This week I finished writing the first draft of my novel. The story that started as a short list of bullet points has become a document of over 80,000 words, and it felt like the right time to stop tweaking it in order to get some feedback. A few people (other writers, family members and friends) have kindly offered to read it and I am very grateful to them for the time that they are going to invest in it. I feel lucky that they are willing to spend the time not only reading it but looking for weaknesses and areas that require work, too.
It has been nerve-racking to send it out. I have spent so many hours working on it, and like most writers I have been plagued by doubt. But seeing my words on the screen of my friend’s Kindle has been both surreal and exciting, and just getting to this stage alone feels like a milestone. Despite writing more words than ever before, I am yet to find the right two or three that feel right for the book’s title. Whilst I take a break from my characters to give others a chance to get to know them, I am going to enjoy writing other things (and perhaps think of a title). Hopefully I will be able to put my book to the back of my mind and enjoy some space from it, ready to tackle the feedback when it arrives.
Hannah England
