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jajalalaThe trials and travails I mentioned in my previous post about my current writing project (werewolves+vampires in space) continue...
I thought adjusting some things and committing to a unique location was going to fix my meandering problem, but I ended up writing myself into another hole... I outlined to some degree, but part of my outline was pretty much "figure out what happens so [X] can happen!" and then I got there and was like... "HMMM...."
Once I got to sort-of the final fight scene of this larger section, I sat down to write it and when pausing to think about the mechanics, I asked myself "What does this fight scene provide? What is it pushing forward? How can it be unique and tell us something about the characters?" and somehow every way I rotated it all I could think was that it was convoluted and unnecessary and I didn't want to write it, but having no final fight there was unrealistic, and oof... Suddenly I had to confront the fact that despite my efforts, the direction I chose for this section was unstructured and messy and rife with issues caused by me just saying to myself "I'll figure out when I get there."
(May be excessive detail for anyone other than me, but I love documenting my process so.)
The larger section I'm working with is the Vampire Planet section which fills a middle third of the plot (the novel is divided into three--werewolf, vampire, then human planet). My large goals are: (1) Hint at and reveal Vampire Main Character's history (2) Showcase vampire culture in this universe and on this planet specifically (3) A key scene involving a chase that leads into a makeout and a bite.
I struggled for awhile to justify the main characters moving through this planet in the way I needed them to for all that... then when I sat and decided to push something unique and connectable, I came up with adding in a new character who they develop a connection with, and a reason for them to go to an amusement park to find some underground group. The amusement park aspect took a few iterations, but I was able to make the key attraction into a labyrinth haunted house with lore that doubled as general universe-building as to why vampires/werewolves exist in this universe.
Then from there they find a secret entrance to an underground group, and at first I had a formal structure with a receptionist and shit. Then I was like "NO fuck that this is a Party Planet, I gotta let them do a party", so I deleted that bit and revamped it into a club scene where they get caught by people from the Vampire MC's past which kicks off a whole fight and chase thing.
I liked it alright, but then while I was writing the escape which took them up through the labyrinth haunted house again, I started to realize just how convoluted everything was... so many elements were the way they were "just 'cause" and didn't really make sense, and the justification for things was so weak... and when they finally get the full way out, I found my enthusiasm for the final getaway fight was so weak since the foundations were so weak.
After thinking on it awhile, I created a new outline to streamline a bunch of things. The new outline will give a little more action/opportunity for that new character they meet to feature, and makes his knowledge/connections more logical. This will also take out the whole amusement park thing out and just more straightforwardly have them going to clubs and "bitehouses" (where humans go to get bitten by vampires and likely have a sexy time) which will showcase the particular unique aspect of this planet more fully. There was also a hint about their missing human friend that I intended to throw in towards the end of the section to lead them to a surprise little twist, but by moving the hint earlier I'll be able to use it to guide them through those clubs/bitehouses, instead of them just being carried from scene A to scene B, they can be more proactively chasing down that lead.
Unfortunately this means a large portion I had written (AKA the past 3-4 chapters) is kind of convoluted shit that I have to throw out or heavily edit. I'm especially mourning the universe-building story I had slipped into the amusement park attraction, which I think will be clumsy to try and insert elsewhere. There were also some character backstories and hints that flowed nicely which definitely can't come up the same way anymore...
UGGGGH I've made some notes and am going to work through what I have to make it fit this new outline. I've already deleted pretty much the whole amusement park section, and have done some editing in the first chapter I needed to in order to establish the initial hint that guides them. Next up is a chapter that is primarily discussion with the new character, which I think can keep a decent amount, but will have to edit/delete/add some stuff in the latter half to apply to this new direction instead of the amusement park. I might be able to save some of the scene where they confront people from Vampire MC's past, but after that I'll have to write a new chase scene, and potentially a new makeout+bite (tho I'm tempted to see if I can save pieces of the one I wrote prior, I don't really need an excuse to write a new makeout+bite scene... hehehe writing sexy bits is the one thing that I will never drag my feet on <3)
So I've got a lot of throwing stuff out and editing for the past 3-4 chapters to do :'(. Alas, it will make the story stronger.
I'm going to do my best to learn from this for the third section... Right now the third section's outline is literally just like, a few lines. Before I dive into it, I better really properly flesh out the outline so I don't end up writing myself into a corner and having to throw a bunch of stuff out again.
But hey! That's a Future Me problem! My current problem is to handle this section... I'll deal with the rest later :D
I thought adjusting some things and committing to a unique location was going to fix my meandering problem, but I ended up writing myself into another hole... I outlined to some degree, but part of my outline was pretty much "figure out what happens so [X] can happen!" and then I got there and was like... "HMMM...."
Once I got to sort-of the final fight scene of this larger section, I sat down to write it and when pausing to think about the mechanics, I asked myself "What does this fight scene provide? What is it pushing forward? How can it be unique and tell us something about the characters?" and somehow every way I rotated it all I could think was that it was convoluted and unnecessary and I didn't want to write it, but having no final fight there was unrealistic, and oof... Suddenly I had to confront the fact that despite my efforts, the direction I chose for this section was unstructured and messy and rife with issues caused by me just saying to myself "I'll figure out when I get there."
(May be excessive detail for anyone other than me, but I love documenting my process so.)
The larger section I'm working with is the Vampire Planet section which fills a middle third of the plot (the novel is divided into three--werewolf, vampire, then human planet). My large goals are: (1) Hint at and reveal Vampire Main Character's history (2) Showcase vampire culture in this universe and on this planet specifically (3) A key scene involving a chase that leads into a makeout and a bite.
I struggled for awhile to justify the main characters moving through this planet in the way I needed them to for all that... then when I sat and decided to push something unique and connectable, I came up with adding in a new character who they develop a connection with, and a reason for them to go to an amusement park to find some underground group. The amusement park aspect took a few iterations, but I was able to make the key attraction into a labyrinth haunted house with lore that doubled as general universe-building as to why vampires/werewolves exist in this universe.
Then from there they find a secret entrance to an underground group, and at first I had a formal structure with a receptionist and shit. Then I was like "NO fuck that this is a Party Planet, I gotta let them do a party", so I deleted that bit and revamped it into a club scene where they get caught by people from the Vampire MC's past which kicks off a whole fight and chase thing.
I liked it alright, but then while I was writing the escape which took them up through the labyrinth haunted house again, I started to realize just how convoluted everything was... so many elements were the way they were "just 'cause" and didn't really make sense, and the justification for things was so weak... and when they finally get the full way out, I found my enthusiasm for the final getaway fight was so weak since the foundations were so weak.
After thinking on it awhile, I created a new outline to streamline a bunch of things. The new outline will give a little more action/opportunity for that new character they meet to feature, and makes his knowledge/connections more logical. This will also take out the whole amusement park thing out and just more straightforwardly have them going to clubs and "bitehouses" (where humans go to get bitten by vampires and likely have a sexy time) which will showcase the particular unique aspect of this planet more fully. There was also a hint about their missing human friend that I intended to throw in towards the end of the section to lead them to a surprise little twist, but by moving the hint earlier I'll be able to use it to guide them through those clubs/bitehouses, instead of them just being carried from scene A to scene B, they can be more proactively chasing down that lead.
Unfortunately this means a large portion I had written (AKA the past 3-4 chapters) is kind of convoluted shit that I have to throw out or heavily edit. I'm especially mourning the universe-building story I had slipped into the amusement park attraction, which I think will be clumsy to try and insert elsewhere. There were also some character backstories and hints that flowed nicely which definitely can't come up the same way anymore...
UGGGGH I've made some notes and am going to work through what I have to make it fit this new outline. I've already deleted pretty much the whole amusement park section, and have done some editing in the first chapter I needed to in order to establish the initial hint that guides them. Next up is a chapter that is primarily discussion with the new character, which I think can keep a decent amount, but will have to edit/delete/add some stuff in the latter half to apply to this new direction instead of the amusement park. I might be able to save some of the scene where they confront people from Vampire MC's past, but after that I'll have to write a new chase scene, and potentially a new makeout+bite (tho I'm tempted to see if I can save pieces of the one I wrote prior, I don't really need an excuse to write a new makeout+bite scene... hehehe writing sexy bits is the one thing that I will never drag my feet on <3)
So I've got a lot of throwing stuff out and editing for the past 3-4 chapters to do :'(. Alas, it will make the story stronger.
I'm going to do my best to learn from this for the third section... Right now the third section's outline is literally just like, a few lines. Before I dive into it, I better really properly flesh out the outline so I don't end up writing myself into a corner and having to throw a bunch of stuff out again.
But hey! That's a Future Me problem! My current problem is to handle this section... I'll deal with the rest later :D
no subject
Date: 2024-03-27 07:01 pm (UTC)This sounds like a rough time. Good luck sorting it out. It's so tough when the plot doesn't seem to flow/happen naturally enough. I hope the lessons learnt are helpful for the third section!
no subject
Date: 2024-03-31 03:37 am (UTC)Thank you!! I hope I get it sorted eventually.... and that I can apply the lessons to the third section!!