The End

Sweetest words a writer ever types.   Mind you, INTO THE FIRE isn’t yet all spiffied up for travel, hooves trimmed and polished and painted with gold glitter, mane brushed and combed and braided and beribboned, tail ditto, and coat gleaming, ready to be trotted out at the Spring Show.   The front half (about) of the book has been gone over repeatedly; then there’s a section that’s had most if not all the burs combed out but could use a pass with the clippers; and there’s the section that insisted on a different ending and dragged me another 15-20,000 words to get it done and looks like both of us have been dragged through a bog, a river, a plowed field, and a briar patch.

I thought I had two more essential scenes to write, but late this afternoon, the book suddenly stopped and said “That’s it.  Done.  Time to clean up the rough spots.”   (It was time to leave for choir, was what time it was.)   I typed “The End” and walked off to put on my shoes for the drive into the city.   Where we sang (including the famous section of MESSIAH known colloquially as “The Shirley Chorus” or just “Shirley,” because that’s how choirs have to learn NOT to sing it.)   The book is presently at 148,774 words counting title and “the end” but will almost certainly slim down in the hands of the author (wielding the famous chainsaw of correction) and Editor, whose chainsawing produces sculpted books out of rough logs.

And now it’s past time for bed.  Tomorrow will be another one.

 

11 thoughts on “The End

  1. Not only that, but the rusty blackhaw viburnums are in full bloom, the scarlet buckeye has opened about a third of its flowers, birds are singing, and the oaks are leafing out.

    1. Amazingly enough, not doing NaNoWriMo doesn’t cause me any quivers of guilt…because I’m usually somewhere in the middle of a novel when it shows up. Also, I write too slow to do NaNoWriMo. A sprinter in my youth, I’m now a long-distance hiker, trudging along veeerrrryyy slllooowwwlllyyy.

  2. Love your description of the final end it of the first draft! As a horse person, it’s so real.

    My daughter is an sff author who also writes long books, I know how precious THE END is to her. And me. I want to read the book!

    Can’t wait for the book to come out. Can’t get enough of Ky and Rafe

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