I just finished my second novel, at a little more than 90K, which was my goal. Now I'm relieved and also a little sad, because this means I won't spend as much time with my characters for a while. I have to let this story rest before even thinking about the next revision, because right now I don't know what more I can do to it. And I'm going to miss these guys, they've become a part of my life, almost like real life friends, I know them so well and I've shared their life what feels like forever. How do you guys feel when finishing a story? Does somebody else miss their characters like I do?
I do - I usually find the first few days after the end of a draft is a relief more than anything and then they start bugging me again. Personally, I find moving on helps. One novel done, so I draft the next one.
When I wrote my first story 8 years ago I just wanted it to be over but when it was over, like you, I felt relief and sadness. It wasn't something I intended to revise, the plot was too weak- now that I think about it- and the characters too shallow, but they still meant a lot to me. I think it's a good sign that you're feeling this way. It probably means that you enjoyed writing it. Cheers now, you can always go back and visit your characters.
Yes, I LOVED writing it! I guess I will go back and visit them, regardless of what will happen to the story.
I always get that feeling when I finish I project. I often find myself trying to restrain the urge to write an unnecessary sequel. Eventually I stop feeling that urge and I'm able to move onto a new cast. However, I finished writing a novel in July '11 (I had been working on it for nine months) and the cast still won't leave me alone. Except the MC - I think he's sick of me.
This might sound crazy, but if you really miss your characters, you could always fantasize about how they spend their days after their journey ended. Nothing wrong with doing that, I think!
I worked on one story for about a year (only about nine months of that was actually writing the story. The rest was developing plot and whatnot) and after I finished, I just had to write a sequel. I missed my characters so much I wanted to spend time with them again Sometimes that can be a mistake, especially if you're only writing because you miss them, but the sequel turned out to be one of the best books I've ever written It's been a while since I finished that one but whenever I start to miss my characters I open my story back up and start from the beginning, adding new things in and taking things out. It's probably always going to be a work in progress.
I know what you mean. I feel sad after everything I write, maybe because most of my characters usually die before or at the end. I'm one of those people who believes that some characters (or most) need to die or at least suffer horribly when the odds against them are very great, because otherwise the book is too unrealistic to seem real and keep suspense. Killing my characters makes writing sequels. . .interesting.
Not crazy at all, actually that is what I do all the time while working on my novels, so why not keep doing that afterwards? good idea. I might even come up with material for a sequel, even though my stories doesn't often invite to write sequels, but I could write it just for me or at least "write it" in my head...
Don't re-read nor edit it when you are feeling like that. too dangerous. A little distance is good after finishing the main draft of the project.
