How do you find the other end?

Whew! The climax is complete. But now what? I love what has happened to my characters, but where do they go from here? Have any of you writers out there struggled to write the denouement? I sort of feel the way I felt after watching the end of SCHINDLER'S LIST in the theatre...staring at the screen, numb and bewildered, not wanting to leave, face wet with emotion. So I sat staring at the last page of the last chapter I finished for several hours yesterday, trying to figure out where to go next. Only a few pages left and I'm frozen!

I woke up thinking about the problem, and...I have decided to go ahead and start the revision process. Perhaps by the time I have read through the book, start to finish, and picked my way through my notes and made all the adjustments I can conceive of, I will have a natural sense of what to do. I hope so. I love this manuscript. It is the best thing I've written, and I love my characters. I want to do right by them.

Death and the Novel

Well, the decision has finally been made. I have decided to spare the bad-girl-turned-good but kill her parents. As mentioned in an earlier post, I needed to decide whom to kill and why as I finish the climax of my WIP. Happily, our naughty girl gets her reprieve, but her parents bite it when the specter goes down. They deserve it anyway. It's their fault the girl was going wrong, and no thanks to them, she finally figures out what's important.

So I have this adrenaline rush--wooo! I'm within inches of finishing the climax, but it's like grabbing a hot plate from the oven without mitts. I just need to step away for a minute and run some cold water on my fingers! How many writers get so emotionally revved when they are about to finish the book? I would imagine most. There is so much tangled up in this process. First, it's just so exciting to conceive of the details of the climax...and I think that's a good sign. If I get this excited about writing it, I hope kids will get that excited about reading it. Second, the thought of putting my book to bed is exhilerating and depressing at the same time. Something fabulous is coming to a close (well, almost--can't forget revisions!) It's like watching your child graduate. It will have a new life when it leaves you, which is what you always wanted, but it won't be your baby anymore, and you feel the loss.

So if anyone else out there is nearing the end of their WIP, I'll have a drink in your honor. Cheers!

Cough, cough...ack!

Well, after 3 weeks of bronchitis and pure exhaustion, I am finally back on my feet. I haven't written a lick and am dying to get back to the climax (no pun intended on my last post!) It is always so hard to get back into the zone of a WIP that's been left on its own for too long. So, I've already started re-enacting parts of the story (in my head and in my room!) in preparation for jumping back into writing. I am also listening to my "writing" music, which always pumps me up. There is one song that I always imagine as the voice of my MC. Does anyone else do that?

So here's hoping that all the germs have gone underground for the duration and we'll all stay healthy until next year. I'm also hoping to head up to the Poconos for the SCBWI-EPA retreat in April. But for now, my daughter's 6th birthday is beckoning, so next weekend holds a swimming party (yes...swimming in February!) and some great fun.

Happy Writing, Everyone!