I finished writing my book.

and now I feel all wierd and sick and sad, but mostly senstive about it. Like I don't want anybody to read it. Like it sucks and it was a huge waste of time. Like, who am I kidding?
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Uggg! I think everyone goes through a bit of post partum depression once they've finished a book.

You'll get through it, I promise.

Just wait until you start doing rewrites...

I went through the same thing and it was horrible. I sent the book off and got good responses and then decided to rewrite it. That is what I am doing now. I am glad I decided to do the re write but really I shouldn’t have. I should have just been done with it, got money and went on my way but paranoia and indecision creeps in.

There are a couple of ways to look at it. One is to step away from the work and send it off, then start something else. Others say you should take a break.

The only thing that this compares reasonably to is sending you kid off to school or having your wife, significant other leaving you. These pages are something that you spent so much time with that it becomes hard to leave them. Before I started writing I would laugh at parents that cried when their kids went off to school but now I understand.

You have so many questions when you do this. Will they like it? Will they give you money? Will someone want to change it? Will they change it? If it gets published will the public like it? If it gets reviewed will it be a good one or bad? It can drive you crazy. When I finished the first time around I was ecstatic and then I became depressed. No one wanted to be around me and I made people not want to be around me.

I simply was that parent sending their kid (book) off wondering if my kid will be the one riding the little bus to school. Will they be the smelly kid or the stupid one? Will they be accepted and do I want them to be accepted and potentially be a cheerleader (in the lit world that would be akin to Dan Brown or some other top twenty NY times author). There is nothing wrong with being accepted, I guess.

I hope this helped you. I don’t know if it would other than knowing that I know what it is like and many of the people here do as well. It is a strange analogy but I don’t know what else to compare it to. I could say that it was like loaning out my only Otis Redding bootleg but that wouldn’t covey the emotion that you are going through.

I did feel a little like this with art work but art is different because you always have projects going and you don’t spend as much time with them as you do with a book and writing. Art generally is like a short story, unless it is the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is The Suma Theology or War and Peace.


Ta,
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I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes. -HST

Let it sit for a month, then go back to it. If it sucks then, you'll be clear-headed enough to work on it.

Congrats. You're a novelist!

Speaking of finishing things...

I just finished gutting the novel last night final chapters still need some polish but I think (knock on wood) that I've dealt with all of the main problems...

Yours In commiseration,

Regina

As I was finishing Mr. Undesirable I started working slower. I didn't realize it for a few days, though. I had worked on it for a long time and I was having so much fun that I didn't want it to end.

Even though I really wanted to finish it.

It was a weird feeling.
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"We went together like Kennedys and head wounds."--Lenny Kapowski

I've never written a novel but when I finish an album I must immediatley start a new project or I feel as though I might just blink out of excistance. It is such a heavy feeling of relief but leaves me kind of empty.
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I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Thanks everybody!

I didn't realize there was a syndrome attached to the completion of these things. This is actually my second novel, but the first one had a purpose so I think when it was done I just felt happy. Chris's advice is solid, however and appropriate as it turns out, I can't even look at my novel right now.
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I would love to snatch it from a publisher OR an editor!

But ... I don't have one.
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Though I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've had mine finished in my head for almost a year but haven't been able to bring myself to put out the last 30 pages or so for exactly that post-partum reason.

Luckily, I've made a promise to The Girl to have it done by my birthday (09/01)
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Whatever you do, do something.

I got it edited. I just plowed through it and tried not to pay too much attention to it. Now it's in the hands of very dear friends who will be honest with me about it.
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gracie wrote:

but is it ever finished. is it ever the best you can make it....

True in every form of endeavor that involves long hours of creative work. I'm still tinkering with songs I wrote 20 years ago.

When I wrote software for a living, I *hated* releasing a piece as revision 1.0. As long as it was 0.something, there was flexibility. 1.0 means "done", and it's never close enough to be perfect to be done. Same thing happened with the engineers in that shop - a standard line from management was that eventually you have to draw the line, shoot the engineer, and ship the product.

knikkki wrote:

I got it edited. I just plowed through it and tried not to pay too much attention to it. Now it's in the hands of very dear friends who will be honest with me about it.

Congrats Knikkki. Now celebrate quick, before your friend reads it.


Ja
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I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Friends vs. Family.

My friend is very excited and can't wait to read my book. She's been talking about it for months, was supportive during my "quiet" period, etc.

My family is another matter. This is what I really think ... I think they think that my book will be not only good enough to be published, but also a best-seller and that I will be able to rescue them from their poverty (which exists because they choose not to work.) They will be disappointed.

My mom got 30-pages in today and said, "I hope this is going somewhere."

I said, "Yeah, I hope so too!" (Do we wonder why I'm insecure?) --- Ultimately, it's going to Disneyland. (for reals)

Do books generally have all that much direction 30 pages in? Whatever. I'm reading FOOP! and loving it, and I don't care where it's going.
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knikkki wrote:

My mom got 30-pages in today and said, "I hope this is going somewhere." I said, "Yeah, I hope so too!" (Do we wonder why I'm insecure?) --- Ultimately, it's going to Disneyland. (for reals) Do books generally have all that much direction 30 pages in?

Going somewhere in a novel is over rated, none of my books go anywhere at all but they're number one in their genre.

Mr. Andlu


Knikkki don’t listen to him. He’s an ass. I am sure that you book goes somewhere. And I’m sure it does so at the appropriate time for your book. My parents think I am just screwing around when I write music so I totally understand the insecure part. And I have worked for Sony as an engineer. You’d think that would make them say “Hey maybe you aren’t wasting your time. Maybe we shouldn’t interrupt you to do some meaningless task when your writing.” Talk to Boota about POD. Regina and FL are shopping their books right now. Sometimes just knowing how to go about finding a publisher is all that stands in the way of a good book being great.


Ja
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I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Last edited by jaandlu on Sat Aug 06, 2005 5:21 pm; edited 1 time in total