Today’s topic: How I celebrate completing a manuscript
By starting a new one?
I’m only kidding–sort of. I’ve always been blessed with tons of ideas, more than I could hope to write in five lifetimes. Thank goodness for Evernote to keep them all straight. I’ve always got tons of new story ideas that I’m excited to explore.
The truth is that writing “The End” is always an enormous relief. I’m usually excited to get to the end of the current story and start something new, with new characters and issues to explore. Plus, my books always end happily so I’m sending the characters off to enjoy their new life, with their own happy ending.
Having said that, it is a bit more difficult to end a series. When a series is still going on, I can always drop in and visit on the earlier characters. Ending Cupid’s Coffeeshop was especially heart-wrenching for me, which is probably why I have not one but two spin-off series in development.
For a while, I commemorated each book by purchasing a small piece of jewelry. For example, when I wrote a book with a teacher heroine, I bought the Alex and Ani apple bracelet. But then, I realized I wasn’t really wearing all that jewelry so I stopped that tradition.
Writing this prompt made me realize that maybe I should have some smallish sort of celebration for finishing a manuscript. After all, it is a big achievement and the occasion should probably be marked somehow. I’m just not sure what I would do. Anyone got any ideas they’d like to share?
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