I am “finished” my novel, in the sense that I wrote the whole thing from beginning to end and have begun the process of showing it to other people. I am not finished in the sense that I’m done working it on it. Because there’s still plenty of work to do.
I started writing Ungodly Trifles around October 18, 2007. I’ve been working on it off and on since then. Half the book’s been scrapped in that time, and I’ve written and rewritten all over the place.
I wrote the ending while Laura and I were in Europe. I don’t know exactly when it was, but we were on a train. I didn’t count the novel as finished at that time because I knew I had to write new chapters around the beginning and end of the book, and heavily rewrite other parts and edit a whole lot of the book.
And so I completed that writing, rewriting and editing mission on February 8, 2012 at 11:33 pm, in a parking lot looking out onto Halifax Harbour.
But now it’s “finished”. It still needs a lot of work, but it’s all there. For those keeping track, that means that it took me four years, three months and 21 days to write it.
Laura and Nina are the first two people in the WHOLE WORLD who get to read it. They will contribute the first wave of feedback and criticism and editing suggestions. Then, my friends Cameron and Kathleen have signed up for round two. I’m glad to have people who are so eager to read the novel and help with making it better.
It’s weird and exciting to have Ungodly Trifles being read by other people, because save for a couple of really early chapters that I had floating around, I haven’t spoken a word about what the novel contains to anyone, really. It’s just been me in a vacuum.
But last night, Laura and I talked for an hour or two about all the characters and the various events of the book and who she likes and dislikes and why she likes or dislikes them, and it’s very cool to hear about the world and characters I created from the point of view of someone who is not me.
She’s not finished reading it yet, but she’s really close.
And now I’ll stop rambling and I assure you I will write better blog posts later.
