Aftermath...

So I finally finished my first novel...it only took me almost 7 years! But it's done!
I started this project back in a high school creative writing class. The first one of it's kind if I remember correctly. Our assignment was only a 5 to 10 page short story and what I came up with was over 20 pages long and not a complete story.
My mind ran crazy with the ideas of dragons and an adventure including a young girl and her mother. I started writing it in first person POV. And after more chapters than I care to think about, dropped the whole enterprise. I'm not sure what happened. I think it had something to do with my first horse passing away and loss of innocence about the world...
Anyways, I picked up the project again last year when the professor of my capstone had us writing 2500 words a week. After re-reading the story I had written years ago, I decided to re-write in third person POV.
In just a few weeks I had finished changing what I had written, and started on new stuff.
I feel that the timing was right for this story to be told again. My skills in writing, plot building, world creating, and characterization had advanced enough to make the story even better.
And boy did it grow!
My first draft is over 71,000 words, and I just printed it off today to begin the task of carefully reading and editing for cohesiveness and to add in a few scenes I skipped over writing initially...woops.
Ahh the smell of ink and paper as my printer pumps out all 135 pages....and yes, Dad, I put two pages of text on one side of printed paper then double side printed them....and yes, I will buy more ink ;)