The icon shows wraith island (aka Anak Krakatau off the West coast of Java)

I struggled through the depression, and I drifted through the tranquillisation (anti-depressants), and I struggled through the withdrawal, and now it seems I've come out the other side and it's amazing!

The day before yesterday I typed up a 4,500 word fic that had been sitting in my handwritten notebook for 1 1/2 years. Yesterday I wrote two fics (total of 2,000 words). Just now, I printed out my wraith fic -- I started that fic in April 2006; it's the most revised fic I've ever written (I'm on the fifth or sixth draft, and each time I sweated blood and tears); it's 33,000 words long (61 pages of dense no-borders Times New Roman font size 11 print-out) -- and I read a paragraph of it as it spewed out of the inkjet printer and whooped with glee!

I haven't whooped with glee in aeons! Not since the 2006 World Cup.

Because the wraith fic is good! All the revisions paid off. I can still spot some flaws but I like it; my mouth grinned as I read; I felt that clutch of excitement, yes, this one's working out, I can feel this pairing in my gut.

Now I go to t'reference library. I put finishing touches to last night's fic for posting this afternoon. I take with me the 61-page print-out for one last draft, and then for sending to my tiny team of betas who've probably forgotten by now that they ever agreed to beta for this... *g* romanciere? mrssheldrake? liviapenn? sageness for Ameripicking? *looks hopeful*

Then I do external marking. And ponder: what next?

Dear Lazlet

Thank you, kind and generous lazlet! Yummy things arrived in the post just now.

*hops up and down* Wow, and now I can use our new HUGE flat-screen TV for nefarious purposes!!