After some hiccups, I am happy to announce that I met my August goal of completing the draft of my latest novel, “Lamington.” For me, there is nothing else like the rush I get from typing those two simple words. The End. Although of course it never is the end. Each book is a journey. The first step can be a simple idea. This idea hadn’t been hidden away within my little black book for too long.

It all started quite innocently enough. Being all domestic and washing dishes when a scene formed in my mind. Simple and hauntingly beautiful, it was as though an artist was working away behind my eyes, delicately wielding a paint brush, adding depth and dimension, a burst of colour. Before I knew it, I was being a little naughty and allowing myself to be pulled away from another writing project. I doubt either Hermes or Calliope were whispering in my ear; however, it didn’t matter. The seed was planted and from that tiny seed, a story has bloomed.

My husband has been a wonderful cheerleader, telling me to go write and not worry about housework (I know, how lucky am I!) and as the weeks rolled on, I knew I had to set myself a proper goal. With the finish line for the first draft visible on the horizon I decided that a decent goal was finishing the draft by the end of August. I had some Annual Leave booked and the company I work for had decided that work was a little slow and encouraged a couple more Annual leave days. I was not about to complain.

Some days, each word typed seems like it has to be forced from your body, fingers feel stiff on the keyboard, you notice every little ache and pain in your body. Despite my body choosing August to hate on me just that little bit extra and try throwing obstacles in my path, I was determined not to be defeated. The finish line was in sight, and I found that by sitting at my desk, a hot cup of peppermint tea brewed and lovely instrumental music to ebb and flow around the room, the words flowed naturally.

The world tumbled out of me, and I will fully admit to stopping briefly to go grab the box of tissues. I am an empath, and it can be exceedingly difficult not to get caught up in my characters’ lives. After spending so much time walking in Alison’s shoes, she is just as real to me as any person I meet on the street, except that I am privy to her thoughts, her deepest desires, the fears she tries to drown in the depths. She has become an old friend. As I typed up the concluding chapter, I stopped and reflected for a moment on what I had achieved and then stood up and invited my husband into my writing space. Sitting him at the computer, I kindly instructed him to type two words for me. It seemed fitting, after the amount of love and support that he has given me, that he should be the one to type “The End.” It may seem silly, but I don’t think the story would be what it is without him.

Usually, I come to the end of a draft and have a decent idea of the areas that are lacking in a story. I try not to edit too much as I go along, although when typing my handwritten pages, I do seem to naturally tweak a bit. With this draft, it is the first time I’ve approached a story with so much research and planning involved. My trusty notebook is never far from my side and filled with pictures, scribbles, flow charts and admittedly a few doodles. After thinking over the story, I realised I have absolutely no idea where to go from here. No gaping plot holes, or obvious imbalances are screaming at me to be fixed.

Usually, the first draft is very much for my eyes only. First drafts are after all, where we are telling the story to ourselves and I know from experience that I’ve written some absolutely atrocious first drafts over the years. This time, I have taken the leap into the terrifying arena of Beta Readers sooner than I usually would.

I would like to give a massive shout out to my wonderful beta readers who have the unenviable task of telling me all that is wrong with my draft. Thank you to Crystil, Daniel, Lilyan, Genna, Nathan, and Kerri for what I am sure will be extremely useful feedback. Thank you all for taking the time to read this draft.

It is incredibly daunting and absolutely terrifying to open yourself up to have your work critiqued however this is how, we learn as writers. We build upon previous mistakes, each time making sure the foundations are that bit more solid in the hope that at the end a lovely story will shine through. My draft is in other people’s hands at the moment, leaving me time to fill my days by reading some wonderful stories and trying to rest my body and brain before the next steps commence.