(no children were hurt in the making of this photo)
"The difference between try and triumph is a little umph." ~ Author unknown
I did it!!!!
I finished my draft! 58,000 beautiful (and at the same time terrible) words. :) I wrote around 10,000 words in 3 days. That's a lot for me! But I was SO motivated. I really wanted to finish by Sunday. I set aside big chunks of time on each of the 3 days and I wrote my little heart out. This book was challenging for me, in a lot of ways. But as I worked hard this past week, I learned that I really can accomplish big things when I set my mind to it.
I think completing a first draft comes down to basically one thing - you have to want it enough to see it through to the end. You have to say, I'm going to do this, and then do it. It's all about commitment - being committed to getting to the end. When you aren't 100% committed, it's easy to quit when the going gets tough.
Of course, there are revisions to be done. The book needs quite a bit of work. I've already started a notebook page of things I need to do when I go back to the manuscript and start revising. But for the next three weeks, there will be no writing. I'm basically "on vacation" now through Christmas! Yay!!!
Have you had any big or little triumphs lately? I'd love to hear about them! We can celebrate together!!
Hooray! Congrats on finishing your draft. Even though there will be more work ahead, it's important to stop and enjoy the moment!
ReplyDeleteI'm working furiously on a revision that's been dragging on for almost a year. I'm determined to finish it by January and then I'll have my own little moment of triumph. :-)
You can do it Anna!! Go, go, go!
ReplyDeleteOMG congrats! I'd be jumping for joy too!! That is a HUGE achievement!! I am "trying" LOL to write a novel, and I have ZERO experience, but I am a book addict so I am just going to wing it. It's hard to keep up the motivation. It’s almost like I need to make writing every night a habit. It’s becoming like my work our routine, nonexistent. LOL I got to 1 chapter and just pooped out. Your post makes me want to keep going.
ReplyDeleteCongrats again!!!!
Congrats! I love the feeling of finishing a first draft. I just finished one in November (not nana, just a coincidence)and my goal is to go through it once and then send it off to beta readers by this weekend--then I'm on a writing vacation! I also just finished another a round of line edits on another ms and sent it off to my agent. I've been working hard to get these things done and I'm looking forward to the Christmas break coming.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Lisa! Nothing feels better than a completed first draft
ReplyDeleteLove the quote and congrats! That's motivation in action!
ReplyDeleteI am not at the moment of triumph right now. I think I may be in the trough part of a cycle, but I am being dogged and know my moment is coming.
Thanks all!!
ReplyDeleteJust keep plugging along. When people ask me how I write an entire novel, I say - word by word, sentence by sentence, scene by scene. :)