Well, that's it; I've just completed the first draft of my third novel, Long Shadows. The end took me in a slightly different direction as well, which I wasn't expecting but that's one of the things I love about writing.
I had to rewrite the final scene a second time as, when I finished, I didn't get that, 'I'm sad this is over' feeling. The second time I did which, to me, means it's finished right, so I'm happy now to put this aside for the next five to six months while I concentrate on final edits of Nothing Ventured before publishing and marketing online.
I suppose it's strange to have a 'feeling' about a book draft but really, so much effort is put into producing it. I have spent about three months writing this on a full time basis. That's a lot of time spent with the characters and their ups and their downs.
Monday will see me return to Nothing Ventured and, having already spent a year on it, I'm hoping it will feel like catching up with old friends. (I do have actual real life friends too...promise).
I'm already looking forward to returning to book three at the end of the year when I'll hopefully bring some more ideas and characters to the draft and keep on improving it up until its release date next summer. It will be my last time spent with the characters that have spanned two books and also probably my last visit to my fictional county of Tenhamshire. Book 4 will be going in a different direction (still humorous) and I'm hoping it will be the first in a series of occasional novels. It will be more of a mystery type, humorous novel and for that I want the settings to be real life places.
I must admit, it's odd to be talking here so casually about my fourth novel. A few years ago I wondered if I would be able to write one. Having had the opportunity to take a career break to concentrate on my writing has helped me so much. I may have to return to the world of employment soon but this will always continue. Well, there's six, seven and eight to consider.