Reader, I did it.

For 100 days, from April 1 through July 9, I wrote at least 1,000 words of my novel every single day. At present, the manuscript, which is most definitely not done and will require substantial editing, is 109,822* words.

My reactions are mixed. Part of me is flabbergasted that I made it for the entire 100 days without missing a single one, even on the infamous weekend when I wrote after I stopped work at 3:35 a.m., crouched over my Surface as the cats slept beside me on the bed. Another part of me says, “Of course you wrote. You’re a writer. That’s what writers do. And P.S., you still have a lot more to do.”

Both responses are correct to some extent. Dredging up the consistency and discipline required to do anything for 100 days, even when legitimate reasons exist to skip a day now and then, is noteworthy. On the other hand, writers write. That’s our job. We don’t wait around to feel inspired or skip a writing session because we’re not in the mood, any more than a surgeon might postpone performing a knee replacement because, y’know, he’s just not feeling it today.

There’s still a lot to do before this manuscript is a full-blown first draft. Going back through all the pieces to figure out the word count, I’ve already identified inconsistencies where a character’s motivation changed or the same act occurred twice, but in different contexts. I know there are gaps in action as well as logic. The climactic scene (or what I presently view as the climactic scene) is thin, to put it nicely. It will require substantial time and thought to make it what it needs to be to carry the book, and it may need to be replaced if it can’t do the job.

But now that I’ve written for 100 days straight, I have enough of a manuscript that I’m beginning to see what needs to be done next. I still plan to work on the book every day, but that work might take the form of outlining, researching, and/or creating the connective tissue that will bridge the existing scenes. I may simply sit with my notebook and see which ideas are worth incorporating—and I may jot down more notes. I may pull out my beloved whiteboard and begin charting what exists so I can see what holes need to be filled in.

I don’t know how long it will take to the point where I can say, “Yes, this is the first draft.” I’d love to think I’d get there by Labor Day, which is September 2—slightly less than eight weeks away—but tonight, I’m not feeling a huge push to set a new deadline. Tonight, I’m okay with taking a breath and thinking through what remains to be done—and maybe sketching out a new scene or two, just to keep the muse working.

*Approximately 2,000 words existed before this challenge started. The rest was created in the 100 days.