In this episode, three The Ends which aren’t, really.
- On Wednesday I finally got my butt in gear and ran 5K (with much complaining). I’d got to about week 7 of Couch to 5K, and had stuck there for ages. I had gone out running, but with a friend, and not following the programme. So as I was running solo I screwed my courage to the sticking-point and set my phone app thingy to 5K. And in case it was a fluke, I did it again on Friday. That was actually worse, as I was dodging icy puddles and picking my way across frosty bits of pavement. That’s the thing with running, it’s so exhilarating.
- On Thursday, I finished the first draft of what will become Maisie Frobisher book 3, Gone To Ground. I had a LOT of fun with this one, and hopefully readers will enjoy it too.
- Yesterday, I completed the pre-proofreader proof of Off The Map, Maisie Frobisher book 2. My eyes were on stalks by the end, but it’s done!
Cue lots of crossing-off on the to-do list, but of course there’s plenty more to be getting on with. Having run 5K again for the first time in quite a long time, I want to run it faster, and also be able to run longer. Once Maisie 2 has gone through final proof, I’ll be getting her ready to face the world at the end of the month. And as for Maisie 3, there’ll be editing in due course. Not to speak of whether there will be more Maisie books – I’d like to write more, and there’s plenty of scope for more adventures, but as the first book, All At Sea, has only been out for just over a month, it’s a bit early to say!
I can remember, not so long ago, when finishing a book would have been a big event for me. That’s not to say that I don’t care – of course I’m pleased, sometimes I’m sad, and I email myself a copy of the full first draft with a feeling of considerable satisfaction.
But an end is also, often, a beginning.
- The end of Couch to 5K could be the beginning of Bridge to 10K – and yes I’ve done that one before, too
- The end of drafting, after a pause, will become the beginning of editing
- The end of editing leads to the beginning of the publishing process
So, while this is a simplistic view which ignores some of the overlaps between processes, a finish line can also be a start line.
I may be feeling philosophical because, unusually, once Maisie books 2 and 3 are out in the world, I don’t have a clear idea of the next book I’ll write. There are several queueing up: Pippa Parker book 6; Mrs Hudson book 3; maybe another trio of Maisie books.
Or will it be something new?
I have various ideas lurking on sheets of A4, or even in the back of my head, not yet at the point of being written down. Some are not too dissimilar to books I’ve already written, and a couple are quite different.
It’ll be interesting to see which book shouts loudest to be written!
The featured image is Project 365 #200: 190713 The Finishing Line by Pete, which is in the public domain.
Liz Hedgecock 