start on any changes today. Right now, I’m going to celebrate.  

I woke up the day after my marathon writing session with a bit of a hangover. My thoughts were even quiet but normal noise battered my ears. My body wants a break.  

As I’ve gotten better at my craft, I’m learning to listen to what my muse is up to.

On Monday, I drafted this article you’re reading, planned some social media, and printed a hard copy of The Devil You Know. That’s productive, but it didn’t overtax me.  

On Tuesday, I enjoyed a class I’m taking and got all the index cards and notebooks for The Devil You Know. (As an aside, I couldn’t find where I’d put all the notecards for each book. A two hour ransack found them. I wept. Scared the pants off myself.) 

On Wednesday, I hope to read some work by writer friends and read the first bit of The Devil You Know and look at the textbook for my editing class.  

I’m also doing a writing challenge for ten weeks. This means I need to be writing new words. I’ve never been comfortable editing a book and writing another book at the same time. It’s a skill I need to work on.  

Photo by Gotta Be Worth It: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-signage-beside-purple-bougainvillea-beside-body-of-water-1029021/ A stone pathway in between white buildings with the ocean as a view and beautiful bright pink flowering tree.

But all of this comes after I celebrate a bit. My break will only be a day or so. I write better when I write every day. There is no way to get around that. But a slow start and a steady pace will get me where I want to go.  

Killing Me will be in the drawer marinating for at least six months. By the time I come back to it, it will be fresh in my mind. And I know a story is never, ever done. Today, I’ve got other things to get to.  

As I prize, I opened a new notebook. You can never have enough notebooks. The prize reward was tangible. Opening it was part of the excitement and calm that comes from finishing a draft. Now I need to pick a new prize or two for my next goals.  

Gosh, it sure feels good to have this book done for a bit.  

How do you celebrate when you finish something?