The Word Cloud

OK,

I think I've finished the book.  It's been about two years of work but I've loved every minute of it.  Even when, due to my writing method, I was in the living room at midnight, putting together my first draft like a jigsaw that had been partially hoovered up.

When I was a child, I didn't think about the mechanics of writing, it was just something I liked to do, and I had the idea that when someone wrote a book, they just sat down, started at the first page and kept going to the end, at which point someone would publish it.  I didn't know about first drafts and second drafts and third and....... or about editing and re-editing - or killing your darlings.

I'm sure that it won't be the end. If someone does publish me, I'm sure I will be sent back to the keyboard to gut my darling and remove all the best turns of phrase and my most loved sentences, but hey, bring it on!

It's been through several edits and re-writes and comments and the most useful readings by my group of wonderful fellow writers who are all busy producing their own novels, but I've never thought 'that's it' before.  Never thought 'that's the best I can make it.'  Until now.........

.... I think!

Congratulations, me.  Shall we have a glass of wine and send up a rocket?  No. Now comes the packing it off with a suitcase to see if anyone wants it.  Its empty room already has another tennant waiting - its older, darker, elder brother which I started three months ago, but have been neglecting.  It's already changed the bedding and the lighting, left moist footprints on the floorboards and has let me know it's time to pay it some serious attention.

So, here we go....

..... I think!