Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ve finally finished my novel last week. *does a little dance*
The mix of feelings rushing through me when I realised that I was actually really truly done were totally overwhelming. Joy, euphoria, accomplishment, you know, all those happy feelings you get when you’ve done something that you feel proud of.
Alas, the joy was short-lived. After the joy came the doubt.
And not slowly either, none of that letting me down gently doubt. No, gripping me by the chest doubt that shouts in my head: Do you really think this book is worth the paper or rather bytes it’s written on? Seriously? Who would want to read this drivel?
And being the co-dependent person that I am, I quickly reached out to my fellow writers, the people that I can’t do without in my life.
One of them said: ‘Just ride the wave. The shore awaits.’
That made sense to me. Writing, for me, is like swimming in the ocean. One moment I’m calmly floating on my back, watching the pretty clouds playing in the blue sky above and the next an unpleasant wave comes and crashes me into the sand underneath. I guess I have two choices when this happens: Either stay there at the bottom and let the grains scrape me raw, or push up and find that perfect wave that will bring me to the shore where my deck chair and one of those drinks with little umbrellas in them wait for me.
