This video delves into a question that perplexes many authors: “How do I know when my book is finished?”
Drawing inspiration from literary giants like Joyce Carol Oates and George R.R. Martin, this video dives into a question that perplexes many authors: “How do I know when my book is finished?”
We’ll explore the dichotomy between “architects” (or plotters) and “gardeners” (or pantsers) in the writing world and how this impacts the answer to this crucial question.
Jane Cleland here.
How do I know when my book is finished?
Interesting question. Joyce Carol Oates said, “Don’t write the first line until you’ve written the last line.” That gives you an arc to write. I like that idea. That is in keeping with what I do. I know how my books are going to end. I may not have written the last line, but I know the story I want to tell from an overarching story arc perspective.
Now, pantsers—people who write by the seat of their pants—find that oppressive. Well, fair enough. George R. R. Martin says that there’s two kinds of writers in the world: architects and gardeners. I like that. I’m clearly an architect. I like structure. By knowing the overarching story I want to tell, that to me gives me a lot of freedom to work within that framework.
I do use Jane’s Plotting Roadmap to plan out my major twists, TRDs (plot twist, plot reversal, moment of heightened danger), which could be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. The secret is to have them be unexpected. And by knowing where my TRDs are going to come, I don’t have to plan out every incident. I can write to the next TRD. It’s liberating for me. It’s structure, but it’s not confining.
So how do you know when your book is finished? If you’re not an architect, I don’t know. If you’re a gardener, you should wait until it’s fully bloomed. But I think it’s a fascinating question.
One last thought I’ll share with you is I do like to have a twist after what my reader thinks is the final twist. That can be character based or it can be incident based. Something, an extra little surprise, a global reflection, something thought provoking.
How about you? How do you know when your book is finished? I’d love to read your comments about that. Please put them in the comments section. And if this YouTube shorty had value for you, would you like it? Would you share it? Would you subscribe to the channel? That opens up features for us that let us make these videos even more valuable for you. Thank you.
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