In theory. I’m on version #3 right now, which is somewhat frustrating. I know what has to happen, but I’m struggling with the balance of ‘show vs. tell’ (no, Nancy, you cannot just narrate all the sections you don’t feel like writing …. or can I?) and finding the final paragraphs.

One of my challenges is that the first draft actually came quite easily, and I enjoyed writing it, which is the kiss of death. I got carried away and thought “no, bad thing X doesn’t need to happen, it’ll be fine….” but that was definitely not the case. One of my test readers pointed this out immediately and I had to admit it was a ‘fair cop’ (to quote Monty Python). I’m quite happy to go back to the original version but it does make some of the denouement much harder to manage.

I’ve generally known how each of my novels ends from fairly early in the process, though I don’t always know the mechanics of how the characters get there. For THE NIGHT INSIDE, I remember telling someone that I had the two main characters walking up a set of stairs to confront the antagonist and I had no idea what was going to happen when they got to the top. They found this baffling, but they weren’t a writer.

A TERRIBLE BEAUTY was probably the easiest one – after all, it’s Beauty and the Beast. It could just end with a kiss (so to speak).

With COLD HILLSIDE, I knew I wanted to leave certain things ambiguous and that the climax was really a discovery rather than an action.

I have to have faith that I’ll get this one sorted, but I hope it won’t require many more drafts.

JUST A REMINDER: All four novels will be available in beautiful new e-books editions on JULY 9TH. Pre-orders are open. Thanks!