Last Chapter

I started writing the very last chapter of Missing Lily today. Hopefully that means that in a few days it will be done, meaning the entire first draft will be done.

Now, one might worry that it’s only a rough draft and will still take a long time to finish, especially since Just Ella took me a loooooong time to write. However, I’ve been editing and revising as I’ve gone along, which means that it’s really just the last few chapters that need to be polished before I get some final feedback. It’s close. It’s really close. Which is wonderful.

It’s also terrifying.

Terrifying because Just Ella was so well received and so now my hopes are up and I can’t help the voice in my head that is freaking out, saying, “But what if people don’t LIKE it as much as my first book? What if people aren’t willing to accept it for what it is instead of what they expect it to be?”

Fortunately I’m realistic enough to realize that there will definitely be those who don’t like it as much. The rule of numbers dictates that some people are not going to like it. And I’ve just got to put on my big girl pants and get over it.

I love Missing Lily. Even though it takes place in the same world as Just Ella, it’s very much its own story. I’ve loved getting to know Lylin, and it’s been a privilege to have Rhys in my head in all his heroic glory.

Still, I think most writers would tell you that no matter how much we might love our story, there is always the fear that others won’t, and especially that someone might trivialize our efforts by dismissing our story. But that’s the risk we take. That’s what it means to be a creator—whether an artist, writer, dancer, actor—to be a creator of entertainment is to know that someone isn’t going to understand you, and others won’t even like you.

It’s inevitable, and something I’ve come to accept.

But it’s still terrifying.