The Last Guardian of the Ways

That's my semi-official working title. I only coined it today, so I'm still rolling it about to see how it feels, but so far it sort of sums up everything about this book that I want it to.

Oh yeah, I finished it today. Yay me. Today was kind of a whirlwind, and I feel a bit sick, but all I've had to eat for two days is coffee in obscene amounts, corned beef and swiss sandwiches and a couple of bananas. I'm eating some carrots and drinking lots of water now so that I can stop shaking lol, but I really finished it. And I intended this to be a standalone novel, but something happened towards the end that I didn't expect to happen and that all changed (a character I'd always thought was going to die, just so happened to decide he wanted to live. Funny that), so now I have to really flesh some things out and get started on book two.

I'm really happy with how this turned out. Lots changed from day to day so there are some points I need to go back and fix for continuity, and there's plenty that needs to be excised (or exorcised if you wish) but I'm going to put the manuscript in a drawer for about a week or two and work on something else and read. I picked up a particularly fun book called "Larklight" by Philip Reeve. Then I'll take it out and edit the f--k out of it in time to give my brother a copy for the holidays to edit the f--k out of for me. I'd like to start sending samples out by the end of January, so I've got lots and lots of work. Thank god for the TV Writer's strike (though I'm totally behind them. Go Writers! Down with the Man!)

Anyway, I sort of wanted this to be a journal of what I went through to get this done. it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and I can't wait to do it again. I'm going to take a much needed day off tomorrow to do laundry, but I'll be back to work on Monday. I will say that the most important thing I learned was to just go with the ideas, not to get too attached to an idea or caught up in the little details. I mean, the detail are important, but now that the heavy lifting is done, I can return to it and sand out the rough edges. Just going with it enabled me to keep working. Sometimes I took a wrong turn and had to retrace my steps, and even at the end I realized that a choice I made in the beginning was wrong, but I made a note and continued writing as if I hadn't made the choice.

Well I'll keep updating, because now the really hard part begins; convincing a publisher to even look at it......followed by lots and lots and lots and lots of rejection.

Word of the day: Huzzah! (with the exclamation point...always with the exclamation.)