One step forward . . .one step back . . . The ending of a book is like a dance - coming so close and then moving away again . . .turning circles, trying to avoid the inevitable, only to find they've ccome right back to face it again. That's my characters, not me - but sometimes it's me too as I try to get to the end and then realise it - and they - have to go at their own pace.
It has to be a believable happy ending, you see. No miracle conversions. No acts of God that suddenly brings about the proof of the truth without either the H or the h doing anything about it.
And most of all no proclamation of 'Well, I'm sorry I was mean - but I love you really' without any evidence for the growth of love in reality. And perhaps even worse, after some such a 'But I love you' proclamation, a daft and naive 'Oh if you love me then that's all right . . . ' from the other character (usually the heroine) !
I need to believe my H&h love each other. That they've come to it by growing through the relationship and learning and changing and opening to love. Then my readers will believe it too. Not that they've been hit on the head with a lightning bolt so that the ending goes like this -
'OhDuh! She didn't do that after all!(whatever that might be) I love her!' or
'Oh he said he loves me so I must forgive all that nastiness and vile behavious and fall into his arms! Duh!'
So in a way I'm pleased that these two are still circling each other uneasily, half knowing, half doubting, wanting desperately to say those 3 words - and fighting like mad to do anything but. It means it takes that bit longer to get to the wonderful moment of 'The End' but it also means that my characters have come alive and are going to do it their way, which is how it should be.
In the meantime, this morning I was cheered by a wonderful review for my current book The Italian's Forced Bride on CataRomance so I thought I'd share -
Kate Walker's latest release from Mills and Boon, The Italian's Forced
Bride, is a highly charged sensual romance which showcases her exceptional
storytelling abilities!
When Alice realized that she was falling in love
with her Italian lover, Domenico, she packed her bags and left Italy and Dom
behind and returned to England. Knowing that he would never return her love and
that he would soon discard her and take another woman in his bed, Alice thought
that she had made the right decision, however, fate had other plans for her.
Domenico is absolutely furious when he realizes that Alice has left him!
He's always been the one who calls the shots when it comes to his relationships
and he's adamant that he wants to know the reason why Alice has deserted him, so
when he finds out where Alice has disappeared to, he flies to England and is
knocking at her door demanding answers!
Domenico is determined to get Alice
back in his bed and when he finds out that Alice is pregnant with his child, he
proposes to her. Alice is still in love with Domenico, but will he ever
reciprocate her feelings? Or will he always just see her as the mother of his
child?
Emotional, dramatic and heart wrenching, The Italian's Forced Bride
is another fantastic page-turner by international best-selling author Kate
Walker. Writing with plenty of style, flair and sensitivity, Kate Walker has
written a marvelous romantic novel featuring two extremely well-drawn characters
which the reader will instantly connect with as Kate Walker brings them to life
so vividly, that they will feel every emotion which they are going through.
Readers will absolutely adore Alice and they cannot help but love Domenico who
is a fantastic Alpha male who is strong, sexy but vulnerable as well.
Passionate romance, powerful emotions, sensuous love scenes, believable
characters which leap off the pages and master storytelling make The Italian's
Forced Bride an outstanding work of romantic fiction! Don't miss it!
Julie
Bonello,
CataRomance Reviews
Thank you Julie! That's made me smile and set me up for a good day's writing
tackling a recalcitrant hero who can't say I love you because he hasn't
realised yet that that's what he's feeling and a heroine who knows that's
what she's feeling and so is afraid to admit to it in case he doesn't feel
the same.
I'll sort them out! No - sorry - they'll sort themselves out - But they'll do it in their own time. I'll just sit here and write it down as they tell me.
5 comments:
I'm really grateful to be a member of a writer's group, if for no other reason than it gives me a chance to speak "normally" about writing without being looked at as if I'm totally off my rocker. Non writely people just don't understand it when I say "my hero just won't face up to his past, even though..." because all I get back is "Well make him face up to it then." If only it were that easy. [sigh]. Writer's blogs are wonderful for the same reason. Thanks for making me feel a little less barmy :-)
~Sharon J
Congratulations on the Cata review, Kate, very well deserved. I hope you have a good writing day and your characters feel ready to move on with their story towards the conclusion and show you what they want.
Best wishes,
Mags
I just wanted to come by and thank you for your kind words, they were most apprecited.
And that's a great review.
Great review, Kate. Hang in there. Guido will be gone in no time. Get his brother to kick him out the door!
Sharon - yes, it takes a writer to unerstand a writer. Like you, I'm grateful for the writers' blogs around that make me feel - well, I was going to say normal - but what I mean is normal for a writer!
Hi Mags - thank you,. As you'll know by now,my H&h finally decided to cooperate. Sometimes yyou need that time and space to let the ending (or any other part of the book) 'brew' before you can write it.
Eve - welcome - no need for thanks - as one cat lover to another I sympathise.
Anne, as you've lived with Guido almost as long as I have, you'll be glad to know he's on his way. Good thing too as Vito made an appearance in the last couple of chapters and is obviously getting impatient to have his time in the spotlight.
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