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I'm about halfway through my novel (~70,750 words) and I'm just stuck on this one scene that I thought might take a page and a half, but has stretched to more than four pages!
You know that thing where the characters take your well thought-out plot and just trash it? Well, that's what's happening to me. My highwayman character just decided he wants to catch up on old times with his long-lost friend, my main character.
The scene was supposed to go like this: main characters travel, accosted by highwayman who happens to be one of them's best friend, they are released unharmed and continue on their way. My characters made it a lot more complicated, possibly unnecessarily so.
I don't want to scrap the scene; I worked hard on it. I don't want to save it and rewrite it and compare the two versions; I want to make the plot progress.
What should I do?
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You need to decide if this deviation is relevant to progressing or enhancing the plot. If you're unsure
sometimes the best thing to do is keep going and revise it at a later date, probably when you're done.
Once you have the story down and finished you can worry about things like this. For now keep writing but
don't let your characters take over.
Sticking to the plot and going with what feels right is a balance that all writers need to find but remember
that you're writing the book for the reader, not yourself, and that gratuitous expansion, while good for
you to help you understand your characters better, often does nothing for those reading those details.
Good luck and happy writing.
JD | JD Higginson [428] | 28/04/2009 |
Thanks, JD. I needed to hear that. | zion613 [323] | 28/04/2009 |
You're welcome. I don't pretend to be an expert but feel free to contact me if you want help with anything.
JD | JD Higginson [428] | 28/04/2009 |
JD is right. You say that it should only have been a page and a Half. With the expected 140,000 or so
words, the extra pages hardly make much difference to the word count.
It is not a criticism but the word you want to achieve is often frowned upon by the many publishers, unless
you intend going it alone. It is long for a novel and short for an epic.
I know there are exceptions and it also depends on how riveting the story is. However, publishers tend
to 'like' novels between 70,000 to 100,000.
The best thing I feel, is to go with your heart and keep writing it. When it is complete, put it away
for a while and edit ruthlessly. Take out all the bits and pieces, (including dialogue), that don't move
the story along. The story is a journey from A to B. How you get there doesn't matter so long it goes
forward.
Reiner | Reiner [149] | 28/04/2009 |
Wow, you're saying I already have too much. I'm going to have to do a lot of cutting - I'm told that's
the hardest part.
So I'll do as you said and just keep writing. I keep forgetting that it doesn't have to be perfect until
I'm ready to submit it for publication.
Thanks so much! | zion613 [323] | 28/04/2009 |
I'm on 130k so far spread over 3 'books' - the closest thing that by novel has to chapters. At tfe moment
I'm editing and seeing where it gets me. Hopefully it'll be at a practical length but we'll see.
JD | JD Higginson [428] | 28/04/2009 |
Good luck to you! ;) | zion613 [323] | 29/04/2009 |
Ack! Hate when that happens. I had mine dig me into a whole at 98,000 words. Slap 'em in line. LOL.
Seriously though, sometimes that little jaunt can be a good thing, other times it can be deadly. But,
you won't be able to see it until it's written. Just keep going. | Shadowwritr [33] | 09/05/2009 |
>>> I don't want to scrap the scene; I worked hard on it. I don't want to save it and rewrite
it and compare the two versions; I want to make the plot progress.
................
When I got back my manuscript from the editor, I gritted my teeth and took a very deep breath. On some
comments, I hated it, some, I liked. I worked hard on a particular scene. The ed said take it out. It
was irrelevant. I pounded on that 'delete' key so hard , even the fish stopped swimming.
I'd say, if you're not happy with it, perhaps let another set of eyes look at it. Meanwhile, move on
to the next plot and come back to it when you're more inclined to fix or discard. | Grampa Pogi [512] | 11/07/2009 |
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