Getting to Write "The End"

UPDATE: The entire Storyteller series is now available on Amazon. It would make a lovely Christmas present for your favorite reader~

I just had the pleasure of writing “The End” on another rough draft this week.  This one is the final installment of the Storyteller Trilogy, so it’s been a lot of fun. Writing about fanciful creatures and magic is always fun, right?  This was probably the fastest first draft I’ve ever written.  Having a well-planned outline made it super smooth, lemme tell ya.  It was twenty chapters and I told myself I would shoot to write a chapter a week.  I was able to stick to it and actually exceed the goal some weeks. In less than twenty weeks, voila! A rough draft! Having a weekly goal with a date attached to it was a real motivator for me. I’m going to do it every time I start a book now.

So that was exciting!  I had a beer, patted myself on the back, and took a few nights off. So what now? Now I have to start editing.  Well actually, in my case, I have to finish typing the manuscript because I’m a hand writer. Then I can start editing. I think I’ll use the weekly goal technique to plan the editing work as well.  I’d like to self-publish the book by Thanksgiving, so that gives me about eight weeks to get it ship shape.

What about you? What tricks have you found that help speed your writing along? What do you struggle with?

Just for fun, here's an excerpt from Book III The Last Page~ 


Lily could count the spells she knew by heart on one hand – not many. How can I save the True World like this? she wondered. From the back of the dragon, Ironclaw, she could see the towns far below them, teeming with Fomorians.  Their flickering fires lit up the twilight, twinkling like fireflies, but now Lily knew how much more sinister those lights were. Each one represented a hand against them. Lily felt hopelessly outnumbered.  How many trolls can Edan gather? A troll might best four, maybe five Formorians?

Lily took a deep breath of cold air. The night was growing frosty and she shivered. She was thankful for Gran leaning against her back to keep her warm. Jude and Heather rode silently behind Gran, each one lost in their own thoughts.

“Dragon! Look there!” shouted Jude, pointing to a thick cloud bank ahead.

“I see it,” said Ironclaw. “It’s one of Kane’s storms, no doubt. Hang on tight.”

“You can go around?” asked Lily.

“Knell Castle is directly below us. The only way is through.”

Ironclaw’s head dipped lower and she seemed to flatten her wings against her sides, launching into a steep dive. Once in the clouds, a cold stinging ice hit Lily in the face. Lightning flashed, illuminating the gray clouds for a split second. They were not alone.

“Harpies!” cried Heather, as the dragon dodged one of the hideous bird women suddenly swirling around them.

“They’ll tell Kane,” said Gwendolyn.

“Ironclaw, don’t let them get away,” said Lily. The dragon nodded.

“I don’t intend to.”

Ironclaw changed course faster than Lily thought possible, spinning around to seize the closest harpy in her jaws. Its scream became a gurgle, turning Lily’s stomach. The dragon dropped its prey and went for the other harpy, which was flapping as fast as it could in fear. They were no match for a dragon. It was easily dispatched as well. Lily closed her eyes, cringing at the screams and the howling of the wind whipping her face.

A crash of thunder so loud and so close Lily’s hair stood up caused the dragon to dive again, so suddenly Lily thought Ironclaw must have been hit.  Heather screamed somewhere behind her. Lily dug her heels into the dragon’s shoulder, her nails into her neck, and fought her own panic.
“Oh mother, protect me,” she wished, wondering if they might actually die.