Every manuscript is its own creature. Some stories are upfront, divulging so much information your fingers can’t type fast enough.
The first draft of Pierce My Heart, a meager 15K, was meant to be a concise introduction to the fae and their world. But my crit group pointed out that I could do one of two things: Scale back the conflict and keep it short, or dig into a more complex plot and expand.
I chose to expand. Pierce My Heart weaves together a dark, gritty who-done-it and a love story. Lithe and Garien’s potential romance is fraught with conflicts, namely, Lithe’s status as an outsider. Lithe’s chief conflict is a struggle within herself to face and accept who she is. The murder that she and Garien must solve serves as an external reminder of that conflict and why she can’t give herself to Garien.
When I sat down to write draft two, something strange happened with this story.
It sort of, well, opened up, and blew apart. It went from a tight little story to this nebulous creature I can’t pin down.
And strangest of all, I can’t shake the feeling that my characters—or the story itself—are hiding something from me.
There are several things of which I am sure:
1. This is a good story with plenty of potential. The pieces are there, even if I can’t figure out how they fit together.
2. The issue is one of form and structure.
3. I am overlooking something, and it will drive me crazy until I figure out what.
4. I am capable of figuring out what that something is.
So, fellow writers, have you been there? What do you do when a story enters the nebula, when you feel like you’re missing something but you don’t know what? How do you help the manuscript find or retake its shape?
A few days ago, I mentioned on Twitter that my “creative mojo” appeared to be missing. Debra Krager (@debrakristi) sagely advised: “You need a mojo lifter? Maybe a weekend off. Do something different and fun to find it.” She also blogged about this very subject here. (Timing really is everything.)
Somehow I have to work this weekend (day-job stuff). I’m not thrilled, but deadlines are deadlines, and no one’s going to hold the presses so I can have some fun.
But heck, maybe I’ll squeeze it in anyway. Perhaps a dose of silly creativity will give me the jolt I need to put the pieces together.
*Originally posted at http://janellemadigan.com. Comments welcome at either location.*
- Current Mood:
frustrated
Comments
I write simple stories with definable beginnings, middles & ends; natural settings & real world characters. Nevertheless, my abiding fear is over-writing. I am constantly having to rein myself in.
I can't imagine the challenge presented by the complexity of fantasy!
That said, I'm convinced that overwriting is the enemy of every writer. Whatever genre we choose, the trick is to keep within certain parameters. However complex our stories, we have to find a way to stay in control.
I vote for silly creativity. A break & coming back armed with your eagle eye & a determination to root out your hidden 'something.'
May your Muse be with you!
Good luck with your stories!
I completely agree that staying in control of our writing, and being leary of overwriting are crucial. How to stay in control is another matter entirely ;O)
BTW, I love the sound of Pierce My Heart! I'm such a sucker for fantasies with a whodunit angle, and Lithe and Garien's conflict seems so intriguing. Good luck getting this manuscript to "retake its shape," as you say!:)
Hope the doodles/music/poetry are able to help you with your writing!
As for how I'm approaching the problem of knowing the pieces are there in what's on the page so far in my first draft, but that they're not quite right yet, that I may be missing something. Well, I've spent some time getting what I've written into a slightly better shape, and have done some Big Thinking about it all, which has thrown up a few solutions. For now, however, I'm resigned to the fact that I just need to keep making forward progress in the hope that the missing elements will make themselves known as I the story grows. I'm also trusting that what already exists of the WIP will find a better shape once there is more of it, and if not, then I'll be doing some more Big Thinking further down the line.
Essentially, I'm trying not to let my current knot bog me down, trying to trust that my creative brain will decide to cooperate at some point. The answers are in there somewhere. And if they still haven't emerged, then I'll be getting down to some serious brainstorming, asking lots of 'what ifs' of the WIP, coming up with as many alternatives as possible, squeezing my brain until it lands on the right thing for the book.
Good luck with finding your way out of the nebula!
Hope it helps to un-stick you.