Was thinking about the NR sequel. I don't know what the ending is. I don't have the greatest endings in the world, being a character-driven author who has zero problem leaving things hanging. In fact, I prefer to leave some things hanging. It's like real life, or like a Degas painting. It feels more honest to my characters, and I have a big hangup about being honest to my characters.

However, I sense that I am missing a huge chunk of this story, if I don't know what the final bit needs to be about. I know the MC has a problem with responsibility. He doesn't like it. He avoids and even hates people who represent responsibility and facing the consequences of your action. I know one big thing he avoids, and I already have the scene sketched out where he faces it. But I'm thinking that's not the ending. It doesn't feel like an ending, but a big step on the way to the ending.

I also have this plot thread involving the stray from NR. That's a plot thread, literally, and I am horrible with plotting. I'm trying to learn how to do it, but am struggling. The whole swordfighting thing was supposed to be me learning how to plot, but right now it (the swordfighting thing) is a hybrid of my usual character-thematic stuff and plotting. And it may not even be working. I may have failed at it.

So, is this thread about the stray the key point that builds to the ending of the new story? Is it a plotting device to keep the reader reading while I enjoy wallowing in character betweentimes? Or is it leftovers from NR that need to be cut? I don't know. I don't want to rehash the same old stuff from NR; been there, done that. But is it possible for me to learn to intertwine a plot thread with a character thread, and make a story work? Or does the plot thread have something to do with the theme of responsibility, something that I'm not seeing?

Is this thing even ready to be written?

H*ll if I know.