Been working on the last Storm book for the past few weeks. I’m just about heading into the black moment, which means resolution and then ending! Wooo hoooo!
It occurs to me that after nearly thirty books written I can finally predict how my writing flow is going to go.
It’s like a train. It starts out slow in Chapter 1 as I build the plot and introduce the characters. Then it begins to pick up speed through Chapters 2 through about 6, really gaining momentum. Since I write erotic romance, a lot of that fast moving buildup leads to a love scene. From the first love scene comes more plot points and how the sex has changed the relationship between the characters. The train is really moving along now, and into perhaps a second love scene.
Then it starts to climb uphill. The dreaded “middle” of the book. The train begins to slow down. Each chapter going slower, and then s l o w e r, and then even s l o w e r.
We’ve hit the middle of the book. The part where I usually start to loathe the characters, hate the plot and wonder why in the hell I wanted to write this stupid book in the first place.
But I plod on, forcing the characters to talk to me, forcing the plot to work as I designed it to work. This is THE hardest part of the book for me.
And then something miraculous happens.
The train begins to speed up again, because its crested the precipice and is heading downhill.
This is where things start going really fast. Plot points come together, the characters are heading toward a big crash. The train is running at breakneck speed down a steep slope and there’s nothing I can do to rein it in.
Boom! Black moment! I am SO there right now!
When I hit the black moment, I can see the end of the tunnel. The end of the train ride. It’s just a short ride now to resolution and the end.
All aboard! 😉
Jaci