Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The end?

On Friday I had the great pleasure of writing "The End" after penning, or rather typing, almost 80,00 words of my first novel. I can't tell you how pleasing it was to write those two words. I've written a whole book!

But it isn't really the end, that much I do know. This is really just the beginning. While writing the book was in fact easier than trying to print it off on both sides of A4 paper and in order - an intelligence test I almost failed - I know there is plenty more hard work to come.

My friend and I will be reading my book while holidaying in Spain - with a critical eye - and another writing buddy has it on her bedside table while I'm away. Once I've collected enough feedback it will be onto draft number two and no doubt some radical changes, there's a lot of work to be done. For example, I'm pretty sure my main character - her name is Ronnie - is aged 27 at the start of the book and after only a year has her 29th birthday. Now that's just not possible.

Despite knowing I have a long way to go before my book's ready to send out to agents, I am semi-fulfilled in the knowledge I've written a whole novel and that, having printed it out, finally, I can hold it in my hands with pride. It's a good feeling.

The aim is to get my second draft and then a third and final draft done by October and then start pitching. Fingers crossed someone will take the bait.