Writing Update: The End is (kind of) in Sight

What happened?

I wrote my way to the tail end of Act 2B, which means I’m about 75% done with Draft 4.

This involved lots of drafting, but also lots of cutting.

Act 2B (in Draft 3) was twice as long as it should have been. I thus went into the rewrite of this part knowing I had to consolidate events, accelerate revelations, and eliminate unnecessary scenes. I think I’ve accomplished that, and now I have the bones of a tighter, more exciting act.

What’s next?

Act 3 is on the horizon!

But first, Act 2B needs a bit of fleshing out. Some chapters are well-formed. Others are not. I don’t want to stall out or get stuck in an editing loop, but I have also accepted that my mind can only tolerate so much unfinished-ness at once. I can’t build on an unstable foundation. I am not striving for perfection, but I need Act 2B to be solid enough before I can build Act 3.

That said, my vision for the ending is very clear. I have most of the scenes mapped out. A few of them are even drafted (albeit roughly). I’m sure I will face unexpected challenges, at least one of which will result in me spiraling out for 2-3 business days, but I’ve never been more confident in this story, and my ability to tell it.