THE END.
Is there anything as beautiful as typing THE END after a year and a half long battle with a novel?
Newborn babies and stuff aside, there’s no feeling in the world like being able to tack on those two little words to a massive project. It’s elation, fulfillment, sadness, and empowerment all rolled up into a little ball of OMGWTFBBQ AWESOME. No matter how many times you earn the right to write it, it will never cease to feel good.
So, it is with that preface that I announce to you all that as of midnight, March 17th (Happy St. Patty’s Day, BTW), ANTIGONE’S WRATH IS IN POSSESSION OF A “THE END” OF ITS OWN.
That’s right. It’s finished. Complete. Done and dusted.
Well, at least the first draft is, anyway, but I am not going to speak to that right now.
THE END is a bit scary too, you know, along with all that WIN. Now that it’s done and people KNOW it’s done, I have to do things with it. Editing, yes (I thought I told you we weren’t going to talk about that right now!), but also querying, pimping, preparing for the reveal at Balticon over Memorial Day weekend… and that’s to say nothing of any possible podcasting, which includes website building, casting, recording, cover art designing, music selections… the list is as endless as you want it to be really, and sometimes even more endless than that.
I’m pushing all that aside for now, though. I am going to revel in my Achievement Unlocked: THE END for at least a few hours. I’m not going to think about those rough metaphors and effusion of adverbs lurking in the shadows. I am going to sleep tonight without worrying about an unfinished scene or sticky plot situation. I can rest easily knowing that my characters have some semblance of closure. Most importantly, I can use my ten minute breaks in class to play Angry Birds again! One must have their priorities.
Most of all, I’ve proven to myself that finishing TDT wasn’t a fluke. There were many times I wanted to can the whole thing. It often felt like every word was a bloody, hair-pulling, ear-biting battle royale. The flow of words I expected from my time with TDT never came. I don’t think it’s a bad thing though. I was more careful with this project, more choosy in the words I used. I learned a great deal from other writer friends, and took note of the flaws in my first effort. So while my inner editor never did STFU, Antigone’s Wrath shines a bit brighter for the elbow grease.
A bonus: final wordcount was way below what I projected. This is good.
More news will be put forth as the project progresses, you can be sure. For now, I am content to leave you with one final thought.
THE END.
x
Thoughts. We needs them, Precious.