Let the creative subconscious go to work.

I wrote a single chapter yesterday, which for me is really slowing down.  I wasn't totally satisfied about where the chapter ended.   I woke up this morning with a new ending completely written in my mind.  That is, the words just sort of washed over me as if already written -- which means the subconscious was working on it all night.

When I talk about writing at the store, and if I dare venture to give advice to other writers, it's this:  Trust your subconscious.  Let it go to work.  Create the conditions that lets the subconscious feel free.


I spent most of yesterday-- and intend to do the same today -- planning the ending of the book.  

One of the things that most mess up a book is contradictory or confusing motivations on the parts of the characters.

So far in Rule of Vampires, I've got.

1.) Old vampires who like the New Rules.
2.) Old vampires who hate the New Rules.
3.) New vampires who like the New Rules.
4.) New vampires who hate the New Rules.

And there is sort of a fifth group who don't even know about the New Rules, which I'm sort of calling The Wilderings.

What I find most useful in working out plot is to just start writing down my thoughts about it.  Talking out loud also works, but for some reason writing works even better.  So I work out the problems and sometimes a solution occurs to me.

So I have partial solutions so far to the ending, but I'm not all the way there.  So that's what today will mostly be about.  Working out the ending of the plot to my satisfaction.

I think there is a third book here, which I probably will immediately start writing.  

Anyway, for the plot to work, I've got to have everyone doing what makes sense, or explain why not. It's gotten complicated.  So the thing to do is cut through the complications as much as possible and make everyone's stance very clear.

I want to be pretty clear and satisfied with where the book ends before I proceed.