Evidently, my idea of how to end this story is NOT the same as everyone else's idea of how this story should end. Oops. My bad.

I posted chapter ten last time and felt pretty good about how everything had ended, believing that a quick epilogue would tie up a couple of loose ends and all would be right and good with my writing world by the end of 2009... And then every single person who read chapter ten started asking some really good questions. I was roundly met with a firm "WTF??" and my boyfriend flat-out told me that was no way to end a novel. So I'll say it again -- oops, my bad.

But seriously, I really appreciate the honest (and immediate) feedback! I took my original idea for the epilogue and expanded it quite a bit, and I think -- I fervently hope -- that this does a better job wrapping up, ending, and otherwise concluding this beastie. If not, I'm sure that I'll hear about it again soon! ^_^;

So one more time, with feeling! Here's the last chapter of Shallow Sleep!


( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Eleven -- Post Mortem )

Taa-daa! Chapter ten. Conclusion. Yay!

I do have a very short epilogue in mind, so I think I'll get started on that tonight and see how it goes. It is going to be short, but I think it might help to explain a couple of things that are left unresolved. That's why I didn't bother to write 'the end' at the bottom of this post. But since 2009 ends tomorrow, I only have a little more than 24 hours to scratch out whatever epilogue there will be, because I am hellbent on making my year-end deadline on this complete, first, very rough draft.

73,249 words so far -- and all in two months. Yay again!

The title of this penultimate chapter is a song by the Sisters of Mercy, one of the few Western bands that I still listen to. The lyrics of the song didn't really influence my story all that much, but the title of that particular song haunts me, and it has for years. As I was formulating this story in October, I finally realized how that song title could play into my plot. So, my thanks (and apologies) to the Sisters of Mercy.

Thanks for reading to this point, thanks for the comments along the way, and I hope you enjoy the ending! I look forward to hearing your honest opinion (if you'd be so kind as to offer it).



( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Ten -- Lucretia, My Reflection )

Were you beginning to think that I had fallen off the face of the earth? Or perhaps that I was going to leave you hanging? Or maybe that a rabid elf had escaped from the North Pole and done me in?

Well, no need to worry. Chapters nine and ten just needed to be finished and posted together. It's conclusion time, kids!

I know, I'm sort of in shock, too. Starting a novel is easy. Writing about 90% of it is fun. Wrapping one up is sort of hell. But not this time!

So here you go -- the beginning of the end...



( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Nine -- A Day at the Beach )

Finally, I'm back with another chapter! Finals week is over, semester break is here, and there's even a slight chance that I might be able to get this whole first draft done on schedule by the end of 2009. The next chapter is almost done, and there's just one chapter to go after that. I'm so close now!

The overtime at work today has numbed most of my brain cells, but let's just say that Donovan is getting closer and closer to finding what he's looking for. It remains to be seen if that works out the way he thinks it will...


( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Eight -- Unlocking the Past )

Slowly but surely, I'm getting everything posted. I've found that while the formatting in Word 2007 looks beautiful within Word 2007, it really doesn't translate to any other format. When I copy and paste my text here, it loses all of the line breaks and text style, so I have to fix it. And I made the mistake of cutting and pasting into a forum at my school's website once -- my post was full of hidden headers from Word that were no longer hidden! How embarrassing.

But, at least all I have to do is go through and hit return a few dozen times and re-italicize here and there. It could be so much worse. Mostly, it's just something for me talk about here since I have so many troubles coming up with anything to say as an intro to these chapters.

The title of this chapter is a pun. Not only is the story finally getting to the point after meandering around a bit, but there's another meaning that makes sense about half-way through the chapter. And this is also the chapter where I hit 50,000 words and officially won NaNoWriMo this year. So in tribute, I worked "the green bar" into this chapter. It's a fine NaNo tradition, and since Donovan has a drinking problem, I was able to integrate it this year! Yay!



( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Seven -- Getting to the Point )

Hey again! I'm back with another chapter because I fully intend to get caught up -- and maybe that will spur me back into frantic writing mode. I'm experiencing the dreaded December lag when all of the momentum of NaNoWriMo starts to fade and I tend to focus on sleep and laundry instead of writing.

I hate it when that happens!

Clean clothes are good. Sleep is even better. But I'm also wrapping up a semester and gearing up for the holidays, so if nothing else, I need the frantic writing as a mental health break. I'm also getting to a good part of the story! ^_^

I think I'm sensing some motivation. More soon!




( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Six -- The Key )

So the Indy region TGIO party was last night, and it turns out that most everyone is my writers' group not only turned out 50,000 words in November, but they have also finished their stories already. I still have about 2.5 chapters to write, so the end is in sight, but I'm not there just yet. The end of 2009 is still my goal, so I guess I should consider this NaNoFiMo, though I'm not making it official and joining that site again. I did that one year, and it just wasn't the same...

My homework is already done for the day, and I'm feeling sort of creative today, so I think I'll be able to make some progress toward that final goal today. I want to wrap this story up. And then I want to pick up some previous NaNo projects and wrap them up, too.

Wouldn't it be nice to have all of my NaNo projects wrapped by the time NaNo 2010 starts? XD

One step at a time, though... And in that spirit, here's chapter five -- and we're another step closer!

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Five -- The View from Above )

Ughh. Does anyone else have a NaNoWriMo hangover? Not in the literal sense, though I did a fair amount of tipsy novelling this year, but in the sense that I'm both relieved that I made my 50K and that November is over so that I can get a handle on my real life again, but at the same time, I already miss the thrill of the chase and the constant, looming pressure to write something -- anything -- to make my word count for the day. There has to be a happy medium somewhere that keeps just enough fire under my heels to keep the words flowing without sucking up every last second and costing me so much sleep (and homework time).

*sigh*

But, as always, I thoroughly enjoyed NaNo this year! I went to write-ins more regularly, thanks to my excellent investment in a laptop computer, and I think that made for a more well-rounded experience overall. I had the usual rollercoaster with this story -- I loved it, then I hated it, then I was sure that it was horrible, then I found something I liked again, and now I'm in the homestretch! Just a few more chapters and I'll have a complete first draft... And since there's some good stuff coming up, I'm motivated ti finish -- hopefully by the end of 2009!

In the meantime, I'm several chapters behind in posting my rough draft, so I'll get caught up this week/weekend. This is the first chapter where I really noticed the rambling detours that always mark a NaNoWriMo project, so bear with me. I think the ending will be worth it! ^_^


( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Four -- Child's Play )

I'm making some solid progress in this story, and not just in sheer word count. I know where I'm going with this story, and I think I know how to get there. It's hard enough to stay on track during NaNoWriMo, but when I factor in all of the real life stuff that I have going on right now (along with the meandering nature of writing in first person stream of consciousness), I've been wandering through the most recent chapter (that would be chapter four, so you'll see what I mean in a few days).

But, I'm back on track, and I'm looking forward to making some real progress now. Keeping both Donovan and I on target is a bit like herding cats, but that's part of the NaNoWriMo challenge, ne?

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Three -- Grandson of Sam )

I'm nearing the half-way point of my word count for this November, and that means that I've also reached that point where I have no idea where this story is going, if it's ever going to get there, and I'm no longer sure that I like this story or my main character any more.

The good news is, all of those feelings usually pass once I break 30K. I just have to keep slogging til I get there.

That all sounds so negative -- it really makes you want to read this chapter, doesn't it? I'm writing chapter four right now, so my doubts don't sneak in just yet. And it will all be okay. Or something.

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Two -- Piece by Piece )

I haven't posted here for 38 weeks. Sad, really. But I won't dwell on that. At least I'm back now, and I even remembered my password to get back in.

NaNoWriMo 2009 has started! And progress is being made!

As usual, my incredibly rough draft will be posted as I write it because I'm just a glutton for punishment. No guts, no glory!

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter One -- I've Never Liked Cats )

I'm back again with another chapter! Not only did I break 130,000 words, but my .doc file crossed the 200-page mark with this chapter, too. I know that I shouldn't be thinking in terms of quantity anymore since NaNo is over, but I can't help myself -- those are a couple of great big milestones!

Personally, I like this chapter. It was fun to write, and I hope that it's fun to read, too!

( The Devil You Know, chapter fourteen )

The progress continues, even against great odds and my usual attention span related issues! I always seem to make it to about this point -- chapter 13 or 14 -- before I run out of gas and just walk away from the project completely "for a while", which is Pandora-speak for "don't hold your breath for me to come back and finish this any time soon"...

But not this time! Even though I have about six new Rosetta Stone stories started and I'm dying to work on them, I have pressed through chapter 13, and chapter 14 is already well underway, and I'm even looking forward to bringing this story to a full conclusion! I even know how it ends!

There may be hope for me yet...

( The Devil You Know, chapter thirteen )