At 11am today: two years, two cities, four jobs, five apartments (I had complicated living arrangements for a while there), and about 65,000 words after I started working on my very first novel, (tentatively – very tentatively – titled, A Very Violent Story), I finished the first draft.

This is how I feel:

Granted, I have a long way to go before it is actually completed.  All writing is rewriting, and if this novel is anything like my short stories, in terms of process, I still have between 6 and 11 drafts before I am finished, but I believe in celebrating each milestone in the process of a creative work. Here is why:

a) it emphasizes the separation between, what I term, the discovery period of creation, and, the more cerebral, sculpting period of creation, which I think is important, psychologically, for a writer;

b) any creative act, like life, is a celebration of process, which is not defined by the end result, but by the journey.  That’s why I typically don’t see the value in “skipping ahead to the death part” when I’m describing what matters in life (unless I’m describing someone I really, really don’t like, like a former boss, or Hitler).

This is what a contest winner looks like

The point is, I really want to celebrate today… but I’m not sure how!

Here is my challenge:

A contest!

I want your most creative, awesome, meaningful thoughts on how I should celebrate in Seattle with Bean. The winner gets to experience the awesome power of knowing he/she controlled the direction of our lives for one night. Come on, that’s huge!

Remember, I live in a new town with only a few friends (it’s been 2 months, back off), so ideas like, “Invite a few friends over and open a bottle of wine” wouldn’t work for a number of reasons.

First off, see above re: friends.

Secondly, that sounds a little too wild and I don’t think I could handle being so crazy like that (read sarcasm here as you realize this is a lame idea, unless, said friends were “circus clowns” and said wine was “a case of strawberry hill flavored Boone’s Farm” because then that would be an epic night of vehement pink vomiting, and nothing says party more than that).

Extra points go to non-drinking ideas. Not that I don’t drink, I do, but drinking isn’t a very creative idea and could probably be added to any other idea.

Write your suggestions in the comments box below!