The Beginning of the End

Back in the UK I had this idea for a short story about a shooting party at a manor house. I wrote during my time at work in the cafe on paper bags and sometimes in a notebook, if I remembered to bring it. It was perhaps 3 pages long when I got married and it got lost. 

Then in January, with New Years Resolutions firmly in place I decided to pick it up again and finish it. Well it grew in length to a novella, and then a bit longer. By March I had realized this could very well be a novel. So I set myself up to reaching 75,000 words. However, life and procrastination got in the way. I formed bad habits: - I would write for a bit and then stop. Then edit what I had written and move it forward a bit more and then stop again. At the start of the summer it had stopped permanently. 

Coming back from our holiday in September I took out my laptop. I had Part 1 and 2, basically half the story. It was not that great and it was far from over, but it was there... waiting. Then life threw me a curveball. I had put all my eggs into the basket of my business and it had failed. Suddenly I had free time, and not much work. That was when TidyBoy told me to write. Now was my chance. The few days a week at my 'main job' would fund writing days, and he believed I had to do it. It was what I dreamed of doing but I always put it off because I felt I had too. Now I just needed to give it a go. See if it worked.

I started by re-editing what I had, making part 1 on its fourth draft (editing for me is a procrastination in itself) and part 2 on its second draft. I finished reading and thought, hey this is alright. Its not brilliant but its ok. That was when my husband set me the 100 Days of Writing challenge. 

Today is Day 15... part 3, 4 and the postscript have been finished. Its in draft one but it is there. Sitting at just over 86,000 words (10,000 over target). 
A real novel!

I haven't finished anything this long.... EVER! I have always wanted to write novels but everything I wrote ended up as short stories or screenplays. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. 

All I know is it is done, and tomorrow we can start the editing process...