A strange perfume

[pjthompson]

Well, the Work Project From Hell has finally wound down and I've spent the day trying to catch up on everything else.

Somewhere in there, chapter 14 got finished, as Charged with Folly hit 62,000 words. I'm thinking this middle of the book may be suffering a bit from plot flatulence. There's a certain aroma which reminds me of Plotting By Stupidity, but we'll see if it airs out over time.

Maybe what's wrong isn't plot flatulence but worldbuilding flatulence. The thought occurred to me today that perhaps when I do the rewrites I need to put in more shiny steampunk machines or exotic critters. The middle of the book hasn't seemed saggy to me because for the most part it's been chugging along quite nicely and I haven't felt that middle book fatigue (yet) because I struggled so much with the beginning. But plot or worldbuilding gastric distress...yes, that's a possibility.

Or maybe I'm still just obsessing on last week's stomach virus.


Random quote of the day:

"Always listen to the experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it."

—Robert Heinlein


Which quote I find somewhat ironic considering how often he's invoked as The Voice of Authority.

Comments

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

I would love to see more of those contraptions and the like in the story. If I had to pick out one thing novel-wise so far that could use boosting, I think that would be it (it's a crit that's hard to make chapter-to-chapter, which is probably why it's eluded me until you pointed it out now).

[pjthompson]

Yeah, it occurred to me that the gee-whiz factor had gone rather silent as I concentrated on trying to lay the bricks of character and plot. It's something I'm really going to have to work back in once I do rewrites because I think it gives the story that vital something extra.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

It does, but you're also right in that you can go back and add more later. It's shouldn;t be a deal-breaker at the moment.

[(Anonymous)]

Right--and for me, circling back to put it in would be madness--madness, I say! :-) I need to keep my forward momentum. But it's one of a list of things I need to take care of itn Draft the Second.

[pjthompson]

Same here. ;-/