Today I finished this draft of Bright Angel

Yes I did.
As always the end sneaks up on me. No, that isn't true - I do work from the beginning to the end even if I think I shouldn't (well-polished, nay over-polished beginning - sketchy tired endings anyone?) but still - I usually think - nope not done but this is done. I read somewhere (sorry) the other day that a draft is when you've done the best you can with the work at the present time. That works for me - I never know how many drafts or which draft I'm on. I try to be all organized and all but my brain doesn't work that way. This is a book I started ...hmm...let me see - okay June 1, 2012 - so nearly two years ago. I noticed in my quick dive into past posts that I thought it was done last year at this time. Ha. I suppose a draft of it was done. I did write it from start to finish from June 1st to I think August 1st but I'd have to check that out. It is the fastest I've ever gotten to an ending but that doesn't mean it was done. Oh no.

Today it feels done. It needs a good hard punctuation pruning which I think would be a polish draft but it feels like I finally have it the way I want it but the cleaning. I have three protagonists - and it is told in the 3rd person. It started out in first with four voices, then went to one in first, then two in first and finally three in third. Whew!  After the first two months of doing it in 2012 I had 80 thousand words. I cut lots of those babies and have just finished it at 60 thousand. Too short for a regular novel but fine for a YA which I think it is.  On the other hand it is longer than many of Hemingway's and Ray Bradbury's, about the same as Hong Kingston's Warrior Woman, longer than Cunningham's The Hours and a few thousand longer than Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Just in case you are obsessive like me go here for word counts of many novels on Indefeasible.

I could crank it back up to 80 most likely but I think I'll send it out (after the polish) at the length it is and see what happens.

Me, I like a good short book.

I feel good. I like it and I think it is close to going out.

Now to work on my Labrador project.
Here is a gratuitous photo of a bear that I took the other day. Nothing beats seeing major wildlife. Nothing.