"The Bittersweet Triumph of Finishing a Novel"

It’s Done. Now What?
There’s nothing quite like typing "The End" on a project you’ve poured years of your life into. When I finished Relic, I felt a rush of emotions: pride, relief, exhaustion—and above all, hope. Hope that this story, this universe I’d carefully crafted, would find its place in the world.

But the reality of the publishing world is different. Rejection isn’t just common—it’s expected. Even knowing this, it’s hard to prepare yourself for the silence, the form rejections, or the polite “It’s not for us.”

I won’t lie—every "no" stings. But here’s the thing: Relic exists. It’s real. It’s a story I believed in enough to finish, and that’s something no rejection can take away. For every closed door, I remind myself that this isn’t the end of the road. The fact that I finished a novel, something many dream of but never complete, is an accomplishment in itself.

The rejection letters taught me something unexpected: the importance of redefining success. Is success landing an agent or a book deal? Sure, that’s part of the dream. But isn’t success also about creating something meaningful? Something that resonates with the people who do read it?

I’ve realized that, for me, the act of finishing Relic was the victory. The rest is just the next stage of the journey.

With Relic done, I’ve decided to take a different route: self-publishing. It wasn’t my original plan, but it feels like the right one. It allows me to put my story directly into the hands of readers who love the same kinds of sprawling, cinematic sci-fi worlds I do.

Writing a novel isn’t glamorous. It’s not about the accolades or the book tours (not yet, anyway). It’s about sitting alone with your thoughts, day after day, chasing the idea that first sparked something inside you. And at the end of it, even if no one else sees it, you know you did it.

For anyone else out there struggling with rejection or wondering if it’s worth it: it is. Keep going. Your story matters, even if the world hasn’t caught up to it yet.

What’s Next for Me?

I’m putting all my energy into self-publishing Relic and my next project, Game+Over. The traditional path wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean the journey ends—it just means I’m carving out a new one.

What about you? Have you ever created something you were proud of, only to find it wasn’t embraced the way you hoped? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your story.