1. Wait. Is this really the end? I should double-check. Triple-check.
2. Wow. This is really it. I’m really about to finish this.
3. Am I ready? I don’t think I’m ready.
4. But I also kind of want to get this over with, honestly.
5. I don’t think I remember half of what I’ve written in this.
6. No! Don’t go back and reread it! FINISH WRITING THE DANG BOOK.
7. This might be the last time I ever look at this.
8. If I don’t want to, I never have to open it again once I’m done.
9. Will I want to?
10. Okay, okay. Focus. Finish the story. Just get the rest of the story out.
11. What if it’s worse than I thought and I have to rewrite the whole thing?
12. But what if I only have to rewrite some of it and it’s actually kind of good?
13. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to show this to anyone.
14. But … I kind of want to show it to everyone?
15. I hope I did a good job and my characters aren’t mad at me.
16. I hope I won’t totally abandon this and forget about it.
17. This has been so time-consuming and stressful but … I fell in love. I fell in love with a story.
18. Wow.
19. I can sleep now?
20. I can sleep now.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Meg Dowell Writes 