Well, the strangest thing has happened to me this week. I'm at the end of my manuscript. I just need to revise the final scene, but every time I go to do it, I just can't seem to get it done. I've thought of dozens of scenarios and none of them seem right. So instead of writing, I've been futzing around on the internet and organizing my house again.
Yeah, I'm avoiding. But why?
For all you armchair shrinks out there, this is the first time I've never been able to finish a project like this. Usually I'm great at endings and I look forward to them, so this is weird. Any thoughts?
Of course as you may have guessed from my confession my word count was effectively zero. How did you do this week?
I'm an award-winning romantic suspense novelist, but in my free time I love to review books and my fave TV shows, as well as pass along great book deals, and eat Canadian chocolate---not necessarily in that order.
7 comments:
After writing 12,340 words since last Wednesday, I FINISHED! (Sorry, Julie . . .) I already had my ending written, so I didn't have to worry about that part. Whew . . . it totaled just over 81,000 words all together, and I'm very, very happy with the results. Now I'll put it away for a couple of weeks before I go back and read it from start to finish and do my first edit.
Big sigh of relief . . .
6,000!
The story is almost finished, I thought up a couple of scenes/touches that will round it out completely, and it will be done this week, around 65,000 words :)
When that happens to me, it's because I haven't outlined my twists in the ending enough to write it. Usually, it's something (topic) I'm not familiar with and I'm stuck.
Hm... When I put off endings, it's either because I don't know how to do them—I have to plot a lot more than the "they defeat the bad guys and obtain success at all odds" (the actual "outline" for the last 1/3 or so of my most recent novel—NOT helpful)—or because I don't want to leave the characters. Sad, huh?
I think I forgot to report last week, so in the last two weeks, I've gotten 36,499 words and I finished either Saturday (wrote "the end") or Monday (added some important stuff to hit my word count target).
It's a good time to be finishing books, it looks like! Come on in, Julie!
Julie, that sounds like me. I hate finishing books because I don't want the fun to end. But that's the way I always am, and it doesn't sound like you're that way. I also like to brainstorm all the possibilities for details.
Jordan, Debra, and Gina did so well this week. I wrote a chapter. My word count stayed the same, though, because I deleted some other stuff. I think I'm the queen of deleting.
I have no idea this week. Really. I've been dealing with allergies the past few days and it's wrecked havoc with my memory. (I usually take note of a page number but not this week. Oh, no. Didn't even feel like doing that.)
About your struggle, I'm not sure what to say. Endings don't come easy to me, but I usually have everything worked out before I start the rough draft. The only exception is if a character dramatically changes.
Sooo, a possible idea is to look at your characters and see if something in them changed in such a way that the ending no longer works. Just a thought. I'm sorry I can't add anything more substantial.
Debra, that is AWESOME! I'm so happy for you.
Gina, ditto! What a great feeling!
Kate, that could be it. I've changed the setting a few times and the bad guy motivations, so maybe that's part of it. I need to just sit and outline it better.
Thanks, Jordan. For you I will do anything, even slog through an ending that you will pick apart in the end anyway. (The end. haha get it?)
Rebecca, I think that's my problem, I'm brainstorming too many details and I need to just sit and write the thing. Sounds like you're moving forward, though, even with the deletions, so I'm happy for you, O Queen of Deletions. (Doesn't that sound like a fantasy sci-fi book setting, the island of Deletions? What? It could happen.) :)
Thanks, Amy, and I'm sorry about your allergies. I hope you feel better soon. :(
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