I’m working on a resolution for Oneiromancer, but trying to tie everything up is exhausting. Characters all need a nice finish to their arcs, way too many Chekhov’s guns need firing (or more likely, removal), and suddenly at the end there’s a lot of left-out backstory that makes me feel like all these people are made of paper. I constantly find myself wondering how so many characters can feel so one-dimensional. At this point I know the end I write is going to be really lackluster and that I’m probably going to rewrite it multiple times. Once I get to editing, a better finale will take shape over time, I’m sure. I know I need this crappy end to get to anything good eventually. Still feels terrible knowing all these words will probably go straight into the disposal once I figure out something better though.
My initial goal was to finish a draft by the end of August and I’m hoping to stick to it. If I can just get through these last few scenes I should make it in time. Editing will probably take much longer than I expected way back in March when I first set these goals though. At some point in ‘A Moveable Feast’ Hemingway states that he was able to rewrite a complete novel in just six weeks while hanging out in the Alps. Something tells me that’s not gonna happen this first try of mine. Maybe in 30 years I’ll be able to edit a novel in no time flat. Or maybe I’ll be hooked up to some matrix-style brain interface that connects me directly to the internet by then, and I will have finally minimized the chances of a real thought occurring.
Thank you for reading,
Benjamin Hawley
Dangerous Day Job 