Written Between Moments: Finishing a First Draft.

Marking the completion of my novel's first draft

Where the story ends (for now)

Finishing a first draft brings you to two words every writer longs to type.

“The End.”

This one took time.

There were moments I didn’t think I’d get there. Not because the story wasn’t there—it always was—but because life has a way of weaving itself into the process, sometimes gently, sometimes not so gently at all.

Over the past months, writing has found a new place in my home. I’ve moved from my usual small study into the dining room, where I can keep an eye on Mum and Dad. The sunlight pours through the patio doors, warming the room, and more often than not I’ve had two golden shadows stretched out beside me—my girls, never far away, always quietly present 🐾

Poppy and Devon, The Crazy Cream Retrievers 🐾

It hasn’t been the kind of writing environment you might imagine—no long, uninterrupted hours or perfectly planned routines. Instead, it’s been written in between moments. Cups of tea. Conversations. Checking in. Listening out. Life, happening alongside every page.

And yet, somehow, the story kept moving.

Part of that is down to the people around me. My husband, with his love of old horror films—The Omen, The Ninth Gate, The Conjuring Franchise, those wonderfully atmospheric Hammer Horrors—has unknowingly shaped the tone and feel of this book more than he probably realises. Those quiet, creeping stories have a way of staying with you, and I think a little of that has found its way into these pages.

The genre for my next book.

And then there are my fellow writers. The messages, the emails, the small check-ins and shared frustrations, the celebrations of each other’s wins—big or small. Writing can feel solitary, but it never truly is when you have people beside you who understand the journey.

So yes, this one took time.

But today, I typed those two words.

And they mean more than ever.

This is only the first draft—there’s still a long way to go—but for now, I’m allowing myself a quiet moment to sit with it.

Because finishing matters.

And this one… really does.