The Dead of Winter — Draft Complete!
Winter is coming…. Winter is coming!
Maybe there is something to be said for insomnia. Before the first 24 hours of spring were complete, so was a draft of “The Dead of Winter.” Even though there was less than an hour to spare… even though it’s a very rough draft (at least as far as the ending is concerned), I can honestly say “Draft complete!”
There is a huge amount of editing ahead of me, in order to make the ending plausible, and to keep it in line with my concept of that world, the characters, and the spirit of the story. The work is far from over, but I do have a solid draft.
At the ending, my biggest roadblock was knowing that somehow my young heroine had to face the villain. However, I had placed two issues in my way: I wasn’t heavy-handed with the use of magic in this fantasy, and I didn’t want anyone to rescue her at the end. Help – fine. All out rescue – no. That meant I have a little twelve year-old girl, facing a supremely powerful psycho-villain. Making that plausible, while staying true to my concepts for the story, seemed impossible.
Then yesterday a friend asked how the book was going, and I mentioned those two issues. She reminded me of the story of David and Goliath. I realized that she was right – it could be done. (No, there is no slingshot involved. Ha-ha.)
I’ll tweak the ending, and go to a couple of places early in the story to make small adjustments that will make everything tidy at the end. Then come April, I’ll put Winter aside and let it steep for a while before I do a final edit.
While Winter is steeping, or brewing, or what-have-you (if you think it sounds like I’d like another cup of coffee, you’re right), I’ll dive into my big experiment with indie publishing. The National Novel Writing month book, “Atonement, Tennessee” will be the test subject for that experiment. Indie publishing is also the reason why I started this blog – just getting my feet wet ahead of time. Blogging is part of independent publishing.
Happy springtime, everyone. Here’s to new beginnings.
teagan
Teagan's Books 
See what you did!!! You have imagination and will power-I couldn’t have done it. I hope this draft gave you the boost you needed to ignore your neighborhood, your work and concentrate on just you.
Don’t sell the concept of a David vs Goliath final battle short. What you have here is a virgin whose purity would give her powers over evil. The bad guy might have misjudged that point which is to be of pure heart and body would call upon allied powers for her cause. Let’s see there was Mary, Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria…
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Don’t sell yourself short – I still hope that one day I’ll see a novel or collection of shorts about “Motel Stories” or similar!
Yes, my little heroine does have a pure heart. I’ve tried to show how the obstacles she’s faced have an impact on that. Even if there’s a future story, where she’s older, I think she’ll keep that kind of heart. Arawn [the bad guy] is in for a surprise!
Now, come on – jot down one of those stories. You have some great ideas.
t
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Happy Spring to you as well, and as you said, here’s to new beginnings – and happy endings. L
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OMG, I’m so proud of you! I knew you would do it even when, for a moment, you thought you wouldn’t make your goal. Get used to sleepless nights, girlfriend. This is just the beginning. Yay! Go Teagan…Go.
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