That's a wrap!

I pronounce this draft of The Language of Silence done. *thud*

TLOS zero draft stats:

Began writing: 7/30/09 (though the thinking and planning began well before that)
Finished writing: 9/20/2010
Word count: 101,100 (damn it, should've written one more stinking word!)
Number of times I almost gave up entirely on the damn thing: At least 3
Number of times I thought it was the most genius thing ever written: At least 300
Number of ways I pushed myself out of my comfort zone: Let's see, how many words were there...?
Overall status: A hot mess.

Let's analyze, shall we?

Timeline: My main goal was to write my next book in a year or less. This one still came in at over a year, so I missed that mark. I'm disappointed but it's much more important to write a good story than it is to write a fast story, especially when I don't have an external deadline. And I did work really hard on telling this story right.

Word count: Waaaaaaay too high for a YA. However, about 3/4 of the way through the book I realized that I was really at what structurally needed to be the middle of the book, so I kept writing through to the (new, real) end. So in rewrites I have to smooth all of that out and probably hack off the beginning. And actually write the last big scene because I ended up having to leave it at detailed plot notes because of everything that will change in rewrites (see "Hot Mess" below). It'll all work out. I swear. Bottom line: The final product needs to be shorter, preferably by about 20K.

Doubts: Oh, yes. The doubts. I've never challenged myself like I did with this book, and it showed. My confidence was like a ping pong ball -- one day I was writing the next NYT best seller, the next it was utter, laughable crap and I was wasting my time. Ultimately, I think I have something really good (or, at least, I will after I fix everything in the magic of rewrites!) and I'm really proud of what I've done. We'll see how long that holds up. ;)

Hot mess: The term "zero draft" isn't one I've used before in relation to my own work but oh lawd does it ever apply to this manuscript. As I mentioned above, the narrative structure ended up shifting about two thirds of the way through the book. THIS IS NOT HELPFUL. I mean, it is because the book will be a zillion times better now that I've had this genius revelation but holy crap this draft is a mess. I basically just kept writing forward, focusing on what the new structure needed to be like. The central theme of the book also changed. Twice. *facepalm* Like I said, it's a hot mess. But, at the end of the day, the book as it exists in my mind (and, somewhat, on the page) is a much better book than the one I started out writing. MUCH better. Right now, though, it's a little bit of a Frankenstein draft. (Or, rather, Frankenstein's monster's draft. Or whatever.)

Bottom line: Rewrites are going to be difficult but well worth it. (Read: ZOMG THEY MIGHT KILL ME but maybe I'll get an agent with this one...?)

Next steps: Ignore said draft until November. Re-read with fresh eyes. Make magic.