I hesitate in posting this, simply because I have proven myself inept at gauging the time it takes me to finish any writing project! Even short stories, ones which I think will be completed in just a quick flash. No, they take months extra for no good reason. But, nevertheless, despite a novel being even more unpredictable, I think I’m on the final leg of this novel’s journey – before things really get underway for The Damning Moths.
There’s a certain sense of complication in thinking I’m nearly at the end. Of course, the inevitable desire to rush through, which is absolutely not allowed! After all this, rushing the end would be unforgivable! So I must consciously maintain the same critical mind I’ve had through the rest of these final edits. At the same time, my fast read-through of these last chapters feel like they’re pretty solid. I made a lot of notes about certain plot threads which need to be tidied, but other than that? Well, the ending is just a lot more certain of itself than the beginning was in a lot of ways. We’ll blame it on all the action; it changes the pace, the story evolves into something else. And honestly, by the time I was writing the end, I had all the practice of writing the beginning, going at it for weeks solid. That helps. Truly.
So I will do what is necessary, and finish this novel, and then it will be read for the last time by my copyeditor to make sure I fixed the problems. We’re coming to the hard part. The “everything after”. I feel familiar enough with writing that the writing itself is just this fun thing I do. I sit and have conversations with fictional people. I record what they think and do in challenging situations. I get to read my work and enjoy where it takes me and feel vicious glee and longing and sadness and laughter in all the right places. What comes next, though, that’s all new to me. Publishing is still the big scary beyond.
All the more reason for me to get through it, do what I must, then return to the comforts of writing book two.
While I know most of my blogging buddies will have already seen this, because I am absurdly late to share things, I must reiterate the many people before me who’ve said watch Neil Gaiman give a speech to university graduates. Because Neil Gaiman is amazing. So please, if you haven’t already, watch:
~A
The Fane 
I had a bugger of a time finishing the first draft of my musical. It had come down to the final number; I knew what I still needed to say, how it needed to be arranged, who needed to sing which parts…all I needed to do was actually write the lyrics. And I couldn’t. Took me a good month to actually get myself working on it, & then it still took a few days to finish after that (compared to my usual songwriting time of under 2 hours).
Oooh, yeah. Knowing what you need to do and really struggling to do it is a tough feeling! It doesn’t help if the self-pity/guilt comes roaring in because you DO know what to do and just can’t drag it out of yourself! At least, that’s happened in my experience.
~A
Congrats on almost the end….such a good feeling to be there… so exciting and also scary, no question. Still, it was an exhilirating feeling to type those words THE END!
Thank you, Julia! Oh, and feeling it was well worth the effort when you finally “turn the last page”! Exciting! 😀
~A
Hey gorgeous! The move hasn’t gone as planned… We will be in the area again, tomorrow. Can we please borrow your cat carrier? Our mobiles are dead and our chargers are up at our new house. I hope it’s okay if we swing by whenever we can tomorrow? Sorry sweet, this was the only way I could contact you. Using my folks Internet real quick! Be well, and see you tomorrow xxx