2458 words cut (77348 remain) on the revisions of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

I usually put these updates on my Tumblr thingy, but this one is of particular significance, so I’m putting it front and center on my blog.

I’m pretty sure I just finished the final draft, including revisions, of the novel I’ve been working on for a little over a year. As a matter of fact, I’m going to send this final draft to my editor right now. I’ll be right back.

…okay, I’m back. I know it took you seconds to get from the end of the previous sentence to this one, but if you are wondering, it took me about half the duration of “Waiting For The Man,” which is part of the playlist I made for this novel, to write and send the email, with the manuscript attached. It’s kind of cool that I just feel excited and enthused about it, instead of feeling like I’m going to throw up.

I’ve been working on the last two chapters of this book for a long time. The feedback from all the beta readers, regardless of which revision they read, has pretty consistently said “[lots of feedback] and the ending needs work, because it just … sort of … ends. Abruptly.” I took that feedback to heart, and watched many self-imposed deadlines race by me while my creative self just refused to give me anything for months. Eventually, I decided to stop randomly flipping over mental rocks, and expecting to find the ending, fully formed, sitting there waiting for me. Eventually, I accepted that the only way I’d find the ending was to sit down, commit to a deadline that I would not miss, and write as many different endings as I needed to, until one of them was the right one.

So I tried out a lot of different endings while over the last couple of weeks. I’ve written and thrown away probably ten thousand words in the last few days, alone, until yesterday. I knew that I’d end up cutting nearly everything I’d written, but I also knew that all the pieces I needed to assemble into the right ending were there … I just couldn’t see them.

I turned it in and spent three hours unwinding in Horizon: Zero Dawn (I’m late to the party but what a great game it is!) before I went to bed. My editor sent it back with some notes and suggestions while I was sleeping, and when I looked at it this morning, I knew that I was going to finish today. Which is good, because today is the Totally Official It Has To Be Done Today deadline!

I made a joke about how I was going to drag myself over broken glass, only to find an ending that is totally obvious once I see it. That wasn’t too far off. I love the way this story ends, now. I hope it hits the same emotional notes in the readers as it hits in me, and I hope that someone who hasn’t followed the process with me won’t even be aware of how much of a struggle it was to find it, because OMG IT IS SO OBVIOUSLY THE ONLY WAY IT COULD END.

Sometimes, as an actor, I have to try out performance choices that I think are wrong, just to confirm that they’re wrong, and to give myself the chance to discover something I didn’t know was in me, or in the material. In those cases, it’s just a matter of spending time in rehearsal and preparation, following the map that the writer has given me. It was a heck of an experience to do essentially the same thing as a writer, without the map, because the map didn’t exist until I made it.

Holy shit, you guys, I wrote a novel.

97 thoughts on “2458 words cut (77348 remain) on the revisions of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything”

  1. Because I’m pretty sure it’ll be a FAQ: I don’t know when this will be published. I haven’t decided it I’m going to self-publish, or shop it. I do know that I will do the audiobook and release it on my bandcamp, as usual.

  6. Congratulations on this accomplishment! No matter when (not if, when) this sees the light of day, this is something to be really proud of.

  7. For what it’s worth, I’m super proud and excited for you. Grinding through a major project, seeing the finish… dude that’s HUGE. Congrats and I hope we all get to read it someday soon!

    1. I have a couple friends whose work I admire, and who I trust to give me honest feedback. I’m very lucky to know them!

  12. Yay, you finished it! That’s an incredible achievement and I can’t WAIT to read it! Congratulations!

  13. I’m sitting here watching Chris Hayes on MSNBC talking about the Manafort Flip. Feeling really good for you and pretty good for the rest of us. Congratulations!

  14. That is so awesome! Way to go and congratulations !! I am really looking forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing this with us.

  15. Big congratulations! Finishing something is hard when it comes to a creative endeavor. I hope you’re excited enough to take a short break and dive in with a new effort. Now that you have momentum at your back, see if you can make use of it and press forward.

    Very excited to see this effort.

    I’ve been a reader on your blog for quite some time and this is my first comment. I’m proud of how honest you are with your audience. Never change, unless you feel there is good reason to and you do so for reasons that are best for you.

  17. Super proud you hit your deadline. When you said you wrote several endings my first thought was CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!!! Only slightly disappointed you found your ending. Can’t wait to read it.

  19. Nice work. Looking forward to reading the finished product.

    Some of us out here have always been fans and enjoyed everything we’ve seen you do. Thanks for sharing.

  22. Good on you! I’ve loved following along as you chronicled The Short Story That Didn’t Know When to Stop. I really enjoyed ‘Dead Trees Give No Shelter’ so I’m looking forward to reading your novel. Thank you for being so open with your Creative Process ™, including when things got stuck, stalled out, or went totally sideways on you. I have no doubt that you’ve helped many more writers and writers-to-be along the way than you realized. You’re good people! Keep being as excellent to yourself as you are to others.

  24. Normally I’m a reader.. but I only recently listened to Ready Player One and I thought you did a great job. So I’ll be holding out for the audiobook this time.

    Congratulations!

  25. Congratulations!!!

    I also just started ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ and while I’m getting my butt kicked over and over, I’m still enjoying it. Boss fights are brutal and I suck at the tripcaster, but the story!!! I must find out what happened!! 🙂 Happy gaming.

    1. I set it on story mode, because I didn’t want to get bogged down in combat. I mostly care about exploring the world and the story, so that mode works out very well for me.

  26. That’s so amazing! Congratulations!

    Really excited for you. Can’t wait to give it a read.

    Zero Dawn was a great game. Take a victory lap after finishing your book and enjoy.

  29. Very proud of you, Wil! I look forward to seeing what journey you’ll take us on in this book!

  30. What a sense of accomplishment you must feel – revel in it! 😀
    Congratulations and here’s to success however you release it.

  31. Any chance the “Waiting for the Man” playlist is public somewhere? Knowing you and your taste in music (plus what you’ve said about the direction of this book), I imagine I would LOVE to hear this list.

  36. Fantastic!! (And I join the long list of folks with building anticipation to get a chance to read your creation) I’m so excited for you. That’s a great accomplishment.
    Congratulations!! You wrote a novel!!

  40. With all of the different endings you tried out, in how many of them did the main character actually find the Jewels of Nabooti?

  41. Congratulations! I’ve never listened to Audio Books, but I find myself wanting to hear your voice. What’s the best way to find your “bandcamp”, whatever that is. Thanks!

  44. I just love this! Such an inspiration on so many levels–Be Proud!

    Can’t wait to read your novel!

  48. Fantastic! Wil! So excited… your 2458 post is very well written and has made me really want to read your book! I love the way you’ve matured over the years in how you deal with the world, and in building a positive outlook. So proud of you! And congratulations on your successful writing process!

  49. Congratulations, and thanks again for sharing your creative process. It has been fascinating to ride along on this journey.

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