Almost There
I only have to write two more chapters, and I’ll have the first draft of FACING THE MUSIC done. This WIP has been a love/hate relationship from the start. Every book is different. When I first started writing, I thought there’d come a day when I’d master everything I needed to create great characters, tell a story that kept readers turning pages, and get everything right from the first page to the last. Not so much. Some books leap from my mind like Venus rose from the sea, fully formed, almost writing themselves. Some books start great and my fingers can’t type words fast enough, then they hit the middle muddle and I slog through, trying to keep some momentum until finally I hit the last fourth of the book and it’s a race to the finish line. Then there are books that fight me every inch of the way.
FACING THE MUSIC, so far, has made my writing life more difficult than any book I’ve ever worked on. But the truth is, it’s surprised me with neat ideas over and over again. I love writing it. I hate fighting with it. But I love the way it’s turned out. First off, I usually get an idea for a story, jot down notes as they pop in my head, and then I write a chapter or two to see the setting and hear the characters. After that, I stop writing to outline. I like to have 35 to 40 plot points AND a character wheel for any major players before I write another word. But FACING THE MUSIC wouldn’t cooperate. It would only throw out two or three chapter ideas at a time. So, I’d write those chapters and pray there’d be some kind of inspiration for more. Time after time, I’d write a chunk of the book and then worry I’d be stuck and never finish the thing. But every single time, when I thought I was going in one direction, a spark of a new one would show up. And I’d scribble down the next four or five chapter ideas to work on. Over and over again, I’d hit a wall, but the next day, an AHA! moment arrived. The entire book came to me in sections and made me a little crazy. But every time I panicked, the story showed me how to proceed.
I don’t like surprises. I like having plot points and to feel secure that I have enough to flesh out an entire novel. I don’t like pantsing. But I really like the end result, so I’m glad I stuck with it. But I sure hope this never happens again.
