Hey people, Flobo here.
So for months, I’ve been documenting the arduous task completing my latest novel. Called the #book5 project, I’ve discussed the process in agonizing detail.
Well, as noted on my Instagram feed a couple of weeks ago, I FINISHED the first draft!
Well now what? As the above picture suggests, I usually write the first drafts of my long form work by hand. Why? Well, I normally say it’s to help facilitate the second draft. The wisdom goes that the book has to be printed at some point; might as well make sure to make your first printed manuscript an improvement over the first. The draft took me (a long-for-me) nine months to complete. In fact, I’m so drained by the process that I’m debating whether or not I should continue the handwriting strategy.
It’s probably the fatigue talking.
Well, I still believe that it is possible for this novel to hit the shelves (and e-shelves) by the end of the year. It’s going to take some work though. They say to write is to rewrite and that’s something I simultaneously look forward to and dread. Sort of like Christmas shopping.
The most important thing to take from this is that I have to keep going. The writer’s road is full of people who never finished their manuscripts. It’s okay to walk if you can’t sprint, but the key is to finish. My mind is already swirling with other writing ideas, so I guess my next biggest challenge is not to become distracted with other potential projects.
The journey continues…
–Flobo
Flobo Boyce 
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