Today is my target date for completing Chapter 10 and I just did that an hour ago. That means the first complete draft of Around the Writer’s Block is done!
It’s 217 pages long and weighs in at 62,400 words.
I feel good, proud, satisfied, but not ecstatic. That, I guess, is the cost of working steadily on a project I knew I’d finish – no huge surprise or ecstasy. But the payoff is that I got to work steadily on a project I knew I’d finish and I did it. I reached a major milestone today. And believe me, I worked my way through a fair amount of writing resistance along the way. Yeah me!
After I called Claudia to ask her what kind of chocolate she wants to share with me as our little celebration tonight, and then sent an email to friends and family, I started thinking about what’s next. While my students are preparing Action Maps for their writing projects in the Writing Habit class this afternoon, I’ll prepare an Action Map of the next steps involved in taking this first draft to a second draft that’s ready to send to my editor on March 31 (or sooner).
But as a couple of friends have already reminded me, I need to pause here and celebrate. I deserve a reward for reaching this milestone in addition to the 2 pieces of really good dark chocolate I’ll enjoy this afternoon. I’m just not sure what my reward will be yet. And I need to let myself revel in this accomplishment – hence this self-congratulatory post.
Ah, another creative polarity: Asking “What’s next?” and being excited about moving on at the same time I’m saying “Hooray for me!” and being satisfied with where I am. I think I can handle it.
How about you? You don’t have to have just completed a first draft or anything major to join me. Just pause and take satisfaction in where you are and what you’ve accomplished so far and at the same time notice where you’re excited to go next.
Bane of Your Resistance 
WAHOO! An understatement – way to go Rosanne!
LikeLike
Thanks Michael!
LikeLike
What a great accomplishment and absolutely you need to celebrate it.
LikeLike
Thanks! We toasted the completion of the first draft with dark chocolate and milk (in wineglasses) and I’m on the lookout for a piece of art that speaks to me.
LikeLike
What is an action map?
LikeLike
An action map is a fun, user-friendly, flexible way to use Post-It notes to keep track and make progress on all the little steps in a big project. (I teach it to my students and clients, but I’ll show it to you someday when we’re both at ACTS and have some Post-Its handy.)
LikeLike