Ellen ES Ceely

Today I felt a little lost. I wasn’t sure what I should do for writing. Other than blog, that is. I finished transferring edits onto the computer yesterday and sent A Curse of Feathers & Fools off to Beta Readers.

I’m excited. And nervous. It doesn’t matter how many times I go through this process, there will always be some nerves attached to sharing a book with others. Vulnerability is never easy.

So now what? Do I start a new project? Re-assess the novel that’s 75% written? Read the book on writing craft without doing either? Read that book and use it to work on one of those?!

There’s always a sense of loss when you finish a book and you’re waiting for feedback. At least, there’s a sense of loss for me. For months it’s been my goal to write and then edit one book. Suddenly, it’s done. It’s exhilarating at first. Then comes the sense of loss.

The only other books I’ve written have been part of an ongoing series. With those I have the promise of seeing certain characters again…even characters that have died (spoilers). But this book is a standalone. It’s meant to be a fun, quick read, not an ongoing saga.

So, I suppose I’ll just share the map. Newly edited because I renamed places during editing and switched some things around. Welcome to the Kingdom of Eryas! I hope you’ll read all about it later this summer!

Here’s to finishing a book.
Here’s to finishing your third book!
Here’s to figuring out what comes after you type those two lovely words: the end.

Because it’s never really the end. Not for writers.