finishing – Michèle Griskey

I am deep in revision. As I write, I think about what I love most as a reader. Plot twists, guesses, insights, surprises . . .

One of the most challenging aspects of writing mysteries is orchestrating all the parts and paths. I got stuck toward the end of my novel revisions. I have an ending. There is a reveal, but things are not coming together in a satisfying way. I feel like I’m stuck in a maze of what-ifs that don’t lead anywhere. I took a walk, and as I reached Channel Road, it hit me. Fortunately, what hit me was a thought (not a hunk of wheeled steel). The maze I constructed had turned into a path that led directly to the ending I wanted.

I was kind of mumbling to myself as I walked. Perhaps it was more than a mumble. As soon as I got cell reception again (part way up Spring Point Road), I used my voice-to-text microphone to get it all down.

Back at my computer, I had to tear apart scenes and move things around. Add and delete. I’m still working, but the manuscript as a whole grows before me, logical and layered and, I hope, worth the read!

A Recent Sunset From the Ferry

This is the time of year I love most (even if my allergies disagree).

A bald eagle in a tree near the North Valley Overlook on Turtleback Mountain

The birdsong and frog song, the succession of blooming plants, the longer days, and the shifts between sunshine and rain.

I’m finishing up a project that I’ll be sad to leave. I love the characters, the setting, the story. I’m sure I’ll be doing future revisions and edits, shifting and changing, but for now, I’m going to move onto the next big thing.

These moments of shifting can feel good. “Hey, I finished a book!”

Yet, I can also feel unsure.

The possibility awaits: wonderful and scary; exciting and daunting; a dash forward and a long pause. All those contrasts hit me, freeze me.

I’m back to the act of creating again. The pen to the notebook–

shifting.