After the High

**waving excitedly** Hello new supporters!! I love that there are 50!! new cool kids on the blog. I'm going to have to do a contest next week, I'm thinking. Celebration time!! I can't tell you all how much I appreciate your comments and your time to read my little blog!! Ok, enough of the exclamation marks, but I want you all to know, you are the cooooolest!! And if you are reading, Mom, HI!!!

Also-I will have my interview with Heidi Willis, author of Some Kind of Normal, posted on Monday. I'm really excited and I hope you tune in because this is one heck of a gal! She's been working long and hard, often corresponding in the wee hours of midnight and after. Poor thing. But it's paying off and I can't wait to share all of the juicy details with you.

As you all know, I wrote my nano novel in the month of November, yay! I was incredibly happy and proud of myself and proud of my story. I walked on clouds for a week. A WEEK! I bragged and posted, called my mom and made my husband treat me to Taco Bell and Subway. (Though not at the same time, that would be gross.)

I found myself itching to get in there and start editing. I wanted to make this the best story ever. I opened my document and stared at the first paragraph. Then I went to the next one. I deleted the things I already had highlighted for me to delete. I went back and read the first paragraph.

Self: "Well, this is just crap!"
Kristi: What do you mean???
Self: It is, all of it, total and complete crap.
Kristi: But I was so proud!
Self: Sorry, it's not even salvageable.
Kristi: I was, like, totally high on novelling and now you wreck my dreams?!
Self: Crash time. This story sucks.

Are you kidding me?! What is this? I did everything right. I rewarded Self for writing long and laborious hours. I wrote from beginning to end. CRASH!!!  *Sigh* I closed out my document and called my mom.

"Mom, ya know that book I told you about?"
"The one you finished? I know, I'm so proud of you."
"It sucks."
"What?"
"Really, totally and completely sucks. It's boring and passive and I wrote like crap."
"Kristi Faith!"
"Well..."
"You were so happy when you finished. I don't understand."
"Me neither, but I'm gonna trash it. At least I know I can do it now and maybe it will be better next time around." (insert dramatic sigh)
"I'm going to tell you this one time and one time only. You will regret it if you trash that story. I will throttle you if you trash that story because you ignored me for a damn month to write the stupid thing!!" (Mom doesn't mince words)

So, I closed the document and didn't delete it. I cried a little. I mean, a few little tears. I wasn't sobbing uncontrollably or anything. No, really. In the midst of my mini breakdown, I realized my story must go through this. It's inevitable. I now understand why authors tell you to let your ms "cool" after you write it before going through edits. It's not just about the brain drain you've experienced through writing an entire novel. It's about your "Self" too. Self needs a chance to rest. Sometimes, Self wants to create something new. Or do nothing but network and blog for a few days. That's no problem. I'm confident Self will jump right into the revision process as soon as I give her a break.

How about you?? Are you already on to revisions, still energized from November? Or are you letting things cool for a minute?