Razor Mountain Development Journal — Chapter 33

This is part of an ongoing series where I’m documenting the development of my serial novel, Razor Mountain.

You can find my spoiler-free journals for each chapter, my spoiler-heavy pre-production journals, and the book itself over at the Razor Mountain landing page.

No More Mysteries

There once was a show called LOST. This show was designed around a firehose of mysteries that were blasted at its rabid fanbase in a technique that its creator, J. J. Abrams, called the “mystery box.” Then he went off to become the king of the nerds by directing films in the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises, irritating fans from both. Meanwhile, the remaining writers continued creating mysteries at breakneck pace until the entire show collapsed under the weight of them. The ending of LOST held the title for most unsatisfying finale of a popular TV show for several years, until Game of Thrones came along.

Which is all to say that when I first began this book, I knew I wanted to create a mystery box that started with nothing but questions and ended by fully resolving every last one. Here in the penultimate chapter, we’ve reached that point. Christopher’s childhood trauma and the nature of the oracles were the last two things on my checklist. Now all the cards are on the table.

I’m under no delusions. I know that it was dangerous to save the most science-fictiony elements of the story for the very end. I hope it feels right after everything that led up to this point. I hope they’re fun, and not irritating. The last thing I want to do is pull a LOST.

The Emotional Center

This chapter is also the final reckoning. Christopher has no more distractions. He’s dying (well, sort of) and he has to sit with that. All of the external conflicts have been resolved. Even when he does his best to pick a fight with Cain, he gets nowhere.

The tension that remains is internal. It’s not even between Christopher and God-Speaker. They share the same fear—the fear that most of us have, to some extent or another—the fear of death. This is the connecting thread throughout the book. God-Speaker is too far gone. He’s trapped by his fear in an endless cycle. Christopher might not be.

It’s Easy Again

A lot of writers seem to agree that the middle of a book is the hardest part to write. In the beginning, everything is new and exciting. It doesn’t matter if some things aren’t quite clear yet, because there’s the whole rest of the book to take care of them. Then the middle comes along, and all of those problems and plot holes and difficult connections between plot point A and Z become very apparent. Even with extensive outlining, I felt that in this book.

As I’ve approached the end though, those problems have slowly fallen away. I know what I have to do, and it’s just a matter of doing it to the best of my ability. I’ve got a clear mark to hit for the final chapter, and a wide-open path to get there.

Writing isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s a slog. In these final chapters, it’s been easy and it’s been fun. I’ll be done soon, and have something I can call a book with a straight face. Sure, there will be editing, but that’s a whole new adventure. I can’t wait to go back and read the whole thing, to see what worked and what didn’t quite work, and figure out how to smooth it out and polish it.

In the past, I haven’t always been very good at enjoying the writing when it came easy. This time, I’m making sure to appreciate it.

Next Time

It’s hard to believe it, but Chapter 34 is the end. Join me next week for the conclusion of Razor Mountain.