Finish Your Book II

Before she was famous she told me in an email "BIC is the most important thing for a writer to know." BIC? Butt In Chair.

The next most important tip came when someone else told her "I have hundreds of ideas. What do I do with them?" Her reply was, "Pick one, dude."

Then I discovered BIAM, Book-in-a-Month, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D. The advice to create ten scenes for my main plotline was one of the most vital bits of information for me.

The advice to keep to my main plot line for the first draft instead of haring off after subplots was a real winner. Having my story done in ten scenes for my main plot has made the difference between an unfinished manuscript and a completed draft.

One thing I discovered during my first BIAM journey is that I have to know how I want my story to end. This was a critical detail that had escaped my attention for decades. Just how do I want my story to end?

Do I want the girl to get the boy? The horse to win the race? The mystery solved and perpetrator brought to justice? The dragon tamed? You'll notice that in all of these I have the tendency to want my stories to end with an upbeat note.

There are two basic endings to a story; the MC, Main Character, wins or the MC loses. I write my stories so that, unlike in real life, my characters have a satisfactory outcome to their adventure. This does not mean that they get their original desire; it means they get what they really need in the end.

The first guy may not be the right one for my heroine. What she may really need is the quiet guy who will really appreciate her just as she is. The losing race horse may turn out to be a winner as a jumper. The real discovery in an adventure may not be the casket of gold and jewels, but a key to knowledge.

At one convention I attended a well-known writer said she just couldn't end her books on a happy note because that wasn't real life. To any who feel this way I'll point out that many of us read fiction for a respite from real life and its trials and tribulations. There is a reason for so many romance novels being read in hospital waiting rooms.

For writers who just can't envision any happy endings to their story consider this; while there may not be a happily ever after, there are times of rest and a sense of well-being where characters can enjoy a rest before their next adventure.