The End Game

(Reposted from 06/12/08)

So, JLY and I have reached that tricky part of writing where not only are we more done than not-done, but done is actually in sight. I don't know about JLY, but it's always this point in writing where it gets tempting for me to look back at the beginning, and start questioning whether or not I should be re-writing some of the earlier parts instead of finishing up.

For me, my writing style is always changing-- mostly in small stylistic ways, but over the course of a year, those little changes add up. And, looking back, JLY and I have been writing SFA for just about a year now.

Every now and then, when JLY and I can't remember things about our own characters, we somewhat sheepishly go to the website to check the facts. It was while checking some facts about Rai Ravin that I ended up re-reading some of the early chapters of SFA. It was a strange experience. I don't remember writing most of it, and I'll admit that I'm actually looking forward to tightening up the plot when we make it to the rewrites.

But! I'm holding myself and JLY to the policy of finishing this story all the way through before we look back at anything. One of the benefits of posting the story online is that it forces us to forge ahead, whether or not we're feeling reluctant. And, since I can't count the number of stories that I've never finished because I got stuck fixing the beginning or the middle, I think it's a good idea to get it all finished before we start second-guessing ourselves.

If I had to estimate, I'd say that we're about 80% through SFA. That other 20% is starting to feel pretty far away right now, particularly since we're beginning to tie up all of the different subplots... and we're at the point where it either comes together in a way that makes sense, or tangles up into an impossible knot that takes weeks of rewriting to sort out.

Well, in high school, JLY was fond of saying with hope and much luck, and I think that sentiment applies well right now: with hope and much luck, we'll be able to pull together the right kind of ending for SFA.

<3

KL