Crossing the Bridge

Back in 1979, German writer Michael Ende published the fantasy novel, "The Neverending Story," which was made into a movie five years later.

My current work-in-progress could be called the same at this point. It's not the same story as Mr. Ende's wonderful novel. It's that I've written about 70,000 words with no end in sight (maybe that should be the title -- "No End in Sight"). 

While watching a television program called "Kentucky Muse" on Kentucky Educational Television a few nights ago, there was a segment that featured author and friend Sheila Williams, of Newport, Ky.

Williams, who has written three popular novels, mentioned that a difficult part in the writing process is when you get to a certain point and needing a transition to finish the manuscript. She compared it to being on the edge of a canyon and needing a bridge to cross over to the other side.

That's the point I'm finding myself right now. I feel like I'm still stuck in the middle. I need to start finding something -- a bridge -- to turn the novel toward resolution. The only way to do that is to keep on writing until that I see that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver, who was raised in Kentucky, was quoted as saying that sometimes you don't find the beginning of a story until the 100th page of the manuscript. And that very well could be what has happened to me since I'm at a place miles away from where I started on Nov. 1. 

As noted in an earlier post, I can see this work becoming a two- or three-part series. I guess I'll find out...one of these days.

There was a movie released in 2000 called "Wonder Boys," based on Michael Chabon's 1995 novel of the same name, and starring Michael Douglas. Douglas played a writer, Grady Tripp, who couldn't finish his second novel for various and sundry reasons. 

I certainly don't want that to happen to me so I'll continue writing until I reach the end--wherever that may be.

 

Until the next time...