The End

I know the exact day that I finished my first novel. It was Mother's Day. My husband had taken the children to church and I, as usual, stayed home to do some cleaning and some writing. I didn't expect to finish my book that day because I had been suffering from writer's block for a week. But once I sat down with my coffee and my laptop I simply couldn't stop writing. It poured out of me like a monsoon. It's helpful that I have been a secretary for fifteen years because I type FAST. And believe me, I was typing at the speed of light that morning. In a matter of hours I had completed the last three chapters of my novel. My coffee sat untouched and cold and my messy apartment stayed that way.

 

I specifically recall very carefully saving the last chapter, setting my computer on the coffee table and sitting back on the couch in the perfect stillness when it was over. It wasn't unlike the calm after the storm. I was light headed and though I had quit smoking three years before I will admit that I wanted a cigarette.

 

I had finished an 88,000 word novel. I was in disbelief.

 

Before I began writing my story I knew that it couldn't be told in one book. Two very long books would be a stretch. So I always expected there would be three. Finishing the first novel was a feat for me and because of the serious and dramatic nature of this particular story I thought I should take a pause before moving onto book two. I started working on a project I had begun a year before - a lighthearted, funny story - but I found that my mind kept wondering back to my epic series. How would I resolve this issue? Where would that relationship go? This is the other side of the book the reader can't put down. My husband has been my biggest cheerleader and he pushed and pushed for me to continue with my trilogy. Reluctantly, I agreed and began work on the second book in the series. I'm currently only a few chapters shy of finishing the second book and I'm anticipating completion before the end of this year.

 

While working on this second book I am learning the process of querying literary agents for representation. This is where The Pen Rave comes in. Rejection letters aren't fun. But each one is part of the learning process. Each rejection represents a step forward. I think that my story will get picked up by the right agent and it will be published. Eventually. Meanwhile I will continue my work. This is a time for me to re-learn the meaning of patience and persistence.

Sunny