I have somehow wrestled 70,000 words into some form of order and cohesion to tell my story. It’s still not finished, but I am edging ever closer. I’m looking forward to getting the draft manuscript printed and with binding, so I can see it as a physical whole, rather than a document on the laptop. Hundreds of pages lack depth when they are in a folder on a computer.
In the beginning, I imagined finishing the book as the finish line. I now realise this is just another step in the process. Once this draft is completed, I will redraft, then get a manuscript assessment done, look for a literary agent, enter competitions along the way, and hopefully find a publisher. It’s a prolonged and variable procedure, with many options on how to get to where you want to be. Some are choices to be made and others are out of my control. It’s remains the great unknown at this stage.
Despite the solitary habitat of a writer, I have made friends. My local writing group, my city writing group, which includes interstate members, and a writing pen pal in Nova Scotia. I have also befriended many writers, through social media, and have met many of them in real life. I have acquired a loyal writing wife to write alongside, and we enjoy events and other bookish things together. My writing life is full.
Back to the grindstone for me. My second year of writing has begun. I can’t wait to let you know when my book is finished.
Kylie Eklund-Denman 