Your First

Decided to start a new topic here and share my big news with everyone here since people around my place seem a bit underwhelmed by it. Also a bit curious about something.

First the news - I finally finished the first draft of my first novel today, after literally years of struggling against people's opinions and my own self doubts that maybe I should be doing other things with my time. I'm not quite sure how to describe how I feel about it. I do know without a doubt though I am glad I never gave up.

I am overjoyed that I saw it through to completion, and there are lots of revisions I want to make yet before it goes into submission phase, but I can't deny I'm a little sad the conclusion has been written. I am somewhat glad now that I planned this to be a series, since I get to see most of the characters again, but they'll never be the same either. I can't wait to get started on that, and the other major fantasy novel I have planned for 2005. I guess I'm both sad and happy - feels kind of odd to me actually.

Just curious how other people on the board felt after finishing their first novel. All comments welcome. Now to start looking for an ink cartridge to print this 205,000 word monster and get going on those revisions

Congratulations

It's a lovely feeling to finish a novel. And you're way ahead of me. When I finished my first novel (I'm unpublished, so no words of wisdom from me) I had no thoughts of revision. Revision? It's perfect. Of course, when I reread it months later, I cringed.

Anyway, you asked what our feelings were on finishing our first novels. Mine was amazement. Have I really written that many words?

Good luck with the revisions.

Jenny

Re: Congratulations

Congrats on finishing numero uno!

When I typed "THE END", I leaped out of my chair and hopped around the room, then ran out to the living room to see my wife and told her I'd finally finished my first novel. Her response?

"That's nice, dear. What do you want for supper?"

*sigh*

As for how it felt: it was just like you said ... amazement and utter glee mixed with a twinge of sadness since this moment I had dreamed of for over thirty years had come and gone in a heartbeat. Ain't nuttin' ever gonna match it neither. 'Cept maybe gettin' published.

Re: Congratulations

Thanks guys... my reaction to typing those words was, "that can't really be the end can it?" Then it started sinking in. It's still sinking in.

Most of my friends and family had a similar muted reaction to my news, but my dad shook my hand and said, "congratulations." Meant a lot to me

I dreamed about seeing my novel at the public library once... I remember experiencing in the dream a feeling of pure elation I've never felt before at any other time of my life, and I think it was remembering that feeling that kept me from giving up. Want to see if it really feels that way to be published

Re: Congratulations

Good job, kudos to you, clap yourself on the back--you're in the minority. A lot more people start a book than ever get to the end.

When I finished my first novel I was very proud of myself and happy that I'd seen it through, but I was also terribly excited. I had the opening for the next one on file, beckoning me, tempting me to enter a new world, a new adventure, another mountain to climb.

I started my second book the following day.

Mari

Re: Congratulations

Yes, congrats. Now comes the hard part :lol

It really is the truth, more work will come now than what it took to write that first draft. You need to put the book away for a bit, get some distance on it. Write something else, short stories. Or read something you've been putting off until you finished, that's one of my favorite things to do when I've finished something.

Then, go back to it and get out the red pen. Revise. Send it to beta readers, or join a crit group and send it through there. Revise again.

Time to cut that raw diamond into a precious jewel.

But, just to let you know, I felt the same way, like I had finally gotten the thing out. Nobody else even knew I had written it, 'cept people on forums. They were happy too

DO the dance, feel the joy. Then back to work!

Re: Congratulations

It was a great feeling, that I had actually finished it. Those two words: "THE END" were very powerful. Of course immediately I knew that it wasn't really "the end" -- only the beginning of the rest of the process... but it was a great feeling to finish something I set out to do. It made me realize anything was possible if I put my mind to it.

Big congrats. Many are called, few are chosen. Most who begin a novel will never finish. Now you come to the hard part.

How did I feel? Intensely relieved.

I felt like chasing my mommy down and reading it to her word for word all the way through -- And that is what I did.

Re: Congratulations

It really is the truth, more work will come now than what it took to write that first draft.

Click to expand...

Well, sometimes. I put most of my effort into the first draft. It all depends on the process. And I really don't like the idea of showing work to a critique group. A beta reader or two is fine, but not a critique group.

Depends...

On the group. I sent my novel through, a few chapters at a time, Critters. I got some great crits.

One critter became a dedicated reader, and he helped me immensely. I don't know if the book would be being published without him. I suppose I was lucky.

Finishing a Novel

Congratulations, Oklahoma! It was a great feeling for me--sort of. Then I felt like I lost my best friend. I so enjoyed writing that book and getting to know my characters, that I had trouble ending it, and sending it out into the wild. But the good news is, that's once it's published (mine is pubbed by a small traditional publisher), I can read it as often as I want. And maybe do a sequel! (Doubtful.)

Re: Finishing a Novel

Now you come to the hard part.

Click to expand...

You're not kidding, I have a lot of revising and rewriting to do. Since most of the early chapters were written well before I started learning how to write well, I have a lot of work to do to get them up to the standards of the later chapters.

I also want to convert the 3rd person omniscient POV to 3rd limited switching - I find it makes the story flow much better.

I had trouble writing those words at the end, "the end;" but decided I had better put them in anyway or I would just keep writing past the natural conclusion of the plot. Now that I've gotten some sleep I think I can say I pretty much feel I'm in a state of disbelief. Did I really get to the end? :lol

At any rate, I can feel my second planned fantasy project pushing at me to get started on it now - wanted to give that one a little space from my first novel so parts of it don't seep into the new one, but the urge to write is so strong I don't think I want to fight it.

Thanks for the support all

Re: Finishing a Novel

Can I ask a question too? How much editing did you have to do once you've finished the first draft? I mean, plain physical rewriting?

I'm almost through with my NaNoWriMo project now and I just can't believe how much work there is to be done now! I don't think I'll leave any word where it is now. Was it the same with you, or not quite?

Thank you!

The hardest words to write are "The End".

Actually completing a novel, even if it's the first draft, is an amazing experience. I've now finished 2 novels and I'm hard upon the 3rd, but finishing that initial novel is a critical juncture.

200,000 words? Wow. I took a long time to finish 70k. What's your novel about?

Well, to be fair Wordperfect calls it 175,000 words - the 205,000 is what I calculated from some other advice on this wonderful forum

When formatted for double spaced courier new it goes to 705 pages.

It's an epic fantasy in which I tried to stay away from as many of the Tolkien cliches as possible, but I think I only partly succeeded there. My elves in particular - I'd love to just get rid of them, but they're essential to the plot. This is one of the areas I plan major revisions on - I want to try things I haven't really seen done in a fantasy before. In other words, trying to think outside the box enough to sell it to a publisher - I don't think it's nearly as unique as it could be or needs to be in order to sell. But, I don't want to just put it on a shelf either - I sacrificed a lot for this novel.

I'm sorry to be harsh here, but ....

To me, word count doesn't mean anything if they're not the right words. I'd rather read a 50,000-word novel if every word counts, than read a 300,000-word slush if you only count the words.

Re: Congratulations

The first time I typed "the end" I cried and went to sleep.

Re: Congratulations

Way to go O-Way!!!!!!!!!

Sure I was sad. I mean, one can never do certain things for the first time, ever again. Typing The End to a first novel is right up there.

Even celebrations mean loss. There was the time before and the time after. (graduation, marriage, first novel.)

Do get it printed and soon, hard copy is an important backup. And please place at least one disk backup outside your home, okay?

I get depressed when I kill off a character I like, too.

Surround yourself with friends who believe in you and appreciate what you're doing with your life. Life's way to short to do otherwise.

Maybe you can celebrate with an eggnog latte? Tis the season, and a reason.

Congratulations. You are a novelist.

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Re: Congratulations

Allergic to eggnog sadly (and wish I wasn't - love the stuff).

I am in full agreement with you Maestro - there's actually a lot I'd like to pare down in the novel too. I was actually starting to think for a while it was heading for more than 250,000 words and am pretty glad I got to the conclusion sooner than that.

I didn't exactly kill off any of the main characters I'd gotten attached to, but I did destroy what was once a great friendship for the main character. Actually feeling pretty depressed about that today - he's like a member of my family.

Printing is gonna be tricky - hoping to get a laser printer soon, since the inkjet is out of ink again and cartridges are very expensive for it. The old black cartridge sat too long and won't take a refill now.

Thanks for calling me a novelist, Gala... had such a hard day living with what I'd done to the book's main character at the end I very much appreciate someone other than myself calling me that