12/1/04: Finale

[davidlevine]

Word count: 123260 | Since last entry: 1083 | This month: 1083

It's all over now but the shouting. Dozens of bodies on the floor, including several main characters. Blood everywhere. Just a short anticlimax left to write, explaining how the few survivors make it home, and the last chapter's done.

The last chapter. Done.

And I just killed off... someone I've spent the last two years with.

Jeez.

It was a good death, I think. Deserved, but not unredeemed.

I've been planning this moment for so long... I've had this scene in mind for months, maybe in some form all the way back to the beginning. (Yep -- I just checked, and this character's death was in the "Sketch a Novel in an Hour" outline I did at OryCon in 2002, though I didn't know then exactly how it would happen.) So it's not unexpected, and I'm not particularly upset about it.

I think?

At the moment it's nearly midnight and I do have to sleep. Maybe I'll cry later. Maybe not.

Good night, sweet prince.

Comments

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Good night. I don't think I'd have the courage to do that myself.

[davidlevine]

At this time, for this character, it was necessary. So I did it.

I hate to quote comic books as an artistic inspiration, but I keep thinking about Dark Phoenix -- she had to die for what she'd done.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

It always feels strange, even when it's planned.

I just killed off a huge swathe of people between books, *bang* it's a hundred years later and lots of characters are dead, including some who wouldn't necessarily be expected to be. That's also weird.

[davidlevine]

I do prefer sequels that take place in an entirely different time with a largely different cast -- sequels that follow the same people feel too much like series TV to me.

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Glad you finished and glad you're satisfied.

[davidlevine]

Not quite "finished" yet. Still a couple thousand words of clean-up to go. But soon!

[xthread.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

That sounds like a very interesting workshop...

[davidlevine]

I sure hope so! It's going to be a heck of a lot of reading, though. See http://www.oregoncoastwritersworkshops.com/descriptions.htm#novelweekend for more info on it. There might be one space left in this workshop if you pounce on it right away.

[deedop.livejournal.com]

(fingers in ears) la-la-la-la-la-la Don't wanna know who died... Must catch up with chapters now...

Not that I wouldn't be right on my first guess, I imagine, after all the hints I've been reading. :-)

You know, Dave and I have our "Sketch a Novel in an Hour" notes from OryCon 2002 and though we've done further brainstorming on the project, it's still awaiting draft form. Could be a project to tackle while we're up in Washington away from city life.

Oh, and duh... congrats on the progress!