Look at this interesting quote from Ecclesiastes 7:

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”

Lesson 1 for the Indie Author: Ending is better than beginning.

Boy, that sums me up as a writer pretty well. Writing the end of a novel is always better than writing its beginning.

I’m sure you’ve seen this quote about writing: “I don’t like to write, but I love to have written.” Michael Kanin

That’s not entirely true for me. I have matured over the last couple of years, and I enjoy the journey of writing much more than I used to. When I wrote my first novel, I was so frightened that I would run out of words that I couldn’t wait for it be finished, so then I would know if I accomplished my goal or not. When it was finished, I looked back in awe and a sense of accomplishment. It felt good “to have written.”

Part of the reason I love the ending of writing so much is that I get to discover how the story turns out. I often don’t know until I get there. I have all of these loose ends, and I wonder how they will fit together. They always do, in one way or another.

So as a writer, I often race towards the ending. Sometimes too quickly. (I need some of that patience.) I’ve learned a lot about the give and take of a story over the last couple of years. Yes, it’s fun to get to the ending, but it’s even better to get to an ending of a quality story. So while my eyes are continually on the goal, I’ve learned to flesh out the details much better and develop the scenery and background which is going to make the ending all that much more satisfying.

But still, getting to the ending is great. All writers know the feeling when that first draft is finished. Or that second draft. Or any subsequent draft. And ultimately the final draft. It’s literally a chapter of a writer’s life is coming to an end. Sure, it can be bittersweet, but it’s much more of a celebration. At least for me.

Tomorrow I’ll tackle the pride and patience issues.