I'm so close to finishing my fifth book, Date With The Devil, and yet the more I write, the farther away it seems. I know what happens in the rest of the book, it's just a matter of putting it down on paper (or word doc, as the case may be). Sounds easy enough, right? Except little things keep happening between the hero and heroine. Things that move me toward the end much more slowly. In fact, I came up with an interesting plot twist yesterday. But it would probably add 100 pages to the book and I don't think a 460 page semi-light-hearted paranormal romance would fly.
Do you ever have this problem? Of having too much story to tell? It's never happened to me before so I'm not sure what to do with it. Any advice? Do I just need to grab these characters and tell them I'm the law or do I let them go and see what happens like I am now?
Help?!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Limping Toward The End
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I vote for adding it in, and then trimming. That way you have a SEP type twisty fast and funny story.
ReplyDeleteI would add it. But then, I have never had to worry about too many words:)
ReplyDeleteTeri
I'm so close to finishing my book,
ReplyDeleteYep, me too...
and yet the more I write, the farther away it seems.
Me too. ::sigh::
I know what happens in the rest of the book,
Me too!!!
it's just a matter of putting it down on paper (or word doc, as the case may be).
Me too ::bangs head on wall::
Kristen -- I coulda written your blog entry. You and me need to go to happy hour or something and just talk ourselves into finishing. Better yet, we need to meet at a Borders with our laptops and FORCE ourselves to finish, or else we can't leave the place. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteFound you through a mutual friend, Shannon Canard. First, congrats on the GH. Loved the blog on the stage fright. One of my CP's, L.A. Mitchell, has finalled in the GH and she's certain if she wins, she'll just stand up and wave because getting on stage with her knocking knees is out of the question.
I agree with the other gals . . . add it in. Once you start the trim job, you'll find the right word count.
Congrats again!
*snort* This "too many words" problem of which you speak, wassup widdat?
ReplyDeleteBut I agree with the others. Write it now, trim later.
I've gone through that. But in the end, I end up getting rid of it during editing. Of course, I've learned to save them on separate files just in case I can use them in another story. Heh!
ReplyDeleteAdd it in for heaven's sake. You can always edit it out later.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is...if you don't thread it in now...you'll just torture yourself later wondering if it would have made a difference. :)
Now I'm going to call you and bug you about it. Tee Hee
L
Too damn much story happens to me all the time. I gave into an urge and did it with my current project. And am still paying for it with my self-doubt - am I leaving anything important out to fit this in? Wasn't there enough conflict BEFORE I put it in? And is the moment when I *reveal* this secret going to be too much drama for my readers?
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I always kind of wish the plot twists would go away when they occur to me like that - but if I don't listen, I always wonder what the story would have been like if I put it in... *shrugs* You gotta write the story that's speaking to you the loudest. That's what I usually end up doing!
It's like a hallway that keeps on stretching out, never allowing you to get to the end. You're not writing a horror flick in disguise?
ReplyDelete