Feeling guilty…

Yesterday, I printed out the 476 pages that make up my first draft, three-hole punched them and stuck them in a binder.  Seeing it that way made it real for me — I completed the first draft of a novel.  It’s a euphoric feeling — I’m light-years ahead of where I’ve ever been, where I ever thought I’d be.

Soon I start the revision process (which I will discuss in my next post).  Until then, I’m taking a few days off.

In the past, when I’ve taken a few days off, it’s been fine.  Even earlier this month, I knew I was going to take a couple of days off.  No problem.  Now that the draft is actually finished and I decide to take a few days off, I feel guilty that I’m not writing.  I know I shouldn’t — I’m following the plan I had set out for myself when I figured out how I would do the revisions.  Still, there’s a certain guilty feeling that goes with taking a couple of days off.  That bodes well for the future — I expect the next novel will take less time to complete.

125,679

In my head, it’s really 125,681.  I didn’t bother typing the last two in the file, so here they are:

THE END.

One to go

I have one more chapter to go, and the first draft is finished.  By this time tomorrow, I’ll be getting a disk ready for Staples.  After that, posting will pick up a little bit.

Still going….

I’m just about at the 120k mark, and it looks like I’ll finish soon.  Everything is just about to come to a head, so by the end of the week (or so I’m hoping beyond hope) the draft will be finished, ready to go to Staples for printing.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Stuttering and stammering toward the finish line

I’m currently just over 112,000 words, which is good and bad.  It’s good in the sense that I’m over 112,000 words and I’m getting close to the finish.  It’s bad in the sense that I was just over 110,000 words on December 30, 2008 — it’s taken me a week to get out 2,000 words.

The pace is definitely slower than I would like — I’m hoping to be done with the first draft by this time next week, and I expect it to take another 8,000 words (or possibly a little more).  That being said, what I have written is shaping up nicely — the secrets are coming out and the final (political) conflict is shaping up nicely.  I think it’ll be an exciting ending, and I expect it to be worth the time and effort.

How’s everyone else doing?

Singing the techno blues….

My laptop is dying.  I’ve had it for three-and-a-half years now, making it a veritable dinosaur.  It’s a wonderful dell 700m, with the extended battery.  At a mere 4.5 pounds (practically a feather in those days), it gave me 5 hours of battery life on a single charge (practically an eternity back then).

Now, I get less than 3 hours on a full charge, and the wireless card is intermittently functional at best.

Thankfully, I have a desktop.  Since I’m no longer in school, the laptop is not my primary computer — the desktop is.  That being said, I still use the laptop an awful lot.  It kills me that I now have to take the power cord if I want to go sit at a coffee shop and write for the afternoon whereas before I could sit and write and never worry about that little battery icon.

So I’m looking at possibly replacing the laptop, though I figure I can hold out for a little while longer.  I’m looking at the dell Vostro 1310 (it’s listed in the small business section).  With the extended battery, it’s supposed to provide over 7 hours of battery life, and you can purchase a second extended battery (which I believe swaps with the CD drive) for an extra 7 hours of battery life.  If I do break down, I’ll let you know.  For now, however, I’m trying to hold onto the 3 precious hours I get to be with my old laptop every time the battery’s charged.

Goals and alike abound!

So I’m not the only one with goals/resolutions/things I hope to accomplish in the next year.  Here are some of the things others want:

Alex wants a six pack.

Uppington intends to enjoy the writing process more.

Nova will finish her new novel.

Victanguera wants to feel like anything is possible.

J.C. has several goals.

Tamara also has multiple plans for the new year.

Dara puts together a list that puts mine to shame.

Good luck to all of you, and everyone else who has something they want to accomplish in the next 364 days before we arbitrarily flip to the next new year.