Pencils, Down!

Or should I say, Fingertips, Off!

That's right - I put the finishes touches on the final chapter of my book this past weekend. After a year of talking about writing a book, and another year of actually applying myself, I've completed the first draft of "Despite Lupus: Living Well with a Chronic Illness." I'm sure much of what I've written will get slashed with a big red pen once it goes to an editor, but I'm feeling pretty good about it right now.

The goal I set last summer was to finish it sometime in the month of June 2008 - and I can proudly say I made it! I worked somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 hours a week on it...some weeks more, some weeks not at all. I still have a handful of stories, examples, and quotes that I never used, but they may come in handy once the rewrites begin. For now, I'm going to bask in the glory of my completion. If you need me, don't look for me in front of the laptop. I'm taking a break!

And if any first-time authors have any advice as to whether or not I should self-publish or seek out an agent in order to sign on with a publishing company, I welcome your input.