The final scenes of draft 1.0

Ten scenes left.  Ten scenes.  I can hardly believe it.  There seems to be so much to wrap up in just ten scenes.  So many ends to tie.  It's making me a little nervous, just because I've been fans of shows where I've felt the same way as the project nears the "end".  "Only three episodes left?  And they have to wrap up all of THIS [insert litany of open ended items]?  IMPOSSIBLE.

In a few cases, I've breathed and said, "It'll be okay, just trust the writers" and they've delivered.  When they deliver, when it all comes together and you see the big picture in its full scope and you feel excited, satisfied, and complete?  Man that's good stuff.  (There's a reason Schitt's Creek is winning awards.  And I will be a fan of the writing on The Good Place until I hopefully end up there myself.)

But there have been even more times when I've tried to trust the writers and it all ended in a steaming pile of hot shit as if the writer(s) took secret delight in laughing in the faces of their own fan base.  Plot holes, character arcs, foreshadowing that never went anywhere, forced relationships, kill your gays and while you're at it kill the women too, etc. etc.

Now obviously my intention is, you know, not that.  And this is a novel, not a TV show.  But it's a great way for me to keep in mind that in any work, there will be readers/viewers following your breadcrumbs with the hope that they lead SOMEWHERE FOR EFF'S SAKE.  And I'm precisely at that point.  I've plotted, yes, but there's been a lot of discovery along the way.  So where did the crumbs take me?  Am I at my destination?  Did I circle back on myself?  Get lost?  End up with a big bad wolf in the forest of my own inadequacy?  I'd like to think not...but it all remains to be seen as I write these last pieces.

I keep telling myself that none of any of my draft one complaints or concerns really matter because DUH, it's just a draft.  You're just getting the story out.  You're going to edit the hell out of this beast (which is already over 104k words.  Yikes!)  Go easy on yourself.  You haven't even gotten to the end yet.  I do think it's healthy though, for me to be checking in on this as I go because man would that be a helluva let down if I expected this to be a shiny piece of golden perfection only to find out it was actually the aforementioned pile of hot shit.  Best to expect the shit up front, I guess.  (Not that I really think I'm writing shit...but like, you get it.)

Separately, I continue with my writing "workshop" assignments in The Artist's Way as well, which is turning out to be intensely more cathartic than I anticipated, and frankly, is making me grateful I talk with a therapist regularly so I can unpack some of the stuff that is coming out of it.  It's been an added part of this whole journey that I certainly didn't plan for at the outset, but I'm extremely grateful for now that I'm in the midst of it.  I'm not even relying on breadcrumbs.  I just keep moving forward.  And, as any of my IRL camp friends can guess, I'm doing it One Step at a Time. 




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