Seeing the Bigger Picture

I’m avoiding yet another depressing scene, so I’m penning yet another blog entry. I’m almost finished with the story. Last time, I talked about not knowing where the story ended. Guess what? I still don’t know where the story ends!

I’m a plotter. Sort of. I know Point C as I’m writing out Point A. I may not have Point Z figured out, but I at least have the next few steps. There have been other books where I knew Point A and Z, but the in-between stages were fuzzy. I figured those out as I wrote. That also means that I write by the seat of my pants, known in the NaNo world as a pantser. When people ask what type of writer I am, I tell them both. I plot out the story arc and figure out the details as I write them. More of a planner, but there are pantsing elements.

Planning makes the story go easier. You know as you start the chapter where it should end. You know where the character will be. There are few surprises. And, the more you plan, the more hints you can place along the way for the reader.

What is so frustrating about this story is that I don’t know where it ends. I’m a big picture gal, and not knowing the ending is driving me crazy. CRAZY!

I’m not giving up, though. I’m going to keep writing this story until I reach what I know takes place. Then, like it always does, the murky stuff that I didn’t see before will pull itself out of the writing sludge. “Here I am! Your beautiful ending!”

I’ve done this before, you see, but not with endings. I like to know my endings before I start the book. But this story is different, so I have to accommodate.

I guess I’d better get back to writing. Maybe I’ll know more about the ending after I finish this depressing scene. I will be rewarding myself with ice cream when I’m done. Yes, it’s one of those chapters. The reader just might need tissues.

Keep writing, even when you don’t want to. That’s what will one day make you a great writer.

If you’ll excuse me, I need to take my own advice.