I am two weeks away from sending Ithani, the final book in the “Oberon Cycle,” to my beta readers, and I am in full-scale freak out mode.
OK, maybe not full scale. I still have all my clothes on.
It has proven more challenging than I expected to write the series ender – there are so many loose ends to wrap up, and it’s necessary to both ramp up the volume and to keep tight reins on a story that caps off my first complete trilogy.
I got within two chapters of the ending and realized something wasn’t right. I was pushing the story too hard, and things weren’t flowing.
So I spent a morning laying on the couch with my headphones on blasting celtic music (there may have been some napping) and figuring it out. It worked, I think – I set up a new background story that made everything work again.
I decided to hold off on writing the actual ending, and instead opted to do my second draft of the rest of the story, bringing it all in line with my new plan before tackling the last few chapters. It’s a move which I hope will make the ending flow when I get there again. In less than two weeks.
Freaking out.
* breathes *
It’s a bit weird. I’ve never tackled a story like this before. But I think it will work. And if it does, Ithani is gonna be one hell of a roller coaster of a ride for Skythane fans.
To my writing friends – have you ever ridden the roller coaster of a series ender? How did it go? Any surprises on the way?