Turning the Last Page

Each day brings me closer to the last page of my WIP. Besides the final battle scene, I have the emotional resolution to write, and then I'm done. I am both dreading and eagerly anticipating that moment. As the holidays approach, I want more time for gift shopping and cooking and family events. It would nice to have the weight of this story off my mind so I can plan holiday gatherings and vacations, lie around and read magazines, and enjoy the cooler weather. On the other hand, a sense of panic afflicts me at the very notion of that yawning emptiness. No book in my head? No characters who talk amongst themselves? I'll feel lost, adrift in a sea of reality.

For a while, I can delude myself by revising this story. But once the final version is ready, and that may be months away, then what? Quit the creative writing part for a while to focus on promotion? Surely that's a valid choice with a new release due out in January and guest blogs to write for a virtual tour. But what will I say when a fan asks, "What's next?" Dare I think about taking more time off? Would I rather spend the hours sorting family photos into albums, meeting friends for lunch, traveling, and trying out new recipes?

A break would be nice, but too much of a break, and I'll get depressed. That's what abstinence from writing does to me. I feel like a boat without a rudder, and it's not pleasant.

I want to end this book, one of my longer tomes over 450 pages, and yet I don't want it to end.

Is anyone crazier than a writer? I am certainly going to take a break through the holidays, but I'll bet when the New Year rolls around, you'll see me back on a writing schedule. Or the choice may be taken from me if one of my projects finds a home.

How do you feel as a project nears its end? Do you ever yearn for time off, only to find that you go nuts after a week or two away from the keyboard? That promo activities don't fulfill you the same way creating a new story will? Does a new idea start fermenting in your mind until your fingers itch to type? Or do you crave a quieter life, one where the torments and joys of being a writer fade into the background?