It’s time to wrap up our summer writing challenge!

a picture of an apple pie — As summer draws to a close, it’s time to start thinking about apple pies and second drafts. Time to harvest the fruits of our labor!

Today is the official last day of summer. The time has come to wrap up the Write Your Novel this Summer Challenge. I don’t know about you, but I am feeling *super* productive after completing this challenge.

For those of you who did not complete your first draft, that’s okay. Did you keep writing anyway? That’s the important thing. As long as you keep writing, you will get there eventually. Keep at it!

A few of you have contacted me to let me know when you did complete the first drafts of your novels. Congratulations on a job well finished!

If you are like me, Anne Lamott, Stephen King, and a myriad of lesser-known writers, your first draft is probably… WELL… “Shitty.”

But that’s okay. The purpose of the first draft is to get it done. Write your story from start to finish. Get the damned thing out of your head, and then revise it! Now that you have written your first draft, it’s time to get to work on the second.

My final summer word count for the complete first draft I wrote this summer = 26,512

My second draft has a deadline: September 29th. This is the date I agreed to submit to a workshop group I am participating in this fall. Once I submit this second draft, I think I will just let it simmer until after I get my feedback in December. At that time, I will move on to my third draft.

In the meantime, I just got an idea for another novel I am rearing to write. I will keep composting this new idea in my head while I finish the second draft of my summer novel project. Then I think I’ll challenge myself to sit down and write this new novel in two weeks like I did with my summer project. Anyone up for writing a novel with me this fall?

~Amanda L. Webster

P.S. I am looking for Write Your Novel This Summer participants who would be willing to write a guest post discussing your experience. Whether you completed your first draft or not, I want to hear from you! If interested in writing a guest post, please send me a message from the contact page on my website.

P.P.S. I am also still open to highlighting unpublished authors for my short-lived Wanna-be Writer Wednesdays series that I ran earlier this summer. Please feel free to also contact me if you are interested in being interviewed for this series.