Friday's Top Ten

First, you may have noticed that I've been getting a little spam the past week or so. Because of that, I put the box with the squiggly letters back in the comment section. I'll leave it up for a couple of weeks and then take it down and see if we're OK for a while. Sorry for the inconvenience.

So . . . in honor of COMPLETING THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY MANUSCRIPT - YES I DID, JUST LAST NIGHT! - here's the Friday Top Ten:

Top ten emotions upon completing a manuscript draft:

10. Anticipation - I know I can finish today . . .

  9. Expectation - one or two more pages . . .

  8. Amazement - the last bit of dialogue . . .

  7. Accomplishment - OMIGOD!

  6. Triumph - I did it!

  5. Elation - Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!

  4. Party - Dance with me!

  3. Freedom - Tomorrow I don't have to look at it or think about it.

  2. Dismay - Uh, oh.

And the #1 emotion felt upon completion of a manuscript draft:

  1. Resignation - Oh, no! Now I have to do it all over again!

Comments

Southpaw said…
CONGRATS! The is so awesome. I love your list.
Very clever list...and quite true to life. Did I see revision, or, is that what you meant by doing it again? Jobs not done without a thousand revisions.

Best Wishes Galen.
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Carol Kilgore said…
Southpaw - Thanks.

Galen - Yes, revision - doing it again. And again. And .....
I probably end up doing five or so full drafts.
Elspeth Futcher said…
How wonderful!!! Rejoice! Dance! Radiate light!
Yay! Snoopy dancing with you. It's an awesome feeling...for a few minutes, until that #1 thing kicks in. LOL!
Anonymous said…
Congratulations and you really nailed the ten emotions that are experienced with finishing.
Thanks for sharing.
Carol Kilgore said…
Elspeth - It's such a great feeling.

Carol - There's always a kicker - LOL

Cassandra - Thanks. And you're welcome.
Marisa Birns said…
Yes, I am doing the #4 with you right now!

Congratulations on completion of first draft! You've done it!

And I laughed at #1! Yes, that is such a truism.

But just follow #3 - #7 for a while longer, yes?
Jan Christensen said…
Huge congrats--can you really believe it? LOL Anxious to see it in print from one of the "big houses!" Oh, I know, you have some work to do, but I have confidence.
Kathy McIntosh said…
Great list!
Congratulations, again. Every step means so much...and leads to so many more.
But you're well on your way.
Carol Kilgore said…
Marisa - Oh, I will. Definitely!

Jan - Wouldn't that be awesome? But, first it's the work.

Kathy - Who said 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'?
Joanne said…
Raising my coffee cup (decaf at this hour) in a congratulations toast! I always like the revisions, really finetuning the words, perfecting the story, putting your finishing touches on it. Enjoy!
Carol Kilgore said…
Thank you for the toast. I enjoy the revision process, too.
Mason Canyon said…
Congratulations and way to go. Just think next time it won't be as rough. :) Okay after the 100th time you tell yourself that, it will get easier and remember you have 10 great things to do when you finish (again).
Congratulations!!! Finishing is almost...sadness for various reasons.
Carol Kilgore said…
Mason - It will be easy. It will :)
I'm already working on the first closet.

Journaling Woman - Thanks. I've heard others talk about sadness when they finish. I haven't had that so far. I still like the characters, and I'm still going to be spending a lot of time with them during revision and editing. By then, I'll probably be ready for them to go on vacation!
Anonymous said…
I like the party one the best. Been a long week. Time to celebrate and have a good time.

Stephen Tremp
Laura Eno said…
Congrats! Good list. Maybe you should stay on 'party' a bit longer. :) That will help with #1.
Carol Kilgore said…
Stephen & Laura - It's Saturday evening . . . the party is ON!

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