I realized yesterday that I am very close to finishing up the first draft of my newest manuscript. This time is always hard for me. It’s not so much hard from a writing perspective, though there certainly are challenges in tying up just enough ends to satisfy the reader. It’s hard for me, because I grow so attached to my characters. I love them. Wrapping up their stories in a satisfying way for me is sometimes hard. I like books that give me hope for their continuing story, even if I’m not there to read about it. I try to give my stories that same quality. At the end of each manuscript, I can only hope I’ve succeeded in doing that very thing.

My manuscript will probably clock out between 80,000 and 90,000 words. My novel I’m currently prepping for publishing is 100,000+, so I feel somewhat sad that I couldn’t extend their journey a bit longer. But sometimes…you just know. For me, I knew yesterday that I would finish the current chapter, write one more, and it would be the end.

At first, I thought I might make it a trilogy. Now, I’m thinking I’ll probably keep the novels as connected, but-could-be-stand-alone works. I like having a world in which characters connect and interact, but each story is a story of its own, too. We’ll see.

Do you ever feel strange when you’re nearing the end of a first draft? For me, there is a strange sense of finality–even though there is SOOOOOOOO much more work to be done to prepare it for publishing. I just get so melancholy and happy at the same time. It is a weird feeling.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you react to the endings of your stories! Are you happy? Sad? Do you treat yourself when you finish a rough draft or do you wait for when you publish? Share!

Thanks for stopping by,

 

L.M.