Today, I put the last period on the final sentence of Through the Stone Gate. That single keystroke marks a milestone for me as a writer and as a person. It is the first time I have embarked on a project this ambitious and managed to avoid the traps of self-doubt, fear of failure and wandering attention. Even if nothing else happens with this book, this moment will always mean something to me.
This draft currently stretches over 125,000 words from the first character to that last punctuation mark. I expect many of those words will change in the coming weeks as I revise and rethink. There are already sections calling for attention and places where words are begging be pared away. I also expect my first readers will have opinions that will drive significant edits, but at least that period isn’t going anywhere. No matter what happens from here on out, I know that little guy, at least, is staying put.
The next step is another pass through the book myself. I plan to do a rewrite of each chapter before I move it into a document I can share with those generous folks who have agreed to read this thing. But first, I think a celebratory drink with my wife is in order.