I started it way back in 2001. I barely touched it at all for months at a time, during the Great Job Search Angst of 2002. It's flawed, it's a first effort, and will need plenty of hard work before it's ready for public consumption. But...

I did it. I wrote a novel. I finished what I started, proved I had it in me, proved I'm not just a quitter, that I can push past my own laziness and fears. I wrote a BOOK.

I will now be hokey and quote Chariots of Fire:

Eric Liddell: I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

That's how I feel about writing fiction. There are any number of things I love to do, that give me a sense of accomplishment. But when I write, I'm doing what I was made for. Nothing is better than that.

And another quote from the same source, because it just suits my amazement that after starting books all my life I finally FINISHED ONE:

Eric Liddell: Then where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within.

Now I know that I can see my races to the end. And I've never felt stronger.