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Is it the end?
I have so, so, so so nearly finished the Swedish story (or the main draft, at any rate). I'm just struggling with the final sentences, which don't seem to fit at well as they were supposed to -- not a good sign, since that's the only ending I've got, and otherwise it just trails away :-(
I really ought to be more excited, but I'm not terribly happy with this whole epilogue, and haven't been all that happy with a lot of the preceding chapters, so I have a nagging feeling that the end of this story doesn't live up to the very promising beginning. And I'm very much in two minds about whether adding in Lancard's sister Gilberte as a new character in the final chapter is a good idea -- the intention was to bring Lancard back for the finale rather than just dropping him (as Kulla has effectively been dropped at the end of the last chapter, after all Christine's rhapsodizing over her), but in fact he has been communicating with Raoul by telegram, appearing alongside him in the parade, etc., and could probably be contrived to do so without the introduction of his sister, who feels a bit extraneous. (We also have Raoul's sister Valentine showing up and receiving characterisation at the very last minute, but that seems more organic somehow. But two previously-unseen characters making onstage appearances at the eleventh hour seems a bit overwhelming to the reader...)
The epilogue is currently seven pages at circa 525 words/page, which means I can afford to omit a page or two if it comes to it. I just don't know.
And I needn't have worried about pens and fillers -- somebody smashed into me when I was walking home writing the other day and knocked the pen out of my hand, damaging the nib irretrievably on the pavement :-(
That was my 'new' steel pen, so now I'm back on the original one with its previously-damaged nib, and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth investing in that any further at all.
I really ought to be more excited, but I'm not terribly happy with this whole epilogue, and haven't been all that happy with a lot of the preceding chapters, so I have a nagging feeling that the end of this story doesn't live up to the very promising beginning. And I'm very much in two minds about whether adding in Lancard's sister Gilberte as a new character in the final chapter is a good idea -- the intention was to bring Lancard back for the finale rather than just dropping him (as Kulla has effectively been dropped at the end of the last chapter, after all Christine's rhapsodizing over her), but in fact he has been communicating with Raoul by telegram, appearing alongside him in the parade, etc., and could probably be contrived to do so without the introduction of his sister, who feels a bit extraneous. (We also have Raoul's sister Valentine showing up and receiving characterisation at the very last minute, but that seems more organic somehow. But two previously-unseen characters making onstage appearances at the eleventh hour seems a bit overwhelming to the reader...)
The epilogue is currently seven pages at circa 525 words/page, which means I can afford to omit a page or two if it comes to it. I just don't know.
And I needn't have worried about pens and fillers -- somebody smashed into me when I was walking home writing the other day and knocked the pen out of my hand, damaging the nib irretrievably on the pavement :-(
That was my 'new' steel pen, so now I'm back on the original one with its previously-damaged nib, and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth investing in that any further at all.