Chapter 41

Tra-la!

On Wednesday I not only finished chapter forty, but wrote all 2,500 words in chapter forty-one as well.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a rough draft. I still want to burn or delete large portions of my work. But I feel like over 3,000 words in a day is a major accomplishment. That's 3k that I can edit, delete, and rewrite to my heart's content.

The other thing I realized today is that I really need to finish all my novels.

This is an amazing experience. I'm wrapping up the novel (I might even finish with only forty three chapters), and I'm still finding major plot points. The Evil Villain has finally been unmasked. The whole chaos of the main action is starting to make sense.

The best part is that I have something solid to build on.

I started Twisted Metal with a vague idea about a doctor, a prisoner of war, and a prison planet. I knew I wanted to use fire, rings, genetic engineering, and fear as major themes, but that was all I had.

Character names were shamelessly stolen from other half-written works (I do this a lot, for the record). The universe and cultures were borrowed from other finished (and unedited) novels. Even some of the descriptions were lifted off of flash fiction I've played with over the years.

Beyond knowing that I wanted FMC to get her man, I didn't know what I was doing with this novel when I started writing in the spring.

Now my characters are solid. They still need work, but they aren't just fill-in-the-blank cardboard cutouts anymore. The universe is shaping up, always good news for the other novels waiting in the wings. The plot is gelling, something I always wanted.

And, despite all the agony, I think Twisted Metal has a lot of potential.

Will it sell?

I couldn't guess. It's a book, people read books, so maybe they'll read this book. I think it will appeal to the SFR and soft-sci-fi crowds. It's more Bujold than Sinclair, and I doubt it will ever be a bestseller. But, who knows?

Even if Twisted Metal flops, never finding a home or sales, I'll have learned something. By January, I'll have finished and edited a full novel. The first time is always the hardest. Once I'm through with this, I can try my new found skills on some other work until I find the one that works for everyone.