Getting to The End - Barbara Baker

 

Happy 2024 greetings. I am hopeful the snow continues to fall and knee-deep powder will greet me on the hills as my ski pass is rather dusty. The few times I have skied this season, I was lucky the views were stunning because the exposed natural hazards still required the use of my rock skis (old skis with gouged bases).

 

Thanks to everyone who checked in to see how Jillian and Book 3 were doing. Yes, I made my self-imposed deadline, and I finished the final read through before I whisked the novel away to my editor. When I completed the story, I realized each book I have written has taken me through a different process.

My first novel, Summer of Lies, I wrote scene by scene. I didn’t jump ahead. I never thought of ideas for what would happen next until I got to the scene. And I wrote it like a movie playing out in my head.

It took me years to finish writing it because I didn’t know anything about pacing, or story arc or making shit happen. An editor told me I loved my characters too much. They needed to have more conflict. But I had a hard time letting them make mistakes. They were the perfect children every parent dreams of having. Needless to say, I had a lot of work to fix my story and the characters got sent to their rooms many times.

 

My second book, What About Me?, took just over a year to finish writing. I had the storyline/storyboard in my head from the start and I would skip ahead to fill in ideas for new scenes and then go back and then jump forward again. It worked well and the flow and momentum kept me motivated to ensure all the threads played out. 

Book Three remains untitled because the title I chose has so many books listed on Amazon already. Not a good sign but I still have lots of time to think of a best seller title. With this book, the last of Jillian’s story, I wrote a solid beginning and then the ending.

How hard could it be to write the middle?

Freakin’ hard.

I procrastinated with the busyness of life and struggled to finish until I established my 5 AM get out of bed and write process. There is nothing like a loud alarm clock to kick me in my pajama bottoms. In the wee hours of the morning, I took my characters to places they didn’t want to go. And it hurt me. A lot. I shed many tears getting to The End. It felt as if I was saying goodbye to dear friends who I knew I would never see again. It broke my heart. Book 3, with a real title, will be released November 2024.

While I wait for the edits, I look forward to tackling short stories again and perfecting my snow dance. I have a lovely pair of fatty powder skis that are eager to hit slopes.

 

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books