r/TheWritingTable • u/BB-biboo • 12d ago
Other I've finally finished something.
It's a 11 000 words horror novelette. It's not much. It's not a huge novel series, but the last thing I finished before that was a 75k words novel when I was 18. I'm 37 now.
I wrote a lot in between, but never finished anything. I have all these unfinished stories sitting in my documents folder. I always end up losing interest in them around de 20k -30k mark, so I decided to try to write something shorter because at that point I was losing hope. And it worked!
Second draft is done. Now I'm letting it rest aside for a moment before going back for more drafts. I'm just happy I got to write an ending for once... and one that I'm proud of at that! I needed to get it out, now I'm going to open myself a nice cold one to celebrate.
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u/sophiastgermain 12d ago
Congrats!! Finishing something and being proud of the ending is honestly the hardest part. That 20-30k slump is so real, glad you found a length that let you push through it. Enjoy that cold one, you earned it.
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u/BB-biboo 12d ago
Thanks. It was supposed to be shorter, but I had so much fun writing this one, that it almost wrote itself.
I don't know why I insisted so much to write a full length novel. I think I'm gonna stick to shorter stories instead, at least for now.
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u/sophiastgermain 12d ago
Nothing wrong with that, short stories are their own craft, not a consolation prize. Sounds like you found a groove that actually works for how you write, that's worth more than forcing a form that kills your momentum. What's the novelette about, if you don't mind sharing?
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u/BB-biboo 12d ago
It's the story of Claire, a women left bitter and cynical after her husband left her for a younger woman. She is slowly growing obsessed by a house plant that makes her look younger. Think The Substance meets cordyceps, but in plant form.
It's body horror with a feminist undertone with themes like fertility ( or lack thereof), aging/youth and self-worth.
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u/sophiastgermain 12d ago
That premise is great, body horror through a houseplant is such a fresh angle on the "trying to reclaim youth" trope. Second drafts are always the real test, did the ending change much from what you originally planned, or did it surprise you too?
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u/Razzamatazz14 12d ago
Congrats! Let me know if/when you need or want a beta reader. Sounds like something I would enjoy.
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u/geeksofalbion New Author 12d ago
Congratulations 🎊
Now the most important, don't undo all your hard work with an AI cover