Writer’s Shop Talk: The Morning After…on Finishing ‘Reunion: Coda’

Late Morning, Thursday, April 3, 2025, Miami, Florida

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”  ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Well, dear reader, I did it. I finished Reunion: Coda! More specifically, I completed the “story” part of Reunion: Coda. All 30 chapters of my first novel, from the Prologue to the coda. (No pun intended.)

Sometime around 10 PM – a couple of hours after I wrote and posted “Dear Reader…Habemus Novellam!“ – I put the finishing touches on Chapter 30’s Scene Five, the novel’s ending. I had already penned a rough draft of this scene before writing Scenes Three and Four. The first draft of that scene was decent, but after revising it to better align with the novel’s penultimate section, I read it again and felt inspired to make further improvements.

I revised Scene Five twice. Since it was already past 8 PM when I made that decision, it took longer than I expected to edit a few paragraphs at the end of what I thought was a well-written scene. Unfortunately, I wasn’t satisfied with the ending I had crafted, except for the last line. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I waited until today to fix it. So, despite feeling tired, I felt somewhat re-energized by the dinner I had around 8:15, and I continued working. I reworked the ending paragraphs until I was satisfied with the final result.

Twelve hours later, I’m still processing how I feel now that I’ve completed the main section of Reunion: Coda. Writing a novel – and some of my friends hope this is just the first one – has been my dream since I was 15. Now, after several failed attempts since 1978 and enough real-life plot twists to base a soap opera on, I’ve fulfilled that ambition. With a mix of confidence and naivete often seen in teenagers, I announced one day at the breakfast table: “Hey, Mom. Someday, I’m going to write a novel like Stephen King does.”

“Do you need someone to make you a paper badge with the word WRITER on it before you can believe you are one? God, I hope not.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

So, yes, I do have a sense of “Mission: Accomplished.” This isn’t some hasty, thrown-together project to trick unsuspecting readers into parting with their hard-earned $2.99 (or more!) for a Kindle edition. No, no, my dear reader, this is a labor of love. I’ve poured my heart, soul, and let’s be honest, a fair bit of cash into this endeavor. Writing outside of my comfort zone has been an exhilarating challenge; I always thought my first “big book” would either involve time-traveling historical figures or some high-stakes international espionage. Instead, I found myself crafting a sequel to a poignant novella about loss, love, regret, friendship, and the audacity to move forward.

I’m genuinely proud of Reunion: Coda and hopeful that you’ll find joy in its pages. Those privileged souls who have read the manuscript believe it’s a remarkable debut—especially given that it’s my first foray into novel writing. They are confident that other readers will embrace it just as warmly.

But there’s still much work ahead before I can hit that publish button on Kindle Direct Publishing, somewhere between April 15 and May 1. The story itself is ready, but there’s still the “back matter” to handle: the afterword, acknowledgments page, and all that jazz that most readers skim over but is vital nonetheless. I’ll tackle that later today.

Perhaps after a few more cups of coffee, though. I promise I won’t get too jittery!