The End...Two Simple Words That When Put Together Are Huge

 Last week I typed "the words." Those two simple words that when put together, are huge. 

And two words that don't necessarily mean what you think they mean.

This makes three novels under my belt. The first one will most likely never see the light of day, the second was published, and this is number three. Each ending was different, and by that I mean, my reaction to each ending was different.

Novel #1

Years ago two filmmakers and I worked on a screenplay project. We finished the project and I asked if I could write the novel to the story we created. Since they were filmmakers, they didn't care so I wrote it. If the screenplay ever becomes a film, I promise to dust off the story, or even re-write the whole thing. I'll keep you posted, but as of now, I don't believe it's going to get made. Too bad...I liked those characters. The novel, however, was a mess. Thin structure and massive P.O.V. issues. I can't remember the feeling I had when it was finished. Maybe I never typed "The End." Maybe it's not even finished.

Novel #2

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you are probably sick of hearing about novel #2, Chaser. I wrote it to see if I could complete the NaNoWriMo writing competition that takes place each November. 50k words in one month. Turns out, I could complete the challenge. The book was accepted and published by Immortal Works on January 16th, 2018. I remember finished the first draft of that book. It had problems, yes, but knowing I had completed NaNoWriMo was a great feeling.

Novel #3

Of the three, this one took the longest to write. I began it in 2013 and because of several severe cases of writer's block it took years to finish. I wonder if closing a manuscript and not opening it for almost a decade counts as writer's block. I could not for the life of me figure out the ending, or how I would get to the ending. Once I figured that out, the end came rather quickly and I finished the last 20k words in a few weeks. Because of my previous experience with short stories and novels, I know there's so much more to do. 

I don't have a publisher in mind--it's a unique story. It will most likely be self-published, and I'm okay with that. Another reason I'm excited for this one is it's the first of a trilogy. Now, I just need to begin thinking about structuring the second story, which has its own challenges.

"The End" never really means the end. Just as the characters in a story continue even though we don't know the continuation, the story continues. The script evolves, hopefully it improves, the point-of-view tightens and the story packs more of a punch. Writing "The End" ushers in an exciting time...a tough time, but an exciting one, none the less.