Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.
Do you have a special way of celebrating when you finish writing a book? Or other achievements in your journey? How do you reward yourself?
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When I finish writing the first draft of a novel, I'm so elated that I almost don't need any other celebration. I feel like I could float away from the joy of completing the book. I imagine it feels similar to what athletes experience when they get to the top of a mountain or the end of a race.
I do, however, tell my inner support circle right away--my husband, my kids, my sister, my mother, my critique partners. Those are the folks who have been in the struggle with me for the months or years that it took to bring a project to fruition and they'll rejoice with me.
In fact, I just got there once again at the end of June, on my writer's retreat to the mountains of North Carolina. How perfect to run into the main room, arms in the air, and take a victory lap, with my critique partners right there to whoop and holler with me. I should always try to finish a book while on writer's retreat!
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Of course, finishing *writing* a novel isn't really the end of that journey. There's still editing, revisions, and the actual publishing process.
The BEST moment is when I hold the paper copy of my work in my hands for the first time. I keep a spinner rack in my office that has paper copies of all my novels and short stories in anthologies on it and it's a major boost to me just to look over and see how many books are there.
For my first novel in this series, which was also my debut novel, Going Through the Change, I had a book launch party at a local bookstores. Cookies and punch, copies of the book for sale, a Phil Donahue-style interview with me by a writing friend, reading from the book. My whole family came out and so did everyone local enough to me and it was one of the best nights of my life.
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| Me, my daughter, and my dad, looking happy and related at my book launch party in 2015. |
In fact, I think I'm going to do it again for this book. After all, it's the series ender, coming out ten years after the first book. Finishing the entire five book series (and accompanying novellas and shorts) feels like something to really celebrate.
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| 4 novels, 2 novellas, some shorts, and a collection of all the shorts. One more novel coming soon! |
In fact, I'm working on setting up a book tour for it, hoping to partner with some of my writer friends across the country and hit a string of bookstores, libraries, and other venues.
(Hit me up, writer friends, if you might be interested in partnering with me on events in 2025, especially if our work has any obvious connections: feminism, aging, menopause, superheroes, female friendship, etc.)
That writer's retreat sounds wonderful, and it must be great to be able to write with no other distractions.
ReplyDeleteI've been able to manage a few days like that most years (starting about 10 years ago) and it is WONDERFUL.
DeleteWhat a great way to celebrate a new book!
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the idea of a retreat, it sounds so perfect. Like you I keep paperbacks of all my work in full view, just to remind me what's possible.
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