Heading For Home

I suppose at some point this novel needs to end, though I've had so much fun writing it that I don't want to let it go. I don't think I've ever before said that I had fun writing a book. Do people really write purely for fun?  I write because that's what I do. I do enjoy the process of a story coming together, but I would consider that more "satisfying" than fun. Writing, for me, is often frustrating. Not only am I reminded of the limitations of my talent, but also as a non-planner I tend to create scenarios I'll need to write my way out of. While that is a challenge, and I like challenges, conquering them isn't exactly fun.

Additionally, in my previous books I had one obstacle, occasionally two, that comprised the plot. Those stories became novellas, because there just wasn't enough meat there for a novel. 

This one is different. I had tons of places to take this story. In fact, I could come up with more, but it can't realistically go on forever. So I'm writing the final scene.

Final scenes are scary! If an author blows the last scene, the entire book is wasted. Plus, I don't want to tie things up in a nice, neat bow, despite the temptation to do so. I count six major characters (plus a bunch of minor ones) in this novel, and they all have to be brought together somehow. That's going to be tricky, because four of them live hundreds of miles away. The final scene can't be implausible! Do they all have to be there? Maybe not, but that's like throwing a party and not inviting one of your children. I know these characters really well by now; I'm attached to them. They all have to come to the party!

Before I mislead anyone, once I sweat out that final scene, the novel will be far from done. As you know if you've been following along, Second Chance began as a novella, from which I've only salvaged the first half. The story began well, but it petered out because I had no place to take it. But of that saved half, I'll need to completely rewrite it. It's not a horrible proposition, since the bones of it will remain, but it's still going to be daunting. What's happened to me since I wrote that novella is that I've revamped my writing style. Where once I made the mistake of skimping too much on the narrative, I've since resolved to "write fully". That may sound easy, but I had to retrain myself to do it. 

With that disclaimer, let's talk about the final scene. My idea for it sparked out of nowhere. Really. I was stuck in a situation in which not only could the main character not see a future, but she'd also unintentionally sabotaged the futures of her bandmates, and that's what weighed on her the most. Living in a small town, there weren't many (or any) ways out of her predicament. 

Once again she had a phone conversation ~ in a previous post I talk about MC's penchant for constant phone calls ~ this time with her mentor. I began the scene with absolutely nothing in mind that would advance the story; it was more of a time killer until I could come up with something. Her mentor told her she'd been asked to do a showcase for her new album, but she wasn't keen on it. Those events were always populated by industry types, the kind of people she despised. She wanted the main character and her cousin to attend, especially since they'd penned five tracks on the album. MC, with no money to travel, politely declined, lying that her band was booked that night. Except there'd been no mention of a specific date. Her mentor caught her in her fib, but didn't push it. Then the mentor lamented that she'd rather just put on a performance for her fans. 

That became the spark.

That turned into a (hopefully satisfying) way to bring most of the major players together. My challenge will be to really flesh out that last scene, and it has to be the last ~ there's no place left to go with the story. I'm going to need to ramp up my imagination, since right now I'm not clearly picturing the setting and it'll require a lot of detail. And heaven forbid, I don't want to rush through it. Everything will need to be right, and "everything" comprises a lot ~ mood, setting, sounds, surprises,

So, really, my challenge has only begun. I'll have to tame my impatience, which rears its ugly head every time I manage to have a pre-planned scene. I find myself wanting to get to the juicy parts, so I shortchange the details.

I'll need to slow my mind down.

I need to get this novel right.