A Bit of a Conundrum

Ah, another reason there hasn't been anything new in a while -- I've managed to write myself into a fair-sized corner in My Wife, Her Slave and a little bit of one in Getting Needled.

In the former, it's a case of a couple of different story arcs that were originally well laid out (or so I thought), but now are conflicting with each other, so I have to deal with twining them together in a manner that makes sense. I think I can see a way through the brambles, but I may have to write a couple of chapters before I can make sure they make sense and I can publish them. In the other case, it was a matter of a new character that kind of snuck into the storyline and now I have to figure out the best way to deal with them.

Of course, in all of this, work hasn't been helping out so there have been other conflicting priorities to deal with.

Hang in there. New words are coming. I promise.

MH

Not a problem MH. I figured that that boss of yours was keeping the shoulder to the wheel and the nose to the grindstone. Now that you have written yourself into a veritable corner, I have no doubt that you will prevail and come out with an excellent story.

As for Needled, the acquisition of a new character isn't usually, a stumbling block, but you 'knew exactly' where you wanted things to go and suddenly the story thumbed it nose at you and now is giggling in the background. Just take your time and do what you feel is right.

Thanks for the update in any case and I do hope the weather up there has not curtailed your actual work!!!!

I'll be awaiting your result......

Les

Yeah, it's always a problem when one of your characters suddenly takes over the narrative. There you are, merrily writing along when all of a sudden, someone says something unexpected or does something potentially out of character. And then you're off and running down some kind of tangent and the story takes a left turn. Before you know it, you've got a thousand words that actually make a great story, but now you've got to accommodate them in the flow of the arc.

Since I write in scenes and not in a straight line, this kind of trap can happen. I've got great scenes developed, but they don't fit with where the story now exists, so I need to fill in the gaps and make it all work. At least I'm not alone in that regard. I saw an interview with Diana Gabaldon, author of the great Outlander novels—she said that she writes the same way: visualize scenes, write then down, then figure out a storyline that strings them all together into a linear narrative that makes sense.

I remember when I first got the idea for The Benefits of Friends—I had actually written the title, then spent weeks trying to think of a story to go with it. Then the main character started talking and I couldn't get the words down fast enough. I think I actually wrote the first four chapters in a non-stop stream. That's the reason why the two protagonists had no names. I was actually at the end of those chapters and when I looked back I realized I hadn't named them, but the story was working perfectly. That's when I decided to use it as a literary device and to see how far I could go without naming them.

A similar thing happened with The Day My Life Changed. I wrote about three chapters of that in a mad rush, and I actually had to go back and make sure they had names. I keep getting myself into trouble that way when I write in the first person. When you write in the third person, it pretty much requires that you name everyone. But that still doesn't keep me from going off in a weird direction when one of my characters just takes over the story.

Ahh well, I'll get it fixed somehow.

MH

I tried to comment yesterday but I have been blacklisted????? I sure am for you and don't spam at any time.....I guess this will be my last try....

Les

That problem should now be fixed. Please try it again and see if things are okay.

Excellent MH! Sorry that I caused a problem to your busy schedule. I will try to be more careful.....Les