Hatrack River Writers Workshop: My first accomplishement: I am exhausted

This is topic My first accomplishement: I am exhausted in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Dubshack (Member # 5262) on :

Four days. 30,000 words. I'm done.

The first completed rough draft of Dark Ascendance is complete. It rings in at about 90,720 words.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I am physically exhausted, and I smell a little, but I have never felt so accomplished in my life. I've never felt so affected. It's probably retarded to say, but I actually cried writing the final chapter. Its a funeral scene, so it is kind of sad, but the main characters all come full circle in a way that I still cannot believe. And everything I was worried about, with trying to fit in a whole universe of concepts but still make it a character story, and have it be the first part of a trilogy while standing on its own... That all took care of itself on its own. I think this book affected me more than I did it.

Next: Tear it apart, chapter by chapter, analyze it, throw things out, add some things, rewrite some things. Make it better.

Anyone else have that experience with their first work?

Posted by trousercuit (Member # 3235) on :

It sounds a bit like you just gave birth, all the way up to the part where the next step is to tear it apart.

Good job.

Posted by mommiller (Member # 3285) on :

Had it with my first Na No.

A sense of accomplishment, and then relief...followed closely by a sort of, "now what?"

Congratulations.

My best advice I have to give you is to leave it alone for a while before approaching it again.

Posted by Dubshack (Member # 5262) on :

That's funny, that's exactly what I was thinking... Like maybe read a book, watch some tv, weed my yard... Come back to it in like a week or two. Or is that too soon? How long do you let a first draft sit before you tear it open?

Posted by lehollis (Member # 2883) on :

Congrats, Dubshack. That's quite an accomplishment.

Posted by mfreivald (Member # 3413) on :

Congratulations, Dubshack.

Enjoy the moment, and get to work!

Posted by nitewriter (Member # 3214) on :

Nice going! You should let it "ferment" for a couple of weeks to a couple of months. You will get a feeling for when to go back and look at it with a view to changes because it will be on your mind and your subconscious will "play" with it and you will begin to have new ideas and insights as to how to revise certain passages. Give it a few weeks, at the very least.

[This message has been edited by nitewriter (edited April 10, 2007).]

Posted by Kazuo (Member # 5374) on :

And I thought my current 1500 a day was a reasonable achievment. Hats off!

Posted by mommiller (Member # 3285) on :

quote:
How long do you let a first draft sit before you tear it open?

I'd have to say, at least a week, for a short story, which is what I am currently working on. Perhaps, a month or longer for a novel. Immerse yourself into some other activity and pick up a couple of really good novels to read in the interim. My reading has helped my writing tremendously.

You want to crack it open with fresh eyes so you can give your own writing a very critical review. Rewrite it, then pass it on to your crit group.

Good luck.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

I've stuck with five hundred words, mostly...I got up to a thousand words last Thursday and Friday, then took the weekend off for Easter, and also to celebrate finishing something.

I've recently---well, in the past several years---joined the "sit and ferment" school of thought. How soon I get back to them depends on how much I like them. I've got a novella I finished in February I'll probably start working on within the week...but the story I just finished will probably sit in my files a little longer. (I've got some that have been there for years now, though...one story I like very much but it waits on substitution for a single scene I've come to dislike. Yeah, I talked it out here about a year ago.)

Besides that, there's still fresh work to do...more of a novel, other short stories, the usual...

Posted by dee_boncci (Member # 2733) on :

Congrats. I just recently reached the same milestone, although it took me an extra 47,000 words.

On my last day I got a bit over 3000 words, which is still my personal best for a single day. I can't imagine doing what you did the last couple days.

I let mine sit for a month, and have just recently started reading it. It's pretty bad, but not completely unfixable. Is it pretty common to want to wretch when going through a draft novel the first time, I wonder?

Posted by mommiller (Member # 3285) on :

quote:
Is it pretty common to want to wretch when going through a draft novel the first time, I wonder?

No, not at all. However I do find printing out a copy of my first drafts and running them through a shredder rather satisfying at times...

Posted by InarticulateBabbler (Member # 4849) on :

Congrats!

Posted by I am destiny on :

Congratulations!!! I know how you feel. My last pregnancy I had a HUGE burst of creativity and wrote almost 7 books in the 9 months and the few before that. I wrote 6 1/2 books w/ an average of 80,000-110,000 words each. There was a few days in the middle where I would type all day 17 words across, 60 lines and 15-20 pages a day. That is aprox. 1,800 words a day WOW! Blink, blink. It honestly is one of my best sections because I felt it was definately inspired.
Destiny...

Posted by CoriSCapnSkip (Member # 3228) on :

Congratulations, and geez, you guys. Any day I write any words is a good day.

Posted by darklight (Member # 5213) on :

Euphoria...

Relief...

Emptiness...

Wandering around aimlessly wondering what to do next...

That's how I usually feel after finishing a story/novel. For a couple of days anyhow.

Like others have said though, leave it a while, write something else before going back to it - wait a few weeks. Congrats anyhow!

Posted by thecox (Member # 4713) on :

Congratulations! I think I'm in the same boat as the people saying they're lucky if they write anything in a day, much less complete a story. Maybe I just don't have enough invested in my characters...Oh well, give it a couple weeks and good luck!