Now What?

I missed posting anything to my blog for the past two weeks because I had nothing to report. Since this blog is dedicated to my work-in-progress, Cooking Athanasia, writing that I had not finished yet but was still very close, did not seem like a newsworthy piece. However, I have finished writing the book is most definitely newsworthy.

Last Friday, March 5^th, 2013, I wrote the final words in the final chapter during my lunch break. As I approached the end, I could feel it. My pulse literally increased and when I got to the final sentence, I was juiced with a shot of adrenaline. That was very surprising. I was also astonished with the mixed emotions that followed. On one hand, I was ecstatic that I had completed the writing portion of a project started over a year ago. This was contrasted by the sadness of parting with the characters I have thought about all the time for over a year. Getting to know them and watching them grow, and then one day I am suddenly done with them (for the time being).

I say for the time being because Jenna and crew will be back for the third volume of the series. The second book is the back story to Cooking Athanasia and has already been written in screenplay format. I have started work on converting it to a novel and plan to work on it for about a month while letting the just completed novel cool off. After the waiting period, I plan to start the editing process, which is daunting because I once again find myself in uncharted waters.

I have grown comfortable with writing the story a little bit at a time and all I had to do was move the story forward. It was somewhat intimidating when I started, but I developed a process and I think my writing was strengthened during the process. But now I have a manuscript that needs to be edited and that process is new to me. I’m sure I will do just fine, and I know I am not alone if help is needed during this part of the journey.