Last week was a major milestone in my writing–I’ve finished what at this point appears to be the last major revision on my novel before I start pitching it. There’s another polish on the way in the next month before the Willamette Writer’s Conference, but the main thrust of that is catching typos from the larger edit.
It’s such a great feeling hitting this type of completion point. There’s a sense of relief at getting there, since often in the midst of the work it feels like the end will never quite arrive. Along with that comes a touch of melancholy. The time when this book is new for me is coming toward its end. That’s premature–it’ll likely still be big on my mind and thoughts for at least the next two years, if not more–but it does bring me to considering working on other things.
Life’s gone a bit crazy, so it’s not a bad time for having finished either. It’s been useful to take a couple weeks where to let things sit and focus outside the writing life.
Next step is coming up with the synopsis, and then that’ll be the basis for a verbal pitch. Nerve-wracking and thrilling all at the same time!