I’ve read many books where the story itself took forever to get to the peak and very little time closing things out. The ending was rushed and it would leave me with the desire to know more. Some of the rush was to get to the next book. Some of the rush was possibly due to poor editing and some was possibly impacted by a perception of page count.
As I outlined the first book in A Curious Morrow, I realized that I was possibly engaging in some of the same practices and didn’t have a sense of balance in the flow after the reveal and falling action. I am making some notes now to help balance the books so they do not suffer the fate that drives me crazy. I am hopeful that the words will make their way through as the chapters and pages are written.
In the past, I worried so much about the annoyance that I would stop writing and convinced myself that I wouldn’t be able to figure it out. Eventually, I stopped writing so long, the story would be lost. I kept most of the pages, but they just sit in a folder, some physical, some digital. The good thing is I can always go back to them an pull the characters out of whatever situation in which they were left. The bad thing is that they are still stuck.
As the cursor blinks and I stare at the next sentence, I am wondering how to get past the first chapter. I am wondering if the next person who reads the chapter will be as invested in the characters as I am. I am wondering if the characters will go willingly to chapter two or if I’ll have to provide them with a little incentive. OK, that last part is probably not a big worry. They don’t know where they are going and it may change a half dozen times, so we’ll see where the next leap takes us all.