Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Plotbust

Well, I didn't get as many words down as I'd planned today. I finally hit the wall hard, which is part of the process. I knew I could sit and write, but that I was drifting off course. These are the days that I dread, but that I also need. Every project of mine hits a phase where it is half formed and in need of a miracle to pull all the threads together.

The way I deal with this is to talk to my husband, or sometimes to Char. Today it was my husband. I always need a non-writer's point of view on what they think the story is about in order for me to re-focus and get the plot to come together. Trevor focused on one of the relatively minor characters, and in talking about them and fleshing them out, the rest of the story came clear. By giving this character more face time and more personality, the whole rest of the plot slots into place around what they have to say.

It is now later in the evening than I wanted it to be, and no doubt later than Trevor wanted to go to bed, so it often goes. It still feels good when the gears finally engage. There will no doubt be other hiccups as I finish out the second half of the book, but this, I suspect, was the big one (famous last words?)

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