The Wrap-up Paralysis

I’ve been trying to write the closing scene of my next novel for months. I’ve been talking about it in my writers’ group ad nausea, setting and breaking deadlines weekly and agonizing over it in my sleep. I’m a master procrastinator so I put it off by going back and doing the first edit and then the second edit for which I’m using AutoCrit for the first time. In my mind I was making progress! 

It wasn’t until today, while I was answering questions for an author interview that will post this weekend on a fellow indie author’s blog, that it finally hit me. One of the questions she asked was which character in my book was the most difficult to write about. As I described the antagonist in my current WIP as a ‘true narcissist’, I realized that I hadn’t developed him fully enough. I was even starting to deeply dislike him and was not sympathetic to him one little bit. I then knew I had to go back and build in a little more of his back story to try to explain why he was so deeply disturbed that he would do the things he did (can’t tell you what or it will spoil the story)!

So, back I go to make the revisions, finally write the last scene and type those glorious words ‘The End’! I’ve also given myself a little break and pushed my launch date to March 8, 2015 (which is the same month and day as the launch of my first novel and also International Women’s Day). I originally wanted it out by Christmas but I am in the process of planning the 2^nd Annual Phuket Paradise Writers’ Retreat (for which there is only one spot left!), along with keeping an assortment of other projects moving along. Also, there's a lot of prep work that needs to be done before launching a novel. For the sake of my sanity, it only made sense. I think the new launch date also sets a tradition for me for future novels :)

I’m psyched and re-energised now so, Hi ho, hi ho!