"Until It's Gone" is well...Gone (for now)

Although I have been writing for many years, it was only a few months ago that I got the "courage" to pursue publication.  Thoughts such as "Do I have a good plot?" and "Is my novel really good enough to be published?" crossed my mind, but I was up to the challenge. 

My writing style seems to be that of imagining scenes and conversations in my head, copying down the ideas on paper (on some occasions, spiral notebooks while I drown myself in coffee at a local cafe) or on my laptop, then piecing everything together.  There was no real structure, no outline.  I guess you could say I was writing off the cuff and I was quite disorganized!

It was time to put the puzzle together and fill in the missing pieces to the story. 

One such project-in-my-head, "Until It's Gone," began as a cathartic endeavor. But as the story progressed, I wondered if could indeed complete a novel, start to finish.  The story was a reflection of one woman's fear of losing her husband to a younger woman.  A lot of personal experience helped me along in the set up, with a worst-case scenario turn of events that evolved from my imagination (simply because my husband had not left me for a younger woman!). 

After I finished the first draft, it felt good.  I stood tall, as if atop Mount Everest, beating my chest:  "Me-Write-Novel."  Okay, so I'm no Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks by any means, but I achieved my goal. And writing a complete novel is quite a feat (try it if you dare, and you'll see what I mean).

I had no real idea of manuscript formatting, and I remember numerous trips to Barnes and Noble in the publishing section, taking down notes from many "how to" books.  Double space, New Times Roman, 12-pt type, 1-inch margins, etc.

Okay, I could do this.

I had originally typed each chapter of my novel as a separate document in MS Word and I had to print everything out and piece the manuscript together in a fatty 3-ring binder just for a beta reader (who preferred reading on paper rather than electronic means.  The print-out was a beast.  After two beta readers' comments/suggestions/criticisms, I moved on to a new, upbeat project.  Until It's Gone was put into a deep sleep...