One of the things I find happening to me as I work on a book is that the closer I get to the end of the story, the slower I write.
Is it because I have to be deliberate in how all the pieces come together and are resolved? Is it because that initial rush of creative adrenalin has run out? Or is it just story fatigue? Maybe a combination of all of these and more.
Today is a Goddess Free-for-All on the blog, so I'd love to see what the other Goddesses think, how the speed or intensity of their writing changes (or doesn't) as they work on a book, and how they keep their momentum up.
And readers, please weigh in with your own thoughts. How to you manage whatever big projects you take on, whether you're a writer as well, or are renovating your house, or working on the Big New Initiative at work.
Ready. Set. Comment!
5 comments:
It seems the closer to the end I get, the faster and more furious I write. I'm just the opposite than you Elissa. The rush toward the climax (you can take the pun or not) is pumping adrenlin into me. The realization that "I'm almost done!" drives me to keep going to 'find out the ending' cause by now there have been so many twists and turns away from the original outline that I don't know who is going to win. I guess that's the fun of it.
For me, the ending was like sex, strangely unsatisfying - I'm hoping the afterplay (2nd, 3rd draft etc) will be more satisfying. I'm a new novelist, still wondering how those words got on the screen, and how the hell I can fix the mess I made.
Oops, I should have said how sex can be, not all the time!
I used to feel sad when a book I finished a book and had to say good-bye to the characters I had come to know so well. I don't feel like that now. I'm just plain glad the book is finished ... except for revisions! I always like my characters even the evil ones. Do you think writers are all a bit crazy to feel sad about saying good-bye to about fictional characters? Yes. We are all a bit off the wall or we wouldn't be writers.
The book starts slooooow. Around chapter two or three it starts to pick up and rolls along at quite a good clip. Then near the end, it slows to a crawl as I try to find that perfect ending. That last chapter or two is endless. And then Yay! I'm finally finished. I revise so much as I go along that I only do a quick pass before sending it off to my editor. Whew! Time to begin another.
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