Reaching 'The End'

I did it! This afternoon, I reached The End of the first draft of Book 12! It's a pretty messy first draft, so there's still a lot of work to do before it's a coherent, can-be-read-by-someone-else manuscript, but the main ingredients for the book are there.

I started the book on 20th April, about a month into lockdown and homeschooling, so I was bit apprehensive about what I could achieve during this time. I set myself a goal of finishing the book in September, which meant I could write 4,000 words per week (or 800 words per week day), which seemed doable under the circumstances. I also gave myself little pats on the back for every 10,000 words I reached in the form of post-it notes, which I shared on social media:

Writing a book during a global pandemic hasn't always been easy, but it has been quite nice having an escape into a world where coronavirus doesn't exist, where characters can meet up with friends (and hug them) and popping on a mask to go to the supermarket isn't the norm.

I'm going to have a little break from writing (it's needed, believe me!) so I can recharge my batteries before I start planning Book 13...