Category: First Draft

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Of Hamsters, Lavender, and Immigration

I freely confess that I had not realized how much the general “What Even Is This” of the last year had affected me until I came to start actually writing this new novel. It turns out that I now have the attention span of a hamster who has slurped down three large mochaccinos. A rather stressed and easily overheated hamster, moreover, with a long to do list.

hamster looking nervous

However.

I have been trying to get into the garden lately as a way of reducing stress, and it has been teaching me some lessons. (#1: There are Always More Weeds.)

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Celebratory Tiny Fountain Pen

As the long-running readers of this blog will know, when I finished the first draft of my first novel five and a half years ago (to be honest, it feels more like a decade), I bought a celebratory fountain pen.

Possessing moderate quantities of that desirable intangible, self-control, I resisted the urge to repeat the procedure every time I finished a draft. But self-control is none the worse for having the occasional treat, so once I was within hailing distance of getting The Wound of Words off my hands (not just the first draft but the whole thing, published and all), I ordered another celebratory pen. (Just a tiny one…)

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53,100

I did it 🙂

In fact, not only did I pass 50,000 words, I got to the end of the story. (And then realized I’d forgotten to put in the last bit which I’d been thinking of for months if not years, but hey, that’s what rewrites are for, right?)

So, do I get a cake with 53,100 candles?


Maybe better not. I’m still open to suggestions of celebrations, if anyone has any ideas. (I do have access to a headless effigy and a rotten egg, if that helps.)

In other exciting news, my first ever guest post! Jami Gold’s site is a mine of useful information for writers – and not only for romance writers, though that’s her own focus as an author.

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