Writing: the last fourth

I’ve been working on the third Fallen Angels novel for the last few months.  I’m always excited when I start a book.  The ideas and characters tumble out of my head, chatter about what they want to do, and create new scenes to add to my plot points.  The middle usually starts out good, slows, and then drags as I try to juggle the main plot and subplots, tensions and conflicts, but this time–and it’s rare, so I plan to celebrate–the story just kept zooming ahead.  The characters kept surprising me, and I’ve found myself at the last fourth of the story.  This time, I’m going to dig in my heels.  I usually hit this point and everything in the story begins to snowball until scenes–already set in motion–tumble, gaining momentum, to the last page.  I’m notorious for rushing my endings.  But the big, final battle–whatever it is in any novel– is what the entire book has built to.  It’s the pay-off for all the struggles authors have put their protagonists and main characters through.  It needs to be at least long enough to be satisfying, so I’m going to be cognizant of that.  I’m going to SLOW DOWN.  And hopefully, the first draft will be finished by the end of the month.  But if not, so be it.  It will be finished when the story’s reached The End.