It’s been about five days since when I was supposed to be reading Avatar and now, yet, I still haven’t done it yet. I’ve been too busy obsessing over the niggling details that I feel are keeping my story out of publication (damn that editor guy). Mostly the ending. From what I remember about my critiques, about half thought it was too “deus ex machina” and the other half didn’t say anything, so I’m tyring to think of something more significant, something more resonant. But everything I come up with still reeks of some third party coming in and fixing everything. I can’t figure out how to end it that sounds good, and keeps with my theme of working together (and so it doesn’t sound like the ending to every Disney sports movie ever). I’ve tried thinking of sacrifices, magic spells, interference, I’ve tried looking at the ending of all the movies I’ve seen recently (you ever realized the three endings of Lord of the Rings end very Deus Ex Machina too? Gandalf comes riding in, Aragorn avoids fighting the massive army because the ring manages to get destroyed). Just nothing’s clicking for me, and it’s depressing. Maybe that’s why I’ve been avoiding it, I’m too scared of what I’ll see. I’ll realize that the story really sucks and sending out would mean the end of my career. (“Jesus, this makes the Eye of Argon look like Dickens.”)
Writers are notoriously needy, can’t you tell?
