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The Difficult Third

So. I had the ending written. Perfect. And I have the first 2/3 of the book all figured out. So why is it so difficult for me to come up with the last 1/3 that would ultimately lead to that perfect ending?  What's wrong with me?  The 1/3 will have the penultimate conflict and climax but for the life of me, I have no idea what that would be -- at least not in line with the total story arc and themes. There's a big gap right now.

I guess I'm overthinking it, and thinking too far ahead. But I'm getting to a point when I need to know how to connect the dots. I'm really dreading this.


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the Amateur Book Blogger said…
Just popped over from Patricia's blog (where you got a mention) to say hi. I'm 37,000 words into my novel. I have the ending all done. My middle bit has got stuck... since Feb 2007. I know how you feel. But we can do it! Go connect those dots! Go go go!
July 6, 2008 at 11:41 AM
BClark said…
Hi Ray, I am nobody and I am reading your blog. As to your writing woes, I imagine just jump in and if it is not what you want, delete.

Best to you, Barbara
July 6, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Ray Wong said…
Thanks! I'll keep writing.

;)
July 6, 2008 at 5:50 PM
Chris Eldin said…
I'm over from Pat's blog.
Your book is almost sold out on Amazon! Great going!!!

www.bookroast.blogspot.com (if you're interested..)
:-)
July 7, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Dawn Anon said…
Hello! I followed the link from Pat's blog. Congrats on your published book. I totally can't give you any feedback about the Difficult Third. I can't seem to manage to eek out an entire page! Good luck. You can do it!
July 7, 2008 at 7:18 PM
Ray Wong said…
You are all so nice. I appreciate your support!
July 8, 2008 at 7:33 AM
José Iriarte said…
Hey Ray . . . any chance of setting your RSS settings so that my reader shows the whole post and not just the first few lines? I find that I've come to prefer reading blogs within Google Reader, and it's nice when I can find the whole thing there. :)

Incidentally I just went and read all your archives from your first blog. I really enjoyed it! I hope before too long I get to experience the same sort of excitement!
July 8, 2008 at 4:31 PM
José Iriarte said…
(btw, by "first blog" I was referring to your "Road to Publication" blog, which, I just realized, is not your first one. Oops.)

As I've said elsewhere, when I rule the world it will be possible to edit Blogger and LiveJournal posts.
July 8, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Ray Wong said…
Thanks Joe. I'll tweak my RSS.

And good luck to you!
July 8, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Just another human being said…
Your book will be brilliant, absolutely brilliant. It's better to have trouble writing that third than either of the other thirds, too!

You're incredibly talented so you'll come up with the best junction to finish the book. Would it help you to visualize the plot options graphically? Or would it help to talk it over with someone?
July 9, 2008 at 6:06 AM
Ray Wong said…
I also find brainstorming and talking over with someone helpful. But either my writer friends are too busy, or my non-writer friends don't know what the heck I'm talking about. ;) It's not easy to find willing brainstorming partners.
July 9, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Just another human being said…
i can help u brainstorm! as long as you're willing for the book to wind up being appropriate for someone with the intellect of a 14-year-old boy. (no offense to 14-year-old boys). no, seriously, count me in.
July 10, 2008 at 4:46 AM
RR Kovar said…
I am having a similar problem. I have it written up to the final conflict (physical, anyway) and I am staring at this wall thinking "huh, that wasn't there when I wrote the rest of it? Where did it come from?"

Talking it out does help. Feel free to email if you want. The worst that can happen is that I prove unable to assist.

Reba (who is also Melenka in some places)
July 11, 2008 at 9:32 AM
RR Kovar said…
And then I look at the typos in that stream of consciousness and realize you'd be cracked to come to me for advice. ;)
July 11, 2008 at 9:34 AM
José Iriarte said…
Reba, I hit a little bit of a wall when I got to my climax in my current WIP as well. That strikes me as a different sort of beast. Or at least in my case it was. I knew what was to happen, but I was frozen I guess by the importance of the scene. I had been building up to this moment over weeks and weeks of writing, and here I was. What if I couldn't pull it off? What if it came out lame? What if the payoff wasn't satisfying? I felt like I could ruin the whole book right there.

Eventually, I just sat down and wrote the thing, but I did feel a bit psyched out for a bit.
July 11, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Ray Wong said…
We writers are crazy. I'm now convinced.
July 11, 2008 at 10:20 AM
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