As a new writer, finishing the last chapter is both satisfying and a little sad. You get the feeling "YES," I've done it. It all came together and the theme, plot, character development all worked. Then it hits you. I won't be meeting these characters again for a walk in the woods or a cup of tea to mindfully collaborate.
Whew. Thank goodness it's a series and my main protagonist shows up in the next book. Since I have trouble with 'goodbyes,' I like my supporting characters to make another appearance down the road.
CLOUDS OVER KATAHDIN is done. Well, the first draft anyway. The story is now in the expert hands of my BETA team. These are those precious folks who support my desire to write great mystery stories and they take their volunteer jobs seriously. So I wanted to say a little about what they do.
A cadre of about five avid readers with extremely high standards (!) will begin the process of taking a deep dive in my plot structure, content, grammar and spelling and overall critical overview of the newest book in the Johanna Kincaid Mystery Series. They will critically analyze how the scenes "work" or don't. Their eagle eyes will find every misspelled word or grammar violation. They will let me know if the plot bogs down or if they are (gasp!) bored. They will let me know if they saw the clues, got an uneasy feeling ( YES!) or weren't at all surprised with my plot twists!
All in all, this intrepid team of readers will let me know if I actually pulled off what I intended to. After their suggestions are returned to me, I get to dig back into the narrative and edit with a sword-blade. Instead of "murdering" a character, I get to "murder" one of my darlings; a scene I truly loved.
The first draft is on its way to the BETA Team now. I am sharpening my sword.