Retrograde motion

[truepenny]

DL(2): -2,053 words

Sat down this afternoon and thrashed out why Chapter Six of DL is making me so cranky. And, as is the way of such things, as soon as I'd written the question, I knew the answer. I'd brainwashed myself into following my old plot outline, which was creaky and implausible. So I'm going back to the last point that felt right, and trying again.

I feel much better for having figured that out. I apologize for being excessively grumpy the past couple days; it's how I get when the writing goes bad. Which isn't an excuse, but is a piece of cause and effect I'm still trying to get used to. Such are the myriad wonders of the human mind.

Comments

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

In this particular case, given that this is book 2 and book 3 is already written, I can't go anywhere too different. But it's going to be a quite different path, and the place we're ending up is not quite the same, either.

I think I said something about my process in some earlier conversation, because I have a vague sensation that I'm repeating myself. However, it's what works: I asked myself what the section must do, in this case, two character things and two plot things and one thematic/world thing. And I went back and looked at the scene I had written, and the scene I was trying to write, and realized that all the fiddly plot things that I was having so much trouble with were things that I didn't need. They were just clouding the issue. So I took 'em all out and hopefully today will start rebuilding.

And it will be longer. Almost certainly.