Writing My First Book. A Diary. Week 10 How to Finish a Book Using the Bish Bash Bosh Method.

Finishing the Book

Yesterday, 10/11/25, I sent off my final short story to Louise, the final story of my first book of short stories. It’s done. Finished. After months of writing, editing, and frankly second guessing, I can finally say I’ve completed it. I won’t pretend to know how good it is, I think it’s pretty good, but I’m proud of it, and that counts for a lot. A year ago, I’d never have believed I could sit down and actually write a full book. It wasn’t even an ambition, probably because I never thought I’d manage it. Yet here I am, with one finished and ideas for the second already taking shape.

Writing the stories was the easy part: storylines, characters, pacing, all came naturally. Turning a quick 6,000–7,000 word draft into something coherent was much harder, and at times, difficult. I told Louise I’d get them all to her by the end of November but finished three weeks early. When I have a task, I just want to get on with it. Did I rush it? No. I gave up more time from my business than expected, but my strength in writing comes from a whirlwind mind that wants things done. Louise will now edit and I will see the final drafts and see if there is anything howling out, before she proofreads.

What my stories have, I think, is vibrancy and energy. I have my own alternative style, it doesn’t involve sitting and pondering for hours. My method is what I call bish bash bosh. It works for me because it keeps the story, the characters and the pace moving at my natural speed.

Nine Stories, One Collection

There are nine stories in all, and I believe each one stands on its own. I’ve always been a big music fan, and I used to feel disappointed when my favourite bands released an album with a couple of weak tracks. I didn’t want that for my book, so I’ve made sure every story is strong enough to be read in one sitting and hopefully the reader will not want to put it down.

You’d think completing your first book would be a moment of pure joy, and in a way it is. The content is done, and I’m happy with it. But a book without readers is just the end of stage one. Now comes editing with Louise, finding a self-publishing route, marketing, competitions, getting it out to literary agents, and just getting it out there. That will be just as challenging as writing the book itself.

I’ve some experience with social media and running a business, so I’m not going into this blind, but it’s a whole new sphere to learn, and for a first book it’s bound to be a long, occasionally frustrating process.

As I said earlier, I already have ideas for the second book. The last story in this book, tentatively titled, Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Messes, introduces a new main character who will carry into book two. A sequel might be ambitious, but sometimes you have to follow not just your instincts, but your dreams.

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