you know when the novel is done when —

— the characters live both on the page and off and there are so many other stories you might tell, so many secrets finally whispered in your ear;

— the book rises and falls, not just with character and plot, but with all the other things that make a life, that make a story, that write a song.

— you slow down because you don't want to leave the world you have finally entered, for you are comfortable there, at peace there, no longer struggling.

— you write your acknowledgments and you can see just how those who helped you helped —by asking questions, by reading with care, by saying, You can.