Wednesday, March 2, 2011

I did it!!

I wrote the last words to my story!   There was significantly less to write than I had been dreading.  I think that was partly due to the fact that I no longer had to word pad to reach 50,000.  And I'll likely change part of it as I edit.

Which is my next step I guess.  As I read the last part, which will eventually be a Chapter, I got sucked into the story.  I had forgotten all that I had written!  So now I'm excited to do some editing, just so I can read what was written and forgotten.  I know it isn't all good stuff, but some of it sure is!  It's a story that I would read even if no one else would. 

I don't know when I'm going to get to do the editing.  I'm on the bandwagon now, but I also have a zillion other projects that have an actual deadline.  I have already scheduled a couple of weekends to work on those things.  (Quilt camp!!)  So all I have to do is schedule some more time to write.  I can do that.  Except I think that editing will take way more time than the actual writing did.   Especially the way I wrote some of this story. 

The last few pages of the novel as it stands are paragraphs that came to me as I participated in challenges or word wars.  Some of these are bits that are necessary to the story, but I didn't want to spend the time to back track and figure out where it fit.  I wrote the words and will inset and adjust them as I edit.  This is where an outline would have been useful!   Each paragraph has a note on where to insert it.  Now I just have to find that place.

I did find Allen's post on formatting the novel.  I couldn't make the margins all 1.5 inches though.  There was too much white on the page for my brain to get over.  I made the left and top margins 1.5 and the others 1.0.   If I ever decide to let an editor read it, that is something easy to adjust.  There is still plenty of space for someone to mark it up, when I decide to share it with my friends.

I didn't get it done in January, or even in February, as I had hoped.  But as of the first day of March, the story is written!   Can I read yours now Shariware??

3 comments:

  1. Great Job!! You just kind of got PRESTO MOTIVATED didn't you? You did even really say much about it first, just BLAM done! I wish I could get in the mood to finish up my first half. Perhaps you'll inspire me, it wouldnt be the first time.
    Im sure it goes without saying but have a great day, pat yourself on the back, get a coffee or something.

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  2. I didn't say much about it because I didn't plan on doing it! I had my thumb drive with me and I decided to just read what I had written towards the end so I could *think* about the ending. Then it just came out. It felt great to write again! And now I can say I have written a whole novel!

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  3. Yay!!! You definitely can read my novel now!! I am so happy that you have finally finished writing it! I know it seems like the editing will take a long time, but it actually doesn't when you actually get started. The hardest part is to get started. Maybe I should hold my novel to ransom until you have edited lol?!!

    Love you and sooooo proud of you!!

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