As I look back at the last few months, one thing has leapt out at me regarding my writing. I've been stuck on the same chapter of Imperfect Hope. In fact, I've been stuck on one scene in particular. Well, for what it's worth, I managed to close it out and start in on the next chapter. Interestingly, the words seemed to leap out of me when I started in on the new stuff.
That tells me a few things. One, I suspect the scene I was working on most grindingly will most likely get changed drastically when I go from draft to first rewrite. If I couldn't find the enthusiasm to finish it, chances are a reader will bog down as well. I opened up a window for inner critic to peek at it, and got some observations. The scene lacks drama and passion. It actually plays like a bad soap opera for much of it, the segments where Cerryn and Randir, recovering from the causeway fight, lay around the militia post meeting well wishers and... Ewwww. No wonder it bored me. I'm going to leave it in for now while I forge ahead, but I suspect I'll have a much more interesting take on it when I go back for rewrite. Something with a bit more urgency.
ANyway, Cerryn finally decided to take action, and chose to drag Randir's sorry butt back to D'oril so the healers there can figure out what's wrong with him. Little do they know that Min, that dastardly empire spy, has set into motion a plan to eliminate anyone who might be able to identify him, namely Randir, who is slipping in and out of a shadow coma because of Min's efforts to break the stalemate at the causeway. Randir, meanwhile, keeps forgetting to tell Cerryn that one of the visitors they had while he was semi conscious was the assassin who nearly killed her. Does this confuse you yet? Actually, it's setting into motion the core of the next few chapters, when Cerryn vows revenge on the assassin and goes after him alone, not realizing the peril she's in (and that Randir tried to warn her of). Ahh, the joy of a plot outline.....
A side note, with the writing logjam broken, I've thrown some ideas down on paper about Sha'te Valley, the short story. I don't want to break the momentum on IH yet, but when I need a break, I think I'll rough out a short story idea. It'll help me consolidate my thoughts on time lines in D'oril, anyway...
Our backyard owl's been visiting at night intermittantly. One of these nights when I hear him, I may just pull out the binoc's and see if I can spot him. Until then,
Clear skies,
Jim
That tells me a few things. One, I suspect the scene I was working on most grindingly will most likely get changed drastically when I go from draft to first rewrite. If I couldn't find the enthusiasm to finish it, chances are a reader will bog down as well. I opened up a window for inner critic to peek at it, and got some observations. The scene lacks drama and passion. It actually plays like a bad soap opera for much of it, the segments where Cerryn and Randir, recovering from the causeway fight, lay around the militia post meeting well wishers and... Ewwww. No wonder it bored me. I'm going to leave it in for now while I forge ahead, but I suspect I'll have a much more interesting take on it when I go back for rewrite. Something with a bit more urgency.
ANyway, Cerryn finally decided to take action, and chose to drag Randir's sorry butt back to D'oril so the healers there can figure out what's wrong with him. Little do they know that Min, that dastardly empire spy, has set into motion a plan to eliminate anyone who might be able to identify him, namely Randir, who is slipping in and out of a shadow coma because of Min's efforts to break the stalemate at the causeway. Randir, meanwhile, keeps forgetting to tell Cerryn that one of the visitors they had while he was semi conscious was the assassin who nearly killed her. Does this confuse you yet? Actually, it's setting into motion the core of the next few chapters, when Cerryn vows revenge on the assassin and goes after him alone, not realizing the peril she's in (and that Randir tried to warn her of). Ahh, the joy of a plot outline.....
A side note, with the writing logjam broken, I've thrown some ideas down on paper about Sha'te Valley, the short story. I don't want to break the momentum on IH yet, but when I need a break, I think I'll rough out a short story idea. It'll help me consolidate my thoughts on time lines in D'oril, anyway...
Our backyard owl's been visiting at night intermittantly. One of these nights when I hear him, I may just pull out the binoc's and see if I can spot him. Until then,
Clear skies,
Jim
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