The Book

I crossed the 40,000 word mark tonight.  It's really the 90,000 word mark for the book in total, and I'm starting to shift towards the ending.  It may take me more than 10,000 more words to get to the ending, but it's nearing.  I can feel it.

It's been a journey unlike any other this year.  My characters have surprised me and I thought I owned them.   The story has made me laugh, cry and shudder with complete disbelief that I can, in fact write thousands upon thousands of pages of complete drivel.

I'm not there yet.  I have eleven more days and about as many thousand words to go.  But it's coming.  I can feel it.  My characters can, too.   Things are about to resolve in the way that made sense all along but wasn't the initial path chosen.  Oooh how I can relate.

In any case, I have to say I have not done many things in my life that left me with a feeling such as the one that I'm beginning to possess.  I'm actually about to finish the first draft of my first novel.  

When I was little, I remember my mother saying I was going to be one of three things: a teacher, a lawyer, or a writer.   Somehow it does my heart good to think she was right on the two counts I agree with.  (Although there are days I think this parenting thing really is lawyering.  Ahem.)

Even if this book is nothing more than kindling for the fire, I will be able to say I did it once.

And that is all that matters.

And I can cross that off my list of things to do before Heaven.