This is the last instalment of my Thoughts from the Writing Trenches extravaganza. 170,000 words and the first draft of No Compass to Right – 4th book in the Crater Lake series – is done. Wrote almost 9,000 of those in one day. I was so in the grips of the story, I could hardly get out of the chair to use the bathroom. But it was worth it.
There’s a weird feeling that comes over me as I scroll through the pages – shock and awe. How did I do it? I somehow managed to put all these characters on the playing board of the story then I followed them through to the last page. I think I could write a hundred books and I would always feel like this when I got to the end of the first draft. I went to sleep the night I finished and slept a solid eight, dreamless hours. It was wonderful!
Many thanks for following this first draft writing series. It felt less lonely in the writing trenches knowing some of you were digging along beside me. If you have any suggestions for future series, let me know.
disappearinginplainsight 
Fran, you write like a person possessed! I’m lucky if I can write more than 1500 words in a day and 3000 a week. Then my weekly writers group gets its teeth into my output and I usually lose a few hundred in the rewriting. The upside is that I only write one draft. I’m always intrigued by the fact that every writer I know has a unique approach to the hard labour. Good luck with the editing and don’t forget to go for long walks! Stuart
Thanks, Stuart – they’re certainly are so many approaches to this thing we call writing 🙂 I’m in need of those long walks these days, for sure. My head is already spinning with ideas for the next book – crazy, right?
Congratulations! @sheilamgood at Cow Pasture Chronicles
Many thanks. Sure feels good to move on to the next stage 🙂
I’m sure it does! Congrats and best of luck.