Amelion's Song: First Draft Finished

I started writing the novel "Amelion's Song" back on August 9, 2004. I wrote for a bit, stopped, and then picked up in ernest on November 11, 2004. I did my best to write at least 3 pages a day.

Now it's January 24, 2005 and I completed over 100,000 words. The book is about 328 double-spaced pages and, yes, it's in such raw form that even I'm not happy with it, but the first draft is finished.

The goal is to finish the chapter outlines and then give myself a week or two off. At that point, I'll write out some descriptions of the characters, flesh them out a bit, and make some decisions about their characterizations.

In the meantime, I've taken the old drafting table that I bought when I used to live at home (I used this same table in the apartment my wife and I lived in years ago. It was on this table, back in 2000, that I rewrote "Dorothea's Song." Now I intend to use the same table, set up in my basement, to go through line by line, word for word, and rewrite the entire book.

I know the basic story now. I know how it begins, where it's headed, and the ending so I can rewrite the scenes that need it, taking some time to strengthen my writing.

I'm happy that I've come this far, but I have so much more yet to do. However, I wanted to share this good news and to really thank myself for working so hard to complete the book. Sure, it's only the first draft, but seeing the stack of paper printed out is really nice. I did smile on seeing the last of the pages print out and placing the manuscript on the table.

First draft down! I'm taking some time to celebrate and be happy.