Writing in Public, Too: Day 22 – Novel Complete

Victory!
And – oh my god, endings are hard!

Finished the novel today. Another 3500 words done, and some of them were tough as nails to get out. I ran into the same issue at the end of Starship 5, too. Wrapping things up – drawing everything to a conclusion that feels satisfying – just feels like its the hardest part of the book for me, right now.

I kept walking away from the keyboard, drifting off to check email again, checking this or that writing forum. Just about anything to avoid getting those words down.

OK, today. Well, I was up late last night, so I didn\’t wake up until 11am. I\’d taken NyQuil again to get some rest, and the stuff really does knock me out. This time, the kids apparently left me alone, so I got some sleep. Feeling much better today, incidentally, which is good since I\’m due back in work in (checks watch) about seven hours. (sigh)

Anyway, read my email on the iPad in bed for an hour or so, then up to get some lunch for folks, myself included. Then I got a writing session in, then some web surfing. Seems there is a bunch of stuff going around with people claiming some writers are paying for fake reviews on Amazon again, and the writers are pretty upset that folks are saying these things. Knowing some of the writers in question, I suspect the whole thing is made up, to stir up trouble. Wait, something not true on the internet? Nahhh, never happen. 😉

I don\’t think paying for good reviews is a good or ethical thing at all. But I also know that it happens; it\’s the nature of the beast. Corporations are the worst offenders, near as I\’ve been able to tell, not individuals. The down side of a democratic system of reviews is that people can post fake ones. I think that in general, the upsides are worth it, though.

Anyway, Hugh Howey posted a great \”Declaration of Integrity\” about this subject. He\’s a good guy, and his heart is certainly in the right place. I feel bad that he was made to feel like he HAD to post such a thing, though. Internet bullies suck.

Anyway, didn\’t get much else done this afternoon, writing wise. Read some. Rested some more. Susan made dinner, and after dinner I went back to work, picking my way slowly through those last two chapters. Painfully slow. I\’d write for a bit, break, write a little more, break. Just was not a flowing words sort of night. I think it was the whole \”ending the book\” thing, really.

Took an hour break around 9pm for an episode of a show with Susan. Then back to work again, finishing the last chapter. This time, I just kept at it, and write the final words at about 11:30pm.

I like this ending. I think it works. \”Ashes Ascendant\” is shorter than \”By Darkness Revealed\”, and I think it may swell a little bit over the editing process. I may have cut things too short in a few spots. We\’ll see. The story is pretty tight as is, though. I\’m not willing to fluff the story out just to make it longer, but I\’m certainly willing to build it out in places if it needs more.

So, tomorrow I need to begin working on something else! I\’ll be working to finish the Starship 5 edits, of course. But also need new words. I have a couple of projects in the fire right now, so I\’ll ask folks who\’re reading this – if you have a preference, reply in the comments which you\’d like to see next:

– Dead in Winter (the next Ryan Blackwell novel)

– Starship 6

– New dark fantasy thing I\’ve started, got the first scenes for; female protagonist without magic, in the Blackwell universe, who runs into some nasty critters.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Totals for Day 22

Daily Fiction Wordcount: 3500 words    Month to date fiction: 32400 words

Daily Blog Post Wordcount: 675 words    Month to date blog posts: 12959 words