A storm of consequences

[pjthompson]

I had plans to get a lot of revising done this weekend. Alas.

I'm at that stage of the revision where I'm cringing a lot. I breezed through chapters 1 and 2 with minimal cringing. Really, they were in pretty good shape—some horrible infodumps, but those were fairly easy to hack away at. And it afforded a good opportunity to bring an element from the ending into the front part of the ms., something that explains a key component of my worldbuilding. It's an intentional bleed through of things that are part of this Earth, the one we live in, and those things threw at least one beta off quite badly. If that was the case, I figured other readers might be thrown off, too. I remembered something that matociquala once said: don't save it all up for the big surprise ending if it confuses the rest of the story. Put it all out there on the page up front.

I suspect I'm paraphrasing rather badly, and from ancient memory at that, but I thought it very sound advice.

Chapters 3 and 4, however, have not been a happy experience. Not just because of more turgid infodumps (though, aye matey, thar be plenty o' those to run aground on). I found a plot hole that I hadn't noticed before. None of betas mentioned it so perhaps I finessed it, but I'm confident that if I don't fix it now it will some day come back bite me on the endpoint. I rearranged some things and thought I'd smoothed it, but I realized when rereading this afternoon that no—no, no. It's going to require me to rethink some things, work out some other things that I didn't think I'd have to bother with until the next book in the trilogy.

It's okay, it will be okay. I knew I'd have to do a certain amount of restructuring, especially the drifty middle, and I'd been positively dreading chapter 5. It was a mess when I wrote it and didn't ever get much better. Many betas choked on this chapter, as I was fairly certain they would. This rethinking may allow me to smooth that and make it less of "Main Character walks around taking a worldbuilding tour." I might actually be able to put some plot purpose into that chapter along with the ooo shiny new things.

So I'm asking myself a series of questions about this plot hole and about this worldbuilding aspect I'd ignored. I've come up with some answers already, all to the good. Other things will take more brainstorming, both conscious and unconscious. The questions are spinning around in there even as I type. I'll feed some more in as they occur. Maybe when I wake up in the morning it will all have taken care of itself. Hopefully, it won't turn into Typhoon PJ or anything.

Comments

[geniusofevil.livejournal.com]

I remembered something that matociquala once said: don't save it all up for the big surprise ending if it confuses the rest of the story. Put it all out there on the page up front.

Man, I used to be the queen of this. So mysterious and tense, without ever being clear or up front with my "oh shit" moments. I agree with matociqula. Put it up front and give the reader a chance.

I'm glad you're making such good progress! It's always cool when you can link the ending and the beginning. Typhoon PJ away!

[pjthompson]

It's real easy to get too coy, trying to walk that line between holding back some of the mysteries and giving people enough information to make sense of the story.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Okay, so what was the plothole?

[pjthompson]

SOME SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ MY GLORIOUS MS.

Dude, it's so damned obvious when you see it: the person who called down the smiter strike is also the person who needs Rye's healing ability at the end, right? Carsten and them all were so scrupulous about keeping his visionary experience secret, but everyone in HQ had to know about his healing ability. Everyone in the infirmary saw that happen and it's the kind of thing people will gossip about, so it wasn't credible that the spy wouldn't know about it. If that's the case, why did the spy call down the smiter strike? Once I pulled on that thread, other things unraveled.

(Notice how I'm "cleverly" avoiding names here so as not to give major spoilers to those who have not read my glorious manuscript?)

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Wow... good catch! I totally missed that...

[pjthompson]

Everyone did, including myself several times through. I don't know what that means...except that it's got me stalled right now. Drat it.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

You could always have that person not realizing he/she'd need his healing ability at the time the strike was called down.

[pjthompson]

Tried that...and I realized this is getting too complicated to discuss without names, so tag! You're getting email. Poor fella.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

No worries :-)

[pjthompson]

Check your mailbox.

[merebrillante.livejournal.com]

Log me as one of the readers who missed the plothole. Either my review car has four-wheel drive and rack & pinion steering, or I was passed out drunk at the wheel. Or maybe someone is being a little over-picky with their ms.

But what was the plothole? Just read your explanation. So who killed the Sternwoods' chauffeur, and why?

I think your next novel should be entitled A Drizzle of Demons.

[pjthompson]

A Drizzle of Demons--yes!

The Sternwoods are always inserting themselves into mss. where they don't belong, drat them.

[pjthompson]

And p.s., as I said to Kevin, nobody got it, including me. I think it's because the cause and effect were separated by a whole lotta book.