One of my goals was finishing the revision to my Red WIP
before November. That way the month of
November can be completely dedicated to NaNoWriMo (my first year to
participate!).
I think I’ll finish.
I’ve already revised seventeen chapters, and I have three more, plus a
short epilogue. And those chapters are
pretty well written, if I do say so myself.
Yesterday, I revised the climax of the story. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a muddled
mess, but I’m pleased with the way that it turned out. I love stretching what my characters can endure
and pile even more on when they think it’s getting easier. Or maybe I just enjoy watching them overcome
their trials. I love knowing where they
started and where they’re headed.
It did take me a few days to begin working on it, mostly
because when I finish the climax, it means that I’m getting close to the end. And yes, in a way that’s good. I’ll have completed my goal. I’ll have time to do a final read-through for
typos before sending it out to the final round of betas.
So what makes the ending so hard?
It feels like I’m saying goodbye. We’ve been on this long journey together (one
we’ve had several times before), and each time, these characters become even
more real. I love spending my days
thinking about their lives, what they need to do and what they need to
experience to grow. It’s a constant
companionship that’s about to end.
Of course, it won’t end exactly. My NaNoWriMo novel is a companion novel, so
they’ll be in there. But it won’t be the
same. They’ll be secondary characters,
making rare, cameo appearances while I get to know someone new.
I know that many writers celebrate the moment when they can
write “The End,” but I always have mixed feelings. There’s always that sense of accomplishment,
but also a sense of loss.
I feel the same way when I finish reading a book that I
love. Once that final page turns, there’s
no more. They go on with their lives
while I go on with mine. Maybe I just
have separation issues.
How about you? How do
you say goodbye to characters?
This will be my first year to participate in NaNo too. I have 105 "Patriot's Pen" essays to grade before I can free up the month of November to concentrate on NaNo.
ReplyDeleteI also have a tough time writing endings, mostly because I'm a perfectionist; I don't want the ending to be so-so; I want it to be FANTASTIC. And that's not easy to accomplish.
So before I write an ending to my novel, I usually take a week or two off from writing, so I can process.
Good luck with NaNo! I find that with endings, I don't want them to come, so I tend to ramble until I have to admit the story has already finished.
DeleteI got so sad when I finished my book. I feel as if I was ready to finish, but as I was writing the last few sentences, I felt like my heart was breaking. I cried, a lot.
ReplyDeletewww.alicekouzmenkowriting.blogspot.com
Leaving a book (or series of books) I love can be a bittersweet thing. Having the characters hang around my head even past The End lessens the sting somewhat, but there's still that sense of "goodbye". It's been like a year since I completed the draft of a story close to my heart, and even though I know we've still got a while to go together yet before it's published and I'm done fiddling with it forever, the finality of the ending makes me ache a little every time I think of it. I don't want it to be over!
ReplyDelete