Monday 18 July 2011

Reaching The End


It’s the end of an era.
Over seven months in the making, but it had to come to an end sometime.
Yes, I know that it doesn’t seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things, but when you spend that much of your time, of your life, writing a book, it feels like that when you come to the end.
I’ve heard about writers who love it.
They get to the end of the first draft, they type those two final words THE END, and they celebrate with the happiness of getting that first full version completed.
I’m not there yet.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than it was last year.
Last year when I typed those two words, I cried, I wandered aimlessly around the house, not really sure where I was, what I was doing, or what I could possibly do next.  It was weeks before I could pick up and write again.
So clearly this year I am doing better.
I typed those final two words three hours ago and already I’m back writing again.
The time before that was worse.
I got to the end, wrote those two words (yes, I was doing everything on pen and paper then) and had no idea what I would do next.  I couldn’t face even thinking about a new book, or re-writing the one I had just completed.
When it finally came time to rewrite that book, I pulled it all apart, I saw how it could go back together, and put it in a file.
It is still there.
The time before that was much worse.
I never got around to typing THE END because I couldn’t face finishing it.  I still haven’t finished that book.  Unlikely now that I ever will.
Not even sure I know where it is.
So by that comparison, today was a relative success.  No tears, no aimless wandering, no huge gaps before reaching for the keyboard again.   
It helps that I have some experience of this now.
It also helps to have wonderful friends who are also writers, who understand so much better than anyone else on this planet what happens when you reach the end of writing a book, and are there for you when you need them.
I have good one.
I don’t think you really need more than one good friend who is a writer, though it can’t hurt to have more, but as long as you have one good friend, you have the world entire.
Can’t remember who said that, but I am sure they are right.
It also helps to have more books planned, more series of books planned, so much in fact that taking more than three hours off between finishing one piece of work and beginning a new one feels like a luxury.
Too much to do.
Not enough time.
And too many people to meet in between.

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