Finally!

I can only image that what I feel right now has to be similar to what a runner might feel after completing that first marathon. Though exhausted, I am riding a euphoric high that I want to last, even as I wake up in the morning. I want to run around the house and do a dance. I want to belt out a line or two of Queen’s “We Are The Champions”, only I know it would wake up the kids. I want to call up my brother, who lives five states away and one time zone ahead, and say, “Yeah baby, I did it, I did it, I did it.” My guess is, though, at this time of night he would probably say I had the wrong number and don’t call again.

Tonight, after nearly three months, and slightly more than a hundred and four thousand words written, I placed the final period on Lost Hearts, my NaNoWriMo projected for 2009. It’s been a long haul, and I’ve learned much. A few things, I plan on sharing over the next week or two. For now, though, I want to cherish the moment, even if I have to do it quietly around the house. I want to reward myself with a big bowl of ice cream, heaped over with chocolate. Maybe I’ll watch a late night program and laugh, knowing that I don’t have to wake up as early tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow: I finally get to read. During the last three months, I read a couple of books while writing the novel, and they provided some insights and inspiration along the way. However, those last three months will be nothing compared to the next two, as I plan to read with abandon—and not just a couple of books in three months, but at least one book each week.

Even though the novel's first draft is done, the writing isn't. Over the next few months, I will work on revising a short story or two, and write a new story that's been screaming for my attention over the last few weeks. Then, there's a piece of horror flash that I promised to expand, maybe even make into a novella by this summer. And finally, I will resume regular postings to the blog. It’s been waiting patiently for my attention over the last month, as I pressed harder and harder to get this project finished. Now, though, we get to spend some quality time with each other again.

Until next time…

“We are the champions … We are the champions…”