Happiness is…finishing the novel

I’ve finished it I’ve finished it I’ve finished it I’ve finished it.

There is little else for me to say this week, other than:

I’ve finished it!

It’s still too long, and there is the odd tweak here and there that I will, erm, tweak in the coming week, but apart from that it is done, the book is ready to be read and, perhaps the most amazing part of all; I am happy!

I whooped, I fist pummelled the air, I ran down to the beach and basked in the warmth of both the sun and the glorious knowledge that all the hard work has been worth it.

After two years, nine rewrites, countless drafts, numerous rejections, half a dozen beta readers and the BEST mentor a writer could ask for, it is READY!

Phew.

These feelings will most likely change (queue onset of panic, self doubt, self loathing and the rest) but for the next day or so I am going to hold on to this happiness and enjoy it.

There is still a long road ahead of me; submissions, edits, rejections. But I’m not going to worry about any of those yet. I’m going to take a pit stop, a couple of days to sit back and exhale because I feel as if I have been either holding my breath or taking in as much air as possible for two years and I need to let it all out. I need to face the next stage with a clear head.

The next stage is submissions.

And I need to be on my A game.