As a writer, hundreds of thousands of words manifest from your mind to the page, but four of them are the sweetest:

The End, and Chapter One

Not to say that all the wonderful prose you created doesn’t mean anything of course, it’s just that these words have special meaning.

Yesterday, I typed The End on my second women’s fiction manuscript, and there is nothing like the feeling of having completed a full length novel. Although, we all know The End isn’t really the end, as editing and revising awaits, but knowing that the story itself is written down and you have created something out of nothing feels pretty damn good!

Which brings me to my other favourite words, Chapter One. Part of the thrill of typing The End is knowing that whenever you’re ready you can open a blank document and type ‘Chapter One’, and start a whole new story with new characters, new settings, and new experiences. This is an exciting time when your mind can run free with ideas and let them pour onto the page. Then somewhere between Chapter One and The End you have to do the work! That is another reason why The End is so significant, it means you are one of the few who have committed, persisted, perhaps missed out on some sleep, been told ‘that’s a nice hobby’ by well-meaning people, looked at strangely when an idea comes in the middle of the supermarket queue, doubted yourself but picked yourself up again, and stuck with it until you could type those two sweet words which indicate a completed novel!

So whenever you find yourself stuck, disheartened, or wondering why you’ve chosen this challenging path, remember those four words, and remember how good it feels. After all, you are a writer because you love writing, so enjoy the journey, and celebrate all your milestones, no matter how small.

And that’s THE END of my blog post… (even that feels good 😉 )