In Today’s Journal
* First, a Disclaimer
* Writing Past the End
First, a Disclaimer
In the article below, I’m not talking about a novel having a “sagging middle” or “painting yourself into a corner” or any of the other usual problems that plague those who “plot” or “erect sign posts” or otherwise plan in advance and construct a novel from that plan. I’m not even talking about “bogging down” as something to be expected, as it pertains to writing a novel from an outline.
When a novel bogs down for those writers it does so for only one reason: because they’re intentionally thinking their way through it. And “plotted” or outlined stories DO bog down often enough that articles about the topic are rampant across the internet. There are also entire sections of bookstores filled with nonfiction books devoted to the “sagging middle” or a novel “going flat,” etc.
None of that is what I’m talking about below.
Those who follow an outline are not writing the characters’ story. They’re writing their own construction of what they imagine the characters’ story should be.
Hence they control the events, the characters, their physical and emotional reactions to those events, their dialogue, etc.
If you’re one of those folks, I can’t help you, other than to shake my head and recommend (again) you give writing into the dark a real, honest try.
WITD really is the only way to write the characters’ authentic story, the one the characters are actually living. [Here I put up one hand to ward off any arguments.]
I’m not trying to persuade you. Your writing is your writing, so by all means, do it how you prefer to do it.
But if you write into the dark, or if you want to, the following is for you.
Writing Past the End
Those of you who’ve been around TNDJ will know that I’ve written past the end of short stories, scenes, chapters, and even novels before. Thankfully, I’ve done that only a few times. So few times in fact that it’s difficult for me to remember the warning signs until I’ve already committed the offense.
Especially if you write into the dark (no outline, etc.) this can be a problem.
As I’ve said many times before, if you trust the characters and just write the story they’re living as you run through it with them, they will lead you to the end.
I stand by that.
But for one or more reasons, even as you flash past it, that end isn’t always clear or easy to see.
Why? Because you’re down in the story with the characters, racing through it and recording it for posterity even as you’re enjoying that exciting “Wow! What’s gonna happen next?” sensation.
You might also write past the end if
- you had a set number of words in mind when you started the story or you’re writing in a series in which most of the novels are approximately the same length;
- or maybe subconsciously you just really like the characters and their world and you want to enjoy their company a little longer;
- or maybe you’ve written the final ‘big’ climactic scene and instead of following the characters into the resolution you’re ‘thinking ahead’ (that’s your conscious critical mind slipping in under your radar) and looking for the next conflict.
That last one is what happened to me in my current novel. Yep, even after all these years, the critical mind still slips in now and then. (Again, this happens so seldom I never see it coming.)
But no matter why you write past the ending of a story, scene, chapter, or novel, the first indication that you’ve done so is always the same: The story bogs down.
But that sudden slowdown is also easily remedied IF you remember why it slowed down: Because you’ve written past the end.
So—If You Write Into The Dark—and the novel bogs down or goes flat all at once, chances are good you’ve written past the end. Again, it might only be the end of a scene or chapter, or it might be the end of the novel.
But the solution is always the same:
If you read back to the previous scene or chapter, the ending will jump out at you, and you will immediately recognize that you wandered off on your own track.
Ever since I started this novel (it’s hard to believe this is already Blackwell Ops 55) the writing’s been going great. The story’s virtually writing itself. I’ve written well over 2000 words per day every writing day. I’ve had several 3000 word days, and a few days between 4000 and 6000 words.
So it’s gone like that. That smoothly.
Yesterday when I opened the Hovel, sat down, and put my fingers on the keys, the same thing happened at first. My fingers were flying over the keys.
In the first hour, I wrote a whole chapter of around 1300 words as a lead up to the POV character’s ‘next’ assignment, then took a break. I specifically remember thinking vaguely that the novel would probably wrap soon after that.
But when I came back and sat down to write the scene that would come after that—Nothing.
I couldn’t even follow my own advice to ‘just write the next sentence’. The characters were silent. There was no next sentence.
The story hadn’t only bogged down, it had come to a sudden halt. And I mean ‘sudden’. There weren’t even any screeching tires or skid marks.
Not being used to that sensation, at first I went over and over what I’d written in the previous session. I moved this over here and that over there.
After a couple of hours of engaging in that nonsense, in frustration I took a breather. But I still didn’t get it.
Finally I came back, determined to Just Read over what I’d written. I thought the characters must have hinted at what would come next.
But they hadn’t.
After I spent a few minutes griping and wondering what (the hell) was going on, it hit me: Maybe I wrote past the end.
So I went back and read the chapter I wrote before that last session, and there it was, plain as sunlight when you walk out of an afternoon matinee:
That was the big climax. It was done. I only needed to read over it again, then follow the characters into the wrap-up—the resolution or denouement—and the novel would be finished.
When I finally realized what had happened I literally laughed, then sat back and called myself a few demeaning terms. Then I went back and deleted those 1300-some words.
Now, if you’re new enough to writing fiction that you’re wondering whether deleting ‘all those words’ hurt, no, it didn’t. Words to a working writer are like nails to a carpenter. If you find a bent one (or in this case, a whole box full of bent ones), you toss them out and get a new box.
Then I came here to write this for you and took the rest of the day off.
*
Okay, I’m back to wrap this up and then finish the novel. After I post this, I’ll follow the characters through the resolution. The novel will wrap with something around 46,000 words.
Talk with you again on Monday at the latest.
Oh, if you’re interested in learning about writing into the dark, writing various kinds of scenes, and a whole ton of other stuff, I still have available the TNDJ archives in free, fully searchable PDF. If you want them, email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com.