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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Which Way Do You Want To Go

Remember that scene from Labyrinth when Sarah is suspended in the shaft of the oubliette by all those Helping Hands and they ask her to choose up or down?

I'm kinda there.

With Star of Justice, the second half of the book was easy. I'd been writing toward it for two months. My favorite scene was clear in my mind's eye, and after that happened, "what happened next" was obvious.

Elementals was harder, but, again, the ending was clear. For that story, I just had to figure out how to get everybody at that crucial end point. Yes, I nearly went bald working that out, but I did it.

I don't have a favorite scene in Price of Justice. Not one I'm writing toward anyway. This time around, I find out I like a scene after I write it. That's nice for me, but no good when it comes to deciding "what happens next."

I'm at that point when the roller coaster officially starts to climb. I have to have some great climax, but I can't see what it is, mostly because I can't see a happy ending. I hate that.

This is why I haven't been writing. I don't know what happens next. I'm not sure how to get that vision. I guess I just write on and hope I like what comes out.

I'm starting to think I'm the one paying the price of justice, not my characters. Yes, Elder Brother, that's whining. I'm not sorry, either. :P

1 comment:

  1. That's when you figure out a way to blow everything up. I had a story once that was ending with a whimper. The infestation was beaten. The bad guys had fled. It was just ... ending. So I had one of my psychopathic villains plant a bomb just as the heroes had to go back to the fallen city to try to gather a last scrap of vital information. Nothing like the heroes running for their lives as the timer counts down!

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