Almost every rule in writing should end with the phrase ‘…unless you are a genius with a large fan base.’ I may find examples of writers who broke the rule I want to break, but that rarely leads me to successfully breaking it myself. I find they aren’t really rules at all, but instead straightjackets that keep us from hurting ourselves.

Writing a satisfying story in which the view point or main character dies in the end is the sort of straightjacket some much published, genius writers have managed to escape. This isn’t something I would recommend to a beginner writer.

‘Diary of Anne Frank’? It is definitely her first book, and the view point character dies in the end. There is valid argument as to whether it is a novel or not, but I think that it would be a valuable read in figuring out how to appeal to the audience. 

‘Spy Who Came In From The Cold’ is a ‘first’* book by an author who has gone on to become very famous. The book won a lot of awards. It’s a very good book to emulate.  John le Carré’s prose got a lot more murky in his later books and, alas, even more of a genius. I was already addicted by then.

How about ‘Flowers for Algernon’? Opps, the Wiki site says that he only regressed back to an IQ of 68. I had been sure he, like the rat, had died from the experimental treatment.

And then there’s Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’. The viewpoint character definitely dies and the audience is definitely relieved by it.

And the book with the ending only the soft hearted call ambiguous - Podkayne of Mars.

You also might look at examples where the main character dies in the middle – such as in Dickens’s ‘The Olde Curiosity Shop’. That one is worth reading along with the history regarding the distribution. It sort of puts the Harry Potter craze in historical perspective.

Oh, and the 'Illiad'. Most of the main characters die in it. Most of the rest die in the sequal.

I suppose I can toss in ‘Lovely Bones’. A viewpoint character is dead all the way through it, and even has her death scene. Again – genius.

* All the published writers I know have 6 to 12 manuscripts in a bottom drawer somewhere. Their ‘first’ novel is almost always merely the first that was publishable. It could be that by writing this story you are filling up the required space in that bottom drawer so that another, future, book is made possible. This is a GOOD thing.

In the end, stick to the golden straightjacket of writing - “Always write the book you need to write.”

Ok -
7,000 words in one sitting is good.
7,000 words at 3:00 AM Monday morning and having to get up for work at 6:00 AM is not good.

Drated Muse.

Up at 5975 now, although it's after midnight so I guess that's day three.

Here's my synopsis -
Lillianna successfully thwarts what she imagines is the first step to a forced marriage, but in doing so, destroys the lives of the man she seduces and the woman who loves him. She is banished from her family’s metropolitan estate to live with an aunt in an austere academic community. Her narcissist attitudes erode as she’s caught in the intrigues surrounding unimaginably ancient artifacts and first contact with galactic civilization.

Favorite line today -
Lillianna slumped back in her chair. “People get really over excited about such little things.”

*snip*
 And I never understood that amazing research tool---the cow with a window.  Yes, necessary, but I really didn't need to know that!

So, this is where we fit in Defenestration? That sounds... messy?

Gastroturgy

Oh, by the way. I dug through some old books to find several interesting words, and kept looking until I found one that did not show up on Google. Evil, evil evil.

Defenestrate.

In a thread from way back when somebody else on this board--I can't remember who--posted this as their favorite word. It's now one of my favorites as well. 

This is one of my favorite words, too. Danged if I know why it's so popular!

I’m going to do NaNo this year. I’ve gone to a couple pre-writing meetings, met with people over coffee, done some pre-work. I have a title, synopsis, and opening paragraphs. I have a pretty good idea of my main character’s voice, and what several minor characters are like. I’m doing great on the setting!

…and


…and


…and now I have this other idea.

Arg.