I finished my manuscript!

Woohoo! I've been jumping for joy these past few hours because I finallyyy finished my manuscript. Now, when  I say finished, I mean, the plot/structure is all there, and I just need to revise it in terms of line edits, maybe the addition of a couple of more scenes.

I've sent it to two trusted friends for feedback, and now I'm just researching agents and drafting my query letters. I'm sooo excited to finally be at this next step!!!! I don't know when I can actually start sending out queries: it mostly depends on if my final draft lives up to what I wanted this story to be, and I'm 110% happy with it! I don't want to send something out that I know I'll look back on and think: man, I could have worked on it more! I could have fleshed out this scene or this character more.

But, it's going to take time, but I'm happy that my process is moving along, and I'm EXCITED.

Nostalgia.

^^My favorite Beatles song done in a beautiful cover by Judy Collins.
There are MANY, MANY, MANY Beatles songs that are truly magnificent,inspiring,wonderful (they are, after all THE BEATLES) but this song in particular always resonated with me ever since I was a child. Even when I only had a few years of experience in me, nostalgia has always been something that hit me. That made me feel. If you believe in reincarnation, maybe you will say that I was remembering something from a past life. Sometimes I believe in reincarnation--other times I don't.

But whatever I believe in--nostalgia has always been beautiful to me. Whether it's an important theme in a film, book, or music - any artwork with nostalgia gives me chills.

It is a word whose roots come from "homecoming" and "pain." I always find myself looking back at the past. Believe it or not, when I was in 4th grade, I would find myself crying in fits (alone, of course. Even back then I was careful to make sure only I saw my pain) because I would miss being a baby. True story. Crazy, right? Imagine a nine year old crying because they miss the past so much that it hurts. Even right now, as I'm typing this, I am on the verge of tears because I miss so much being a kid. How happy everyone was. & how it'll never be that way anymore.

Not that I, nor my loved ones, will never be happy again. But it's always going to be a different kind of happiness.

But even when it's not related to my past experiences - when I see a montage of someone's life, of someone's past, it always gets to me. The film Mr Nobody got to me because you see his entire life, his mistakes. In My Life - nostalgia.

I can't quite grab the thought and put it into words. but there's a beauty in looking back, to see how things were & can never be again. It's bittersweet.

Writing, Writing, Writing.

Spring Break starts this Friday, and I want to use the majority of it finishing up my manuscript! I already finished part one and part two, and I've outlined the direction where I want to take part three, so I AM PUMPED!

Then I'm going to send it to a trusted friend for feedback and fresh eyes because really, I don't have fresh eyes for this manuscript which I've been working on for 8 years!

After I get her feedback, I'm going to do line edits, and tweaking - and then dum dum dum - START QUERYING.

While I wait for her feedback I should start the research portion of query-ing...so, April is going to be a busy, busy month.

But I'm excited, and hopefully I can remain positive for this journey!