What Lies Ahead

Dear Reader,

I am so happy I could cry. I am so very pleased, so satisfied, to announce:

After all these years, my first draft of my first novel is complete at 175,098 words, 27 Chapters, and one full year of work.

It has been for a couple of days, now, but I've been busy reflecting, resting, celebrating. I finished Chapter 27 at precisely 11:00PM, 11/27. This was a coincidence, though 11 has always been my lucky number.

Anyway, this month has been very busy. I wrote 64,166 words, all of which were for chapters 18-27. In retrospect, this was a lot easier than I was expecting, and makes me feel very confident about next year's lofty goals— more on those in next month's newsletter. I want to be certain of them before I present them to you, dear Reader.

Overall, I am overjoyed with the ending. Quite honestly, I suspect you will be, too.

This, of course, leaves the question: what lies ahead?

Well, there's a number of things, really, and I won't bore you with the details of all of them, but here are some of the things I will be doing in the background:

1. Writing all of my other work! I have many other projects, and many of those already have 5+ chapters complete.
2. I need to make a full copy of Craven for myself to read, then I'm going to, well, read it. I will share this copy with a couple of people— the people that might otherwise steal it from me if I didn't— to save them the hassle. I am so very excited to read the damn thing for once, cover-to-cover.
3. The publishing process for Craven: draft 2, naturally, and perhaps a 3rd (though I think draft 2 will be all that's needed). Of course, once drafting is complete, the full editing process: developmental, copy, and line editing, then proofreading after. I have done a great deal of research into my publishing options, but it is still too soon to make decisions about the sale and distribution of the book.
4. Taking a break from Craven. I will leave this work behind for 90 days. At the end of it, I will return with fresh eyes, ready to improve it and finish it anon.
5. Creating more of these newsletters, posting more of my stories to the website, and, of course, working on my skills in the background.
6. As soon as I have figured out how best to share Craven with you, I will. There will be more than draft 1 of Chapter 1 and 2 posted. I swear it. More of it will be released publicly in December.
7. Goal-setting, scheduling, and planning for all of the above and even more I do not have the space to list.

Finally, we come to my favorite section of the newsletter. All the business parts are done, and this part is just about me and my journey.

Welcome back, dear Reader, to:

Revna Rambles

I was actually going to finish the book two weeks ago, but I got very sick and sad. I don't quite remember why. Such is life, I suppose. It worked out better this way.

The day I spent on the final chapter was a day I will never forget for as long as I live. It was full of ritual, of superstition, but also of deep focus and fulfillment. I knew the entire day that I was approaching the end of an era: I have never been known to finish anything. That energy electrified the whole day, and made every single movement feel so grand, so important, but more than anything: calm. I felt peace and acceptance as I sat in the time between the 'before' and 'after' as all four of my favorite candles burned down the hours with me in the rainy dark.

I knew finishing the book would affect me, but I still haven't fully processed what it means for me. I am a different person, now, fundamentally. Everything is easier.

The feeling of finishing it is something I can only describe as: "the relaxing of a long-clenched fist." Tension left my heart, completely. Having never finished anything, I think, may have been my single greatest pain, and through consistent effort, I have patched up that hole in my heart and soul.

I have never been happier, nor so hopeful.

I cannot wait to see what else I am able to do. And so, already, I find myself doing it. Two days of rest was plenty, and already, I am restless. My heart belongs within the pages, the text my blood, the margins my bones.

What else is there for any of us to do but keep moving forward, one step at a time?

At the end of the day, I am an Author, and an author must auth! wait, no—

As always, dear Reader,

Thank you for reading.

-R