July 24, 2025
I was rolling along on a new scene when I remembered I was making a Zoom presentation in the morning, and I needed to get my notes in order.
So I put my notes in order. Made the presentation. Had a good time.
And now it’s back to the novel.
July 25
I had a hard time building a rhythm last night.
Lots of false starts, lots of second-guessing.
But once my protagonist started talking the whole scene took off. So maybe I don’t need so much description of the action when i have a character that can tell me what it feels like.
July 28
The weekend was spent getting to the end of a chapter, which includes a small action scene and a major reveal.
I thought I could get to the reveal right away, but it required two days of work to set it up properly.
The major stuff can’t be rushed. I not only did the setup, I added elements to the narrative that increased the impact of the reveal and that set up consequences that will come later in the story.
“It is all one.” Each element should support and explicate every other element. If it doesn’t do that, you can safely eliminate it.
Two scenes left to go, plus a bridging scene that I hope will be short. But I never know about these things: the bridging scene could turn into a novella for all I know.
August 1
The last three days have been spent on a brief-ish bridging scene that ended up requiring more words than I expected. It just dealt with too much to be as short as I intended.
First there was a kind of denouement to the previous big scene with its big reveal. The characters had to try to make sense out of what happened to them, and how it fit into the larger scheme of the novel. They have to manage an investigation into what just happened. They have to analyze their own part in what happened.
Knowing what they now know, they have to plan for the future. They have to call on other people for assistance. And they have some personal stuff to deal with before we get to the next scene, which has what might be the biggest reveal in a book full of big reveals.
It all adds up, but it’s all good. The complexity and mixture of action makes the scene live in ways that a straightforward scene might not. By this part of the book, nothing’s straightforward any longer, and the shortest path to the finish is the most convoluted.
Some of us have been waiting for this for a very long time – if/ when I can be helpful in publicizing, let me know!
I’m echoing Henry’s comment, above – I, too, have been waiting for this book for what feels like forever.
If there’s anything that a fan like myself can do to help, let me know!
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