Finishing up THE LOST SISTER

I'm in that crucial point where I've gotten 3/4 of THE LOST SISTER (the sequel to SISTERS OF MISERY) written, and I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I think that I'd feel better if I had a pygmy tarsier as a pet (they just rediscovered this little guy, one of the world's smallest and rarest primates, in Indonesia that was thought to be extinct for eight decades. If he was my writing partner, I think that this task would be a lot easier. Well, not really easier, just more fun!)

But seriously, I'm into the novel by about 250 pages. I've got at least fifty pages to go and I need to end the book. Unlike some writers, I rarely know how my book is going to end. Some writers won't even put pen to paper (or fingertip to keyboard) if they don't know how and when a story will end.

I like to be surprised.

Yet, right at this point is when I start kicking myself for not being more prepared for the ending. I know how I want it to end. I think that it's a good way to end. But getting there is not as easy as it seems. I need to go back throughout the book and make sure that everything leading up to the ending makes sense and doesn't detract from the story line. I need to make sure that there aren't any loose ends that need tying up. I need to make sure that my characters' motivation remain consistent throughout the book. And I also have to make sure that the ending is satisfying for everyone. Myself included.

So, as I await the arrival of my pygmy tarier (there very few left in the world, so I'm assuming that I'll have to just settle for a screensaver of the cute little guy), I will be wrapping up Maddie and Cordelia's story as they, along with everyone else in my family, impatiently wait for me to finish.