I just finished the first full draft of one of the projects I’m working on. I’ve finished stories before but something about this one was different. So different that story literally stopped writing itself. I wasn’t completely sure where to end it but my hands stopped moving and I seemed to have decided before I realised that “it’s done”. I’m just stared at my computer wide eyes, unable to type another thing. So I shut the laptop and crawled into bed. But I’m so astounded and giddy. I know that this is literally the tip of the iceberg but there is something different about what I’m feeling. Is this a good thing for a writer? Or is it ego? I’ve never felt so sure that “that’s it” about the ending of a novel before. I’m not even dreading the editing process (I’ll save that for when I get started) but am instead just over the moon that the story is, for the most part, complete. I doubt it will stay entirely the same though, so maybe this is just a sense of accomplishment I’ve been a little starved for.

I write because I love it. It makes me happy. But I’ve discovered that finishing the first draft makes me euphoric.