When You Type “The End”

This article appeared in its original form on www.nicolelovebooks.com.

Wow. I’m done! Has it really been eight months?

I scratch my head and, for the second time in my life, I tack these two powerful words onto the last paragraph of my manuscript: “The End”. I haven’t written those words in almost ten years. I have forgotten how fulfilling they can be. I’ve done it! I’ve completed my first draft.

I stare lovingly at the screen and celebrate in a truly introverted fashion: I pour myself a glass of red wine and revel in the sense of accomplishment. I’ve written a book. I can hardly believe it! What started out as a lofty goal last November has become a quiet reality.

When I print my draft at Kinko’s, the woman asks, “Did you write this?”

I beam and respond, “I did.” What a rush! She had read part of it, she said. It was good, she said. The sense of pride and excitement I feel at this is borderline embarrassing.

My first draft of The River Down Below is almost two inches thick. It’s heavy in my hands — a good weight. It’s filled with characters who are broken and distraught, with situations that aren’t as they seem. It’s filled with mystery, danger, heartbreak, and hope.

It is then that I realize I’m in love. I may be biased, but it is a good story. It is a story worth pursuing. And the characters…I adore their perfect imperfections. Their quirks. Their obsessions.

There is so much left to tell.

So, I sit down in front of my screen. The same screen that stared me down in November during NaNoWriMo. The same screen that taunted me mercilessly on a daily basis. The same screen that presented me with both beautiful and crappy prose. The same screen where my second draft will come to life.

Let’s face it: when you type “The End”, it really isn’t the end, just a new beginning.

So now it’s on to draft 2 of The River Down Below. I’ll see you on the other side.