Outtakes 334

End of the Journey

By Cait Collins

One chapter to go. That’s where I am right now. I have one chapter to pull the entire story together and then it’s on to a new project. Well, not immediately, but after I finish my Route 66 story and send it to be edited, I will be at loose ends. Soon I will pull out a finished manuscript and begin the needed edits.

I have mixed emotions about finishing a writing project. First I’m elated when I put “The End” on the last page. But then I begin to miss the characters. I’ve invested months in building their personalities, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and guiding them along the way to the end. They have become invisible friends and I miss them. And then I have to make the final edits, my least favorite part of the process. Once that’s done I’m ready to walk away from the finished product.

In some aspects of my life, I find I have to be hands on right until the end. But in this case, I believe I can hand it off to the publisher and let him work his magic. I will continue to help with promoting the book and look forward to the release of Our Time on Route 66.

Writing is a journey. It has a beginning and a final destination. There are roadblocks and pitfalls, but there is also the sense of accomplishment when the scenes come together and create the story. But the final destination is not the book release and all the promotion. The destination is when you let go of the old and begin a new journey with a new story line and become friends with a new set of characters. It’s when the creative process begins and you travel that new road. It’s a journey that pauses but never ends.