tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post5254361470608112003..comments2024-03-15T13:33:48.878-04:00Comments on The Shellshank Redemption . . . : The End is Near . . . or is it?Madeline Mora-Summontehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-31174545864049825262012-07-23T14:53:50.594-04:002012-07-23T14:53:50.594-04:00Mina - I'm hoping my novel tells me very soon ...Mina - I'm hoping my novel tells me very soon where it wants to go... :)Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-71833216839813946442012-07-23T14:31:40.607-04:002012-07-23T14:31:40.607-04:00I generally know the end of a tale ahead of time, ...I generally know the end of a tale ahead of time, but at least once, in a short story, it changed, catching me completely by surprise. This pivotal moment meant the ending had to be radically different, and I'm happier with the road taken. I reckon our stories tell us where they want to go, eventually. :-)<br /><a href="http://minalobo.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Some Dark Romantic</a>Mina Lobohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10173895884776280826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-65467237787365700142012-07-22T14:09:17.460-04:002012-07-22T14:09:17.460-04:00Milo - my poor head is already bruised from all th...Milo - my poor head is already bruised from all that banging. Maybe I need some bubble wrap... :)Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-82642271987306121482012-07-22T09:19:58.244-04:002012-07-22T09:19:58.244-04:00I don't envy you, Madeline -- because I'm ...I don't envy you, Madeline -- because I'm there most of the time myself. Seldom do I have any idea how my stories or novels are going to end; usually, the endings present themselves naturally, and it's always an adrenelin rush when things work out. When they don't...I resort to banging my head against the wall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-11799120196545073312012-07-21T09:18:15.822-04:002012-07-21T09:18:15.822-04:00Nick - good point about it being a journey of disc...Nick - good point about it being a journey of discovery for everyone involved. :)Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-21808533895938179102012-07-20T18:51:25.247-04:002012-07-20T18:51:25.247-04:00It's good to have a vague end in mind, but you...It's good to have a vague end in mind, but your characters might have other ideas! I know how you feel, though. But look on the bright side - if it's a journey of discovery for you, then it sure will be for your readers!Nick Wilfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03841776353790635132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-51008464719309294352012-07-19T19:17:29.914-04:002012-07-19T19:17:29.914-04:00Well, my reason for being flexible with short stor...Well, my reason for being flexible with short stories is simple: if I'm at a complete loss for an ending and have to abandon the story, I've usually only spent a few days on it instead of the month(s) a novel draft takes. So potentially problematic short stories are a risk I'm much more willing to take!<br /><br />Here's hoping your rope bridge holds...Jillian Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14421351338544997541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-7395919029785979752012-07-19T08:23:05.650-04:002012-07-19T08:23:05.650-04:00Leigh - it's nice to know I'm not as alone...Leigh - it's nice to know I'm not as alone as I often feel... :)<br /><br />Jillian - I'm more flexible with my short stories, too. I wonder why that is? Hmm. And thanks - I think I see a few strands of rope I might be able to weave into...something that looks sort of like a bridge...Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-72634344167748924252012-07-19T01:48:41.118-04:002012-07-19T01:48:41.118-04:00I completely empathize, because I never seem to kn...I completely empathize, because I never seem to know the ending as I'm approaching it and that drives me INSANE. It got so frustrating when I tried to rewrite my NaNoWriMo novel that I'm actually not letting myself start/restart a novel until I have at least some idea of how it should end (or so I tell myself). I'm more flexible with my short stories, but I still feel so much better if my initial inspiration (which is usually a first line or a general concept) at least gestures towards an ending.<br /><br />Best of luck with that cliff!Jillian Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14421351338544997541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-76548989693097013082012-07-18T19:11:47.055-04:002012-07-18T19:11:47.055-04:00I know exactly how you feel. I got to the end of m...I know exactly how you feel. I got to the end of my first draft and was completely stuck! I was so annoyed with myself.<br />So... I started on revisions without worrying about, then... it finally hit me. Now I as I work on the rewrite, I know how much it helps to have the end in mind from the very beginning!Leigh Covingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16377634002477171615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-35175104613238906962012-07-18T15:19:53.796-04:002012-07-18T15:19:53.796-04:00Laura - ah, the writing it down part! One of the m...Laura - ah, the writing it down part! One of the most important pieces of the puzzle. :)Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-12504534937315362282012-07-18T14:13:20.495-04:002012-07-18T14:13:20.495-04:00Every story is different. Sometimes it's a cha...Every story is different. Sometimes it's a character, a situation, a line of dialogue. An idea just pops into my head for a new project and I hurry up to write it down!Laura S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13934230198562773803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-9541853977924034462012-07-18T13:29:45.499-04:002012-07-18T13:29:45.499-04:00Emily - that's an interesting point re what to...Emily - that's an interesting point re what to do when it's a trilogy. I think that's tricky because you want somewhat of a cliffhanger but you also want the first book to be whole in itself.<br /><br />Tara - thanks for the link. I use the term "outline" loosely for what I sketch out. :)<br /><br />Elizabeth - it really is a cause-and-effect scenario. Maybe I need to apply that reasoning to this ms. Hmm...Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-31749306033624533482012-07-18T12:51:02.009-04:002012-07-18T12:51:02.009-04:00I think my stuff works best when I do have both th...I think my stuff works best when I do have both the situation of the story (what is the problem here, what is the conflict, or more vaguely, what is the story about) and the ending. When there's a clear cause-and-effect between those two things, I find writing much easier.<br /><br />I don't always have that. Sometimes I'm figuring it out as I go. I confess that I am, more often than not, unsure about whether my endings make much sense at all.Elizabeth Twisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133959633383307056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-67431598152328039102012-07-18T12:10:50.192-04:002012-07-18T12:10:50.192-04:00funny you should ask! my friend marcy just listed ...funny you should ask! my friend marcy just listed some great questions to ask characters when beginning a novel!<br />(mainewords.blogspot.com)<br /><br />i use an outline. my characters dont always follow it, but thats how i start!Tara Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07587802105993889515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640755272364792151.post-33182532319631868412012-07-18T12:00:08.050-04:002012-07-18T12:00:08.050-04:00Funny you should ask because I've been toiling...Funny you should ask because I've been toiling over the ending of my rewrite. It's all new, and I wasn't sure where I should end this book because it's part of a trilogy. I stayed up late writing what I thought was the final chapter last night, then I realized it was the first chapter of the next book. Sometimes it's hard to know when to end, but I do like to have an idea in mind of where my characters are going.<br /><br />Starting a new story can be hard. Often I need a break to get my old characters out of my head and focus on new ones.Emily R. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03892444969625637064noreply@blogger.com