Bringing Mae Flowers

I finished the first draft of my first novel.

It’s been a project I’ve started, stopped, and restarted several times over the last decade. Despite loving the story more than ever, I found it harder and harder to find the energy and motivation to finish the story. But at 8:30pm on December 31st, I finished the draft. After the relief of reaching the first milestone has dissipated, a new anxiety sets in. Before, the concern is that you won’t meet your goal. Now the fear is that you will.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer.

I’ve loved books since I was young, and always hoped that my stories would grace the shelves some day. That dream hasn’t changed, but now, I’m not sure how to do it. Publication once seemed out of reach: a notoriously competitive industry with difficult to break into. But now, ironically, it’s the accessibility that’s intimidating.

How do you decide the right writing path?

Traditional publishing, Indie-press, self-publication, web-novels: these are just a handful of the options writers have to share their work now. The market is simultaneously more open and more competitive than ever before. No matter which option you choose, there will be challenges. Am I ready for that?

Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I just finished the first draft. I still have to write a second draft, revise and edit, and format a manuscript. I know that all of that would take at least a year, if not longer. There’s no reason for me to worry about any of this now, but like most writers, I am a chronic over-thinker. For now, I really should just allow myself to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment for finishing a draft.