Monday 27 August 2012

Written myself into a corner.

One of the benefits of writing with no pre-set plot is that I can go wherever, and do whatever I like. Sometimes, however that comes back to bite me. Like now.

   I've been furiously writing Kongomato 2 whilst my kind beta readers are ingesting Hoodies 2. Now I've written myself into a sticky plot problem.

   I have to find something for my characters to do for twenty eight days. That wouldn't be a problem ordinarily but it wouldn't do much to keep the reader riveted.

   Easy, you might say. Go back and change it. Well I can't. I'm stuck with it now since book number one is out. It wasn't a mistake in the first novel and has only come to light since I'm writing a sequel; which I never intended to do.

   I'll work it out. The thing is, how to do it without the whole thing becoming tedious. I'll have to kill off some people in technicolour detail but I don't want the reader to know that I'm doing it for that reason.

   In an SF novel the laws of physics would be mine to play with as I saw fit. However this isn't SF.

   I like to fancy myself as a writer so I'll just have to work it out.

11 comments:

  1. Awe...the problem of a panster. I'm one, too.

    Hugs,
    Shelly

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  2. Ugh, sounds like the difficult road to me. I'd be all for deleting that part and yelling 'oops.'
    Seriously, I know it will end up a great read.

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    1. Can't do it. a little creative engineering is called for. I can always just slaughter people.

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    2. Works so well from your writing. Um, a little hard on the eyes, but yes, slaughtering brings action.

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  3. Do you need him to be out of the plot completely during those 28 days? If so, road accident (motorbike?) coma – Bobs your uncle! OK shoot me now, but maybe it could work??

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    1. Cracked it I think.Can't tell you more, or it would ruin the new one.

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  4. I had trouble with my prequel because it had these big chunks of time. Luckily the book covered a year and a half so i could skip about, and then I added some random subplots with side characters.

    Hmmmmm. Maybe the coma could work? Or is it just that you have to fill up 28 days until a big event happens? if so death is always good :) Or how about "28 days later..." LOL!

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    1. No, I've been working on it all day, much to the chagrin of my boss. Think I've got it.

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  5. This is why I'm glad that I always feel like the character write for me. I just follow their lead and they don't leave me in corners. I say, don't think about it. Let the characters tell you what they are doing during that time. Sometimes thinking too much just gets in the way of the story. Let go and see where it takes you. Hopefully, it won't be into another corner. ;)

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  6. You're right. I've let them take the lead and I think I'm working through it.

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