I have a confession to make. As a writer, I am frequently asked a question that annoys me beyond reason. It is asked in innocence, normally by those who have never attempted to write a novel themselves. If they had, they would know how hard it is to answer, “When do you think it will be finished?”
This is like asking who’s winning halfway through the first innings of a cricket game. In other words: How long is a piece of string?
I try to maintain a pleasant demeanor and offer a coherent answer but the simple fact is that I Don’t Know.
This is my first novel. Strictly speaking, at this stage it isn’t even a novel yet, but a manuscript.
Bring on the the publishing.
But the publishing can only come into play once the editing is done. The first draft was just that: a draft. I had no idea what I was doing when I started writing the thing. The aim was to get the story out. I could go back and make it pretty later. I thought I had done enough planning before I wrote
~ CHAPTER 1 ~
but I was mistaken. The first draft showed me that I needed to go back to the planning stages to fix things. So I re-planned and spiced up the plot, cut massive chunks out and added other bits in. The rewrite has involved far more than correcting a few grammar and punctuation errors.
It has been suggested that perhaps I could get away with less, that surely it was okay before, and wouldn’t it be better to just hurry up and finish the thing, get it out of the way and move on to the next one? Er, no. I have to put my name on it. How can I put it out there before it is ready?
So they ask, “And when will that be?”
Simple; When I am happy to share it with anyone other than my writing buddy, who reads the scenes I have doubts about and suggests a lover-in-the-cupboard or a sudden explosion might be appropriate, or points out that I used the word “bucolic” three times in one paragraph.
My view on this subject may change over time. Once I have a publisher there may be deadlines that must be met, or perhaps with each completed project I will have a better idea about how much time each book requires, but for now all I can say is that I am a writer, not a fortune-teller.
It will be done when it is done. Let me know what happens in the cricket.
theresewelch.com 
I know just what you mean! You could always annoy them back by being creatively vague about the finish date: ‘Soon,’ or ‘Before 2100,’ or ‘When the seas turn to yoghurt.’
You’ve got to get it to a stage we’re you’re reasonably happy with it, not matter how long it takes. 🙂
True. As they say, a novel is never finished, only abandoned. Thanks for the visit.
I think I’m guilty of this misdemeanor and I should know better. I’ve written five novels. I can only offer the excuse that I was born under the star of the Aquarius and nonone is more impatient than they are! Besyt wishes, Therese.