Okay, Listen Here

Okay, Listen Here

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The End?


What do you think when you see this picture? 

Is this a sign made of plane debris from survivors on the television series LOST?  Have Gilligan and the Skipper, with the help of Mary Ann and the Professor, of course, prepared an arial message to help search planes locate the Minnow?  Or has Elizabeth Swann burned the last bottle of rum, leaving Captain Jack Sparrow on a tiny island with a gun 'with one bullet that isn't meant for you' and no sustenance?


 Whichever story you conceive, you've chosen the version you'd believe, the one you'd like to write or see written.

I'm finishing up a book I really love, my first contemporary romance, a Harlequin Presents.  I'm on the downhill slope.  Yay!  But as much as I want to revel in this, my greatest writing achievement to date, I'm already trying to come up with that next BIG story idea.  You know the one!  It calls when you're not ready and sways you from your purpose, finishing the book you're writing.

The catch is, I'm not having that problem this time.  Oh, I have historical books plotted, but right now I'm waiting patiently for news on a nibble.  And while I wait, if this contemporary writing gig goes well, I'll have my jets raring to go on another project.

Beginnings are wonderful, aren't they?  You're free to choose from among character names, settings, time eras, genres, etc..., until everything falls into place.  Plots evolve/thicken, characters protest and flesh each other out until they inhabit the very pages created, the ones readers love.  In a perfect world, or book, the writing flows, revisions go well and editing is minor.  And so when the writer types The End, that same writer hopes he/she will get The Call in good time.

Aha!  Here's where I see the question mark in this photo.  Is typing The End really the end?

Life is full of twists and turns.  No one can predict a storm or challenge on the path.  A deer can leap out across the road at any time, derailing your progress.  Be it rejections, lengthy submission waits, doubts, revisions, edits, galleys, copy-edits, bad health... the list goes on, depending upon your rung on the ladder.

After the tornados that hit our area last week, I've come face to face with one realization.  Beginnings and endings are just that, stepping stones to the next beginning and ending.  How we step out in faith defines our path.

When have you faced The End but found it wasn't really the end?  And what new beginnings are you looking forward to in the next few months?








11 comments:

  1. I love new beginnings! Each and every day presents one, you know. But I always have endings in view so I know where I'm going.

    Right now I'm moving toward the end of my book and can't seem to get there fast enough for the other stories that sit patiently inside my head, waiting their turn for the big type-out. And how can I ever start the new projects (that drive me crazy inside my head) if I never clear my desk of the one I'm currently on? I don't want to just write one book, I have a whole bookcase of them to get out! Beginnings have endings that make way for new beginnings. Always. And it's fun!

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    1. Lesia, what you're saying is so true! I love it when you can see that light at the end of the tunnel but it's so frustrating when you can't get there fast enough.

      It just do happens I was visited by two characters this morning! Can't wait to learn their secrets!!

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  2. I don't like endings - kind of a nostalgic person at heart. But, as you and Leisha said, that just means a new beginning. I like the idea of possibilities so there is definitely something to be said for looking forward. Such a ying/yang thing.

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    1. It's hard to let go, isn't it, Cheryl? But think of it as moving on to another great adventure!

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  3. We have found that the end usually means just taking a break before we mess with it some more. :-)

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    1. Isn't that the truth. There are revisions, edits, and for the published writer, copy edits, and so forth.

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  4. It's never over. Sometimes when I read a book, I hate to see the send coming. Those are the books I want to write.

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    1. I know! Books like Lynn Raye Harris' Strangers in the Desert make you want to keep reading and never stop!

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  5. I agree with Stephanie and Jean. It's never over. I typed The End to my romantic suspense over a year ago and just yesterday, I found myself working on yet another revision. lol.
    Great post, Kathy. Love the way you look at things!

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    1. Pat, ou say the sweetest things. Thanks for stopping by! ;)

      Revising again? We're quirky like that aren't we? Is this for a request? I hope so!

      I write and revise and write and revise as I go along. Doesn't allow for a fast draft, but I have a much more finished book when I hit The End. Then again, it's never the end. LOL!

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    2. Oh, and I know the difference between ou and you. Just sayin...

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