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I finished the first draft of my latest novel. On the surface, that should be a "yay." But it's the least satisfying finish I've ever had.
It is April 15, 2024 and this is my fit to print news.
Normally, when I finish writing a book I feel great. Excited to start the scrubbing and scraping part to get to the finished product. Of course, no book (or movie, or tv show, or play, or symphony...) is ever finished. It's just released. Nevertheless, I'm usually jazzed to get cleaning and see how the whole thing falls together.
In this case, the ending came very suddenly. I intended to revisit the main character to let the reader know once and for all how she fared. But, she's part of a larger whole, and the natural end to the larger whole was more powerful, I thought, than zeroing in on her. Maybe you can tell me if I was right someday. I hope so. But, until then, I'm left to ruminate.
The great thing about writing a novel is that I can change it if I want. I'm sure I'll be straightening crooked lines, cleaning dirty scenes and fleshing bony characters, but do I want to change the ending? That's the question.
There's a school of thought that "writing is re-writing." There's also a school of thought that "if it's good enough to write it's good enough to leave alone." (I made the last one up. But, I have heard some writers say they never re-write. Hard to believe). I'm not sure I believe either one completely. In fact, I could write that second one better...
If writing is re-writing then reading is re-reading and seeing is re-seeing and hearing re-hearing...the point is, we read with a certain tone of mind. What I may have intended as an emphasis may fly right by you as a triviality. So, re-reading is critical to the sound of the story.
Reading from start to finish is always a multi-day task. At least for me. In my case, it should be done slowly. It's most often the chance to flesh out thin passages, passages I didn't know were thin because I was watching my inner movie. I'm sure you writers out there have your own processes and I'd be interested to hear what they are. If there are any writers out there, ignore the dangling conjunction.
I don't want to give the wrong impression. Finishing anything is a major whoo-hoo. So, to say it was the least satisfying finish is true, on a sliding scale. Hey, I finished. That's something.
To finish the finishing. That's the quest. I'll start fresh tomorrow and bring this baby home, eventually, when it tells me where it wants to live. Ah, first drafts.
The trouble with blogs is they are single perspective. I've been yammering about me and what's important today and I haven't heard from you. Please, start a blog so I can know how you're doing.
Update on stuff and things; I have a script or two in front of producers (different script or two since the last update). The last couple were passes, but hey, I'm in the game. I had three call backs for independent film and television. They were passes too. But, hey, I'm in the game. I have another stage audition inevitably close. Hey, I'm in the game.
Be in the game. Be blessed and Have Fun!