Recently, I finished the final draft of The Raven, a wonderfully scary story about a Poe inspired killer haunting the dreams of a young girl.
For me, completing that last page of the book is a bit of an event. Even after I know exactly what I want to say, I refuse to write it down. I hold the words in my head. Letting them recur in my thoughts when I’m just waking up in the morning, humming them as I drive, holding them tight. When the rest of the book is finished, and by finished I mean I’ve completed several revision passes, I’m finally ready to finish the book.
I light some candles, turn out the lights, pour a glass of Merlot, pull out a sheet of high-quality paper I keep for this purpose, open my Montblanc fountain pen that I only use for this occasion, and hand write that final page. I feel like this little ritual helps me stay close to the generations of writers that have gone before me, and that formed me into who I am.
The Raven will release in February 2023.