Characters in the mist
Dec. 18th, 2005 03:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonIn the early chapters of my WIP I meant to introduce a character named Aine who was going to be important to the MC, Caius, in his early years, weaving in and out of his life. But as the writing progressed, I couldn't see a way of working her into the later chapters, which already seemed over-crowded with plot. So I wrote her out of the story, leaving her in only one scene as an introduction to a profound change in Caius's life. All the purpose of her, most of the dimensionality, faded in the mist to the land where characters come and go.
Then one day, about two-thirds of the way through the ms., she returned, older, and with plenty of ideas about how important she was and how I could work her into the story without crowding out the rest of the folk. And she brought with her resonance to the other two timelines in the story, connecting tissue that could not be ignored. Yes, I had to use her, she was right. And so I did. And so I shall have to go back in the second draft to those early chapters and fit her back in.
Characters come and go, sometimes fully formed like Athena from the brow of Zeus, sometimes just a nucleus that has to built upon. And sometimes when they show up, they want to hijack the story and they must be put in their place. Sometimes, it's a good idea to let them hijack the story because they bring juice that the story sorely needs. But it's always difficult when they first show up to know if they are a distraction or an inspiration.
And somehow I've got to manage adding those extra scenes and still cut this ms. down, as it's getting perilously close to an unmarketable length. There is fat, I can feel it, chapters and scenes that can be telescoped and combined, language to be deflowered, and there will be opportunities for slimming once it's done, but my early estimates of length were optimistic. Aren't they always? Perhaps that's why my friends who have been through this process with me before were so skeptical of my early estimates.
I'm at the penultimate stage for each of the three timelines, writing the scenes I've been aiming for all this time. But there's still so much to go, it seems to me. I still don't have a good sense of how many chapters are left--but at least now I know it's a finite number and I will finish.
God willin' and if the creek don't rise.
Then one day, about two-thirds of the way through the ms., she returned, older, and with plenty of ideas about how important she was and how I could work her into the story without crowding out the rest of the folk. And she brought with her resonance to the other two timelines in the story, connecting tissue that could not be ignored. Yes, I had to use her, she was right. And so I did. And so I shall have to go back in the second draft to those early chapters and fit her back in.
Characters come and go, sometimes fully formed like Athena from the brow of Zeus, sometimes just a nucleus that has to built upon. And sometimes when they show up, they want to hijack the story and they must be put in their place. Sometimes, it's a good idea to let them hijack the story because they bring juice that the story sorely needs. But it's always difficult when they first show up to know if they are a distraction or an inspiration.
And somehow I've got to manage adding those extra scenes and still cut this ms. down, as it's getting perilously close to an unmarketable length. There is fat, I can feel it, chapters and scenes that can be telescoped and combined, language to be deflowered, and there will be opportunities for slimming once it's done, but my early estimates of length were optimistic. Aren't they always? Perhaps that's why my friends who have been through this process with me before were so skeptical of my early estimates.
I'm at the penultimate stage for each of the three timelines, writing the scenes I've been aiming for all this time. But there's still so much to go, it seems to me. I still don't have a good sense of how many chapters are left--but at least now I know it's a finite number and I will finish.
God willin' and if the creek don't rise.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 03:39 pm (UTC)Dude, what's your length? Is it above 125K yet?
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Date: 2005-12-18 04:29 pm (UTC)As for rewriting ... *shudder*. I still have five weeks left on my vacation from that particular hell.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 08:21 pm (UTC)But adding k seems a lot easier to me than cutting back down. Of course, I have loquaciousitis so maybe it's just me.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 07:27 pm (UTC)She better be or we are going to have some words.
Dude, what's your length? Is it above 125K yet?
Oh, dude, I don't even want to say. But if you asked me if it was above 135k I'd have to say yes. I'm so disgruntled.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-18 09:13 pm (UTC)I bet it's okay, though, dude... lots of first time authors sell big books! I bet the history is what makes yours need to be longer, and that's exactly what will make it so appealing to a large audience. Write on, dude! (sorry for the terrible pun)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-19 10:23 am (UTC)I had to cut that one down from 160k. Painful. I don't think NW will be that long, so I'm hoping I can cut it down to at least 130k. *sigh*
My first two novels weren't that long--around 110k--but the last two have had very complicated backstories. And I'm loquacious.
hmmm....maybe not the most helpful link in this situation
Date: 2005-12-20 01:53 pm (UTC)http://www.personal.kent.edu/~bkharvey/roman/classes/graffiti.htm
Re: hmmm....maybe not the most helpful link in this situation
Date: 2005-12-20 02:28 pm (UTC)