imaginarycircus

I'm finding more and more that this draft is not as much about pacing or plot or whatever I thought it was going to be about. It's largely been about finding clarity. Once I am completely clear about what my characters are doing, what they're afraid of, what they want, what they're afraid to want--it becomes easier to rewrite each scene, or to write the new scenes that need to exist, especially now that I know the general arc of this plot so well. This probably sounds stupidly obvious, but finding that clarity has been a very difficult process for me. Because it's not about finding character X's motives in once scene and finding character Y's motives in another and making that line up with the plot. It's about knowing every character in the novels motives throughout and even beyond the confines of the novel.

Sort of. I actually don't think I can know all that or know so much about my characters on so grand a scale. In order to set up effective early scenes I have to know what action or dialog will anchor later scenes, later plot points, later moments of emotional resonance.

In order for one character to lie to another effectively I need to know that X is lying to Y, even if Y doesn't suspect. I also need to know when character X is lying to herself.

This all becomes more complicated with a shifting POV, but its a fun puzzle to solve. I suppose I may be making this whole process mindbogglingly over complicated, but this method to my madness seems to produce results--or so it seems to me.

I've streamlined and reworked the first 85 pages and satisfied that I can move through the rest again--making sure the newest scenes fall in line with the new parameters of character and plot. So Tuesday I should be producing new text and the word meter shall return. I'm sure you can hardly wait. *eyeroll at self*

You know how occasionally you watch a TV show or read a book that makes you cringe with its awful? And then there are the kind that make you cringe and laugh hysterically and have contact embarrassment all at the same time? The Vampire Diaries. OMG TRULY EXECRABLE! The dialog is fatuous and nothing happens for long periods. It's like they cribbed off Twilight and somehow made it worse. Also the bloody veiny eyes? WTF? A show needs more than pained teenage stares. I swear to God. The RPattz rip off guy looks like he is deeply concerned by stabbing gut pain.

There is a drinking game here, I know it.