Because of my work and life schedule, I get up early in the mornings to write when no one else is awake. I love the quiet time, the taste of Dove chai coffee (shameless plug for my chocolate enabler, Lori), and the insistence of my cat, who feels that it is imperative that he sit on my laptop and be loved for at least ten minutes before I am allowed to get productive.
This morning, the cat slept in, my husband was at work, and both my kids slept in. I was in The Zone. Totally oblivious to everything around me, I sank into writing mode. I admit to returning a few messages on Facebook to my writing group, The Coolest People Ever, but other than that, I was focused, which is a rare thing these days. So, when I typed the last sentence of the last chapter, it was kind of a surprise.
I stopped. Suddenly, I was DONE. It was a really good feeling to type that last word of my draft. It's been so long since I finished the first draft of my recently published novel that I'd forgotten what it felt like. I got really excited, breathed out a big sigh, and did a happy dance. This is only the second time I've actually finished a whole novel, so it's still a new, wonderful feeling.
Then I realized, "Holy crap...it's 2:00 in the afternoon!" I'd written almost all day. My cat and my kids were still sleeping, and I had to run in quickly and make sure that they were all still breathing or hadn't been kidnapped by aliens.
Thankfully, no aliens or trauma were discovered, and we (the kids and I, not the cat) went out for a celebration lunch. My son said thoughtfully over his Peanut Butter Snickers shake, "Mom, you should write a blog post about finishing your second book. That's kind of cool."
So, my son thinks it's cool. That feels even better than finishing writing the book! So, here's the blog post, because my son says I should. :-)
