Nailed the Ending!

So last week I came up with a beginning sentence and paragraph which works (after nineteen failed attempts), and this morning I came up with a hard Twist ending which also works. This is the very last thing that happens in the novel in the Resolution section, the very last thing the reader experiences before wondering if there will be a sequel. I dreamt the idea this morning and it’s been kicking around in my head as I puttered around house in the beginning of my Christmas break.

As you may know, Linda isn’t a reader and doesn’t care for genre stories as a general rule, so getting any kind of feedback from her is an accomplishment. Most of what I get is disinterest, and that’s fine. It makes getting a genuine response all the sweeter.

Linda got home this afternoon and I told her this ending. She’s guarded when I talk to her about the novel these days – she just wants it to be done – but when I told her this ending, her jaw dropped Wide Open for a good four seconds. Her eyes were wide and I haven’t seen her this astonished in forever. “Oh, that’s GOOD. Yeah, that works,” my little hostile witness said.

I will remember that look for the rest of my life.

So, yeah, making headway, still aiming to get the novel out to Beta readers in time for Christmas.