Four Days to Midnight

So I haven’t posted on here very much recently, and there’s a good reason for that. My birthday on this coming Monday is fast approaching, and I’ve been hard at work to finish the first book of my novel. I want to have it finished by then, sort of as a present to myself. So I’ve been punching away at this thing every day, hammering out between a thousand and two-thousand words a day. I still have quite a ways to go, and I’m honestly starting to wonder if I can make my deadline. Having days off like today helps, I can just stay in and write all day long. But I’m working every day until then now, and my motivation and energy level plummet when I get home from work. We’ll have to see what happens, because even after I finish writing it, I’ll still have roughly 140+ pages to re-read and edit. I’m guessing I’ll top off this portion of the novel at around 80,000 words, which leaves me at nearly 2k a day until Monday. It’s a rush, but I’m gonna do my best to make it. If I over shoot it’s not that big a deal, but I’m actually surprising myself with how much I can get done once I have a deadline.

After I finish revising I’ll send it out to a few people and try to get some feedback, it’s been over a year since I let anyone look at it and I’m really excited to see what the reactions will be. A lot has happened since anyone got to see it, and I’m seriously hopeful that all the risks I’ve taken will pay off. I know this isn’t the type of book that will jump off the shelves like the Twilight or Harry Potter series–it’s too serious, too dark, too character driven with too many deep, emotional scenes. But I’m hoping that will still add up to something that engages people and presents a compelling, engrossing story. Bottom line–whether I have to publish this thing myself, or I can manage to rustle up a traditional publisher, I want to see this thing in print. And I will. For that, I’m excited.

After this hurdle, I’m aiming to be finished by the end of December, and I’ll start polishing the first draft into shape and sending out query letters to agents. It’s honestly a lot of fun, I’m enjoying the whole process, and now that I’m nearing completion and the finish line is actually in sight? Well, I’ve never been more thrilled to work on something in my life. I suppose that’s what doing what you love is all about.