Ending With A Bang

I’ve thought more and more about the ending of my books. Some are a stepping stone to other stories and some end nicely or so I thought. But here recently, I’ve found myself more and more disappointed with how some stories I have purchased are ending. To be great, a novel needs a great ending and it all makes me a little more critical of my own work.

On Christmas, I received one of the best gifts an author can get when I got $100 Borders card. Now, I could have gone a thousand ways with this but was extremely happy when I decided to get a few books for pleasure reading only. I already had some discounts and freebies coming to me and was glad when I only spent a third of my card. That means I can go back to pick up more when I don’t have the men with me pushing me to hurry.

The other place I’ve been buying a lot of books has been Wal-Mart. And while some of you might not like that scenario because they deeply discount their books, it is a mecca for someone looking at category books. You can pick up almost every historical and Harlequin category romance there the very day it comes out.

So, I’ve been a reading a lot of books this vacation and as of this writing, I have read almost five novels. I have interwoven these readings with my own writing in other genres as well as doing some critiquing. Pretty amazing considering I have two men who are trying to take up 100% of my time. LOL!

So far, I haven’t been impressed with the endings to most of these novels.

Now, I’m not talking about having a happily ever after (HEA) or even a happily for now (HFN) either. Of course in some of the books I’ve read that is a requirement. No, two of these books just ended but implied a HEA and one of the others had an ending I didn’t even understand in the least as it didn't even seem to belong to the book I had in my hands.

In one book, the hero and heroine had separated because the woman had previously been married to a schmuck who told her that she ruined his life over and over. Never mind that he was the one who had asked her to marry him, had a baby with her then refused to touch her after that baby was born. I can understand just how a man can undermine a woman’s self-confidence immensely but not quite to that extent. I guess I have a better survival instinct than this woman. And while she wasn't a too-stupid-to-live heroine, she didn't seem to represent the norm either.

Now, what I thought was dumb was the fact that the hero got mad and ran just because the heroine told him to go. As if that would happen. But the truly amazing part is that he drove from a small town in the east to another small town in Arizona and back in less than two days. The round trip would have taken about forty-eight hours of straight driving to get it done. The way there he had a passenger who could help out but coming home, he was alone. Not a good idea in my book as he had zero rest between drives. Then the man doesn’t even kiss the heroine or anything because all she did was open the door and let him into her house and supposedly her heart. I understand, the ending was symbolic but have the guy kiss the woman at least then it would have been a little more satisfying.

It took me all of two minutes to get my frustrations out when it dawned on me that this book was safe. I’m sure you wonder what I mean by safe. This book didn’t push any of the limits of human endurance, thought process or of a sexual nature. Although there was sex, it was very safe as was the whole book. It probably gave others a warm fuzzy and once I had that in my mind, I could do the ‘ah’ thing and try to make myself not gag.

To me, endings need to be big, that satisfying moment when everything comes together and make sense. If the hero and heroine were destined to be together, we need to glimpse into their forever after even if it is only a sentence that references there will be one. And so far, in all the books I've read, there has only been just one of those moments where I slowly put the book down and grinned from ear to ear, wanting to pick up another book from that particular author.

Again, I’m sure you’re wondering just what the heck I’m doing. One of the things I have put on my goal list for next year is to get published by a NYC publisher. Since the pool is limited, I knew I would have to study these books and study them I have. I’ve picked a few lines of Harlequin which I thought I might submit to as well as some other publishers like Sourcebooks and Dorchester as well as TOR and Bantam in the coming year. Also high on that list is getting an agent as well. I figure if I can accomplish all those things next year, it will be a great year.

But as this year draws to a close, I realize that this year too is ending with a bang. Last year, I was the head of an organization which ate almost all of my time, leaving me little to write. Still, I managed to finish four books, get another group sold and move generally forward in my already decent writing career. I had accomplished as much as I could. My hope is to do even more next year.

Now for the announcement you’ve all been waiting for...the winner of this year’s Christmas giveaway is... Ashley A.! Ashley, email me at lynncrain@cox.net and we’ll discuss the particulars! Congratulations!

Here’s wishing you and yours the most fabulous New Year ever! See you then!

Lynn

Obsession

I have an obsession. I am obsessed with watching my word count while typing. No matter how hard I try, I can't break myself of the habit. Sometimes it's a good thing, other times it will drive me batty (probably not a far trip for me).

A friend gave me the link for a fabulous Excel spreadsheet created by Kresley Cole and her hubby that allows you to enter your author information, the title of your book, the word count needed, and the date you start and date you need to finish by. You also have the opportunity to add little motivational sayings for when you do and don't reach your daily word count. This keeps track of how much you have written that day as well as how much more you need to write in order to keep up with your daily goals.

I am now using this on every book, novella, and short story that I write. It's a great way to keep myself on track, and also make me want to tear out my hair when I don't meet a daily number.

Right now I am in the clutches of an upcoming vacation and deadline hell. I have a novella I want finished no later than tomorrow (Sept 14) as well as ten pages of a novella I am co-authoring with Stephani Hecht for eXtasy Books, as well as get us ready for vacation, the critters ready for critter care and all the other little things that plop themselves in the midst along the way.

Yesterday I barracaded myself in the house and vowed to write. And I did. I managed 3900+ words, along with laundry, loading music on my mp3 player for the trip, email,and vacuuming. I was very pleased with my progress, but as always wished I could have done more. Of course by 6:30 last night I was totally brain dead and looking for chocolate (of which I had none). So I settled on a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chopped nuts as the topping.

Today I am off in a couple hours to celebrate the book signing of a friend. It's her first big release and she is over the moon thrilled. So I know my writing time is limited. But I will be back at it tonight. Tomorrow will bring more of the same.

But no matter what I do, I constantly am checking my word coount. I try to write an entire scene before looking at how much I've written and then adding it to the chart. This morning was no exception. I was staring at it to determine where I wanted to be by the end of tonight.

Now those of you who know me, know that I am not a night owl. Far from it, if truth be told. I am normally in bed by 8 with a book or the tv remote. That's just me. I've never been one for staying up late unless I absolutely have to. But if I am writing and on a roll, then midnight can come and go and I'll keep on going. So tonight may be one of those nights.

Well, better close and get ready to roll. Don't think anyone wants to see me show up in my jammies (G), though it would be quite comfortable. Oh yeah and gotta find my Borders coupons too, just to be safe of course.
Till next time.