This is the end, Hold your breath, And
count to ten
(Lyrics to Skyfall by Adele)
(Lyrics to Skyfall by Adele)
Today I wrote The End of my romantic suspense novella ‘Voodoo
Wedding’ which is the sequel to ‘How Do You Voodoo?’ - Yay!
But of course, it’s not The End really because despite editing
as I write, I do know the manuscript needs a bit of a polish and I still need
to smooth over a few tiny plot holes. Then I’ll transfer the manuscript to my
Kindle for reading it as a reader rather than a writer and I’ll go back and
polish it some more. Next week, I’ll send it off to my trusted Editor for a
story critique and I’ll take on board her thoughts, and if I agree (she’s
very wise and clever so I usually do – and she has an uncanny knack of telling
what I suspected all along) I’ll work on it some more. Then it will be edited again for grammar, spelling mistakes,
silly typos, layout inconsistencies, etc - and then, finally, it will be The
End!
I thought you might enjoy these quotes on writing The End:
Frank Herbert
“Bilbo – have you
thought of an ending?
Frodo – Yes,
several, and all are dark and unpleasant."
Rose Tremain
“In the
planning stage of a book, I don’t plan the ending. It has to be earned by all
that will go before it.”
John Geddes
“My novels are
like life – I never know where they are going until the end.”
And my
personal favourite:
“Now is not
the end. It’s not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of
the beginning.”
16 comments:
Congratulations, Janice, that is such an amazing moment. I'm doing the happy dance with you right now! XXX
Well done,Janice -one down,two to go of the three you set yourself to write this year!
My son usually types it halfway through my ms. To be exact, he types 'and then she woke up' while I'm away from my PC. Don't you just love him! Great post, Janice. Well done you! :) xx
That's great - now to get it out there so we can all see it!
Even though it's not THE END, Janice, it's the end of the first draft, which is an important milestone.
Yay! You must be thrilled to get the first draft completed. Happy for you!
I usually write the ending very early in the draft so I know where I have to get for that last wee (or not so wee bit).
Can't wait to read Voodoo Wedding.
How timely! I hope you're rewarding yourself with something nice -- chocolate?
I'm heading into the final chapter of the sequel to Legacy of the Highlands and suddenly feel paralyzed with uncertainty. I'm told that the words that immediately precede "The End" are what readers remember and so they've become more of a challenge (to me at least) than the story's opening. But as the Nike people say, "Just do it." And so I shall. Thanks for the inspiration and I love the quotes!
Well personally I don't think there is an end... I could tinker forever! Even re-edited (totally) my debut novel which had been edited by someone with a lot of experience. But just 2 years on I realised I'd grown as a writer. I thought that only applied to poetry, which most poets admit they keep revisiting and tinkering! So good luck on the next round Janice, but it's all there now and you can play to you heart's content! The satisfaction of that final word is still a thrill. Lxx
I have said this before and I will say it again as a reader it is so interesting to get a behind the scenes look at how books are created, written and put together. You learn so much from reading posts like this one. Thank you for sharing Janice.
I like your process, Janice. Reading it on Kindle to get a sense of it for editing/revision is a good idea. I remember trying to please all my fictitious characters and my real first readers. I wrote eight different endings for The Wind Weeps before I decided on the one that would work best. It's not always easy to find the right ending.
I agree with you Nikki. I love hearing about the processes. I cannot wait to read Voodoo Wedding!!!
Thank you everyone for the lovely comments and for the encouragement!
I find it facinating how other authors approach writing The End of their manuscripts and appreciate that readers have an interest in the process too.
And like Harriet (*waves* to Harriet - good luck with your new novel!) I too find it quite nerve racking in wondering if I've got it right for my readers!
Love, Janice xx
Great comments about a terrific blog post, Janice. I've just finished Book 3 of a trilogy so I feel as though I've come to the end thrice in about six months. Now it's time to begin something new but that's a different story...
I struggle with endings, Janice. If one seems to be hovering I like to grab it before my brain heads off down another side-alley. Anne
Thank you Sandra - I was interested to hear that you just finished a trilogy. My 'Voodoo' novellas are a trilogy too - with the third part (Voodoo Child) scheduled for release on 31st October - exactly a year from the first (How Do You Voodoo?)
Congratulations on completing yours!
Anne - this particular ending came to me (as inspiration often does) just as I was getting off to sleep one night and it's a line of dialogue!
Thanks for your lovely comments.
Janice xx
That's a great achievement, Janice - I love when a first draft is completed!
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