I’m always chasing that magical moment in drafting (and reading too) where my excitement and desire for completion takeover the mundane feeling of putting words on paper. I call it the tipping point and it always drives me to the end of a draft. Here’s what it’s like for me.
Drawing from the Well
I had to add four scenes of connective tissue this week to make this arc sing. Let me tell you. This past weekend has been some fun writing. I hit a 10k day which feels awesome. I’m really pleased with how this arc is finally coming together. This arc hit its tipping point this week, which we’ll discuss below. That connective tissue I put in really kicked this thing into overdrive. Another 10k or so and this first draft should be finished. I’m stoked.
Scenes: 217/235
Words: 129,231/~140,000
As for publishing, I got all the final cover images and marketing materials yesterday so you know those are coming to you soon. If you want the soonest announcements, subscribe to the newsletter post haste. The first one is coming this week so don’t miss it!
Filling the Well
I FINALLY caught up. I listened to the entire Rebel of the Sands trilogy by Alwyn Hamilton. It was great. Unique magic and political structures and plenty of surprises. After that, I listened to All Systems Red, the first book in the Murderbot Diaries. Now THAT was unique. I look forward to working through the rest of that series this week while also making progress on other, more physical reading goals.
59/100 for #ProjectBookworm2022
We continue through our rewatch of Madam Secretary. It’s so good! Henry is truly the best character and husband goals. Love this show!
Just like last week, Dragonflight Alpha continues with more zones, class changes, and profession changes. It’s great! Beyond that, I’m looking at a new game on Steam called Moonrise Fall. It’s Indie but looks really interesting. I’ll let you know if I get it and get into it.
Well Chat
As I said in the introduction, the tipping point is magical. It’s my favorite part of writing and reading. Momentum overcomes inertia and you get to just fall into the ending. The best books are the ones that tip early and propel you through them. I’ve never had it happen in drafting. I think too much about it. The skill is figuring out where it happens, how, and how to replicate it.
The obvious tipping point is the beginning of the climax, when the final confrontation begins. Something bad happens that makes it look like the protagonist won’t succeed. It’s all you can do to keep reading fast enough to satisfy your curiosity. I LOVE THAT PART!
Real skill is in creating tipping points throughout your manuscript (Susan Dennard calls them magical cookies). These can take plenty of forms including action, reveals, failures, fun & games, and discoveries. Even world-building, when done well, can be a tipping point. Set up enough of them, and you’ve got an unstoppable line of dominos that will push your reader through your manuscript.
I’ll let you know how creating these goes. 😉
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG