This is from the now defunct 'A', which I've reworked into AR. I just rewrote this scene a couple days ago for AR, it's much more tense/higher stakes now. The relationship between these characters is complicated, and in AR it's even more so.
I never like to let a cut scene go to waste, if I can recycle some small part of it then I feel like it has some purpose. 'A' helped me get a feel for all my characters which I carried on over to AR.
BA... BA... BA
(My attempt at ominous background music)
I've hit the dreaded 'plateau', in my WIP. The point where I've climbed an emotional peak that I cannot rappel down from (might as well jump off that cliff). It involves two characters who's relationship is altered, dramatically by a single event.
Does anyone else have this problem?
I feel like I've written myself in a corner, and I don't know how to write myself out.
In other news, one of my writing buddies received a harsh crit after I'd already given her my crit. She's writing a very trendy, cool YA Steampunk.
It got me thinking of how different everyone's pov is. One man's diamond is another man's rock... I guess. I just don't see the point in being unnecessarily cruel when critiquing someone else's work. Pointing out a flaw and offering no way of fixing said flaw is not helpful. Offering helpful insight is the whole purpose of a Beta reader.
Also, I think I single-handedly keep my local Starbucks in business. MMMM Americano.
Which reminds me, I've been meaning to try this.
So AR is coming along, decently. I'm about 35k in and probably somewhere close to half-way finished. I've found my pace has slowed considerably. Mainly due to my characters: their inner quirks--and their major flaws.
FLAWS.
Take my MC Finn, his ridiculous vulgar inner dialogue combined with his rash outer demeanor, conflicts with his protective/soft tendencies. He's a see-do-(hold the think) type character <--- Sure this makes him interesting, but it also makes him stupid.
So stupid.
I'm banging my head against a wall right now writing a scene for him.
It's not that I don't love him, I do. Too much so. I don't want to see him fail, but sometimes he does. He has to make those mistakes because it's in his character to do so, but also because it furthers my plot.
(On a side note: keeping up his rude/witty commentary is hard-- after the 'Big Event' this becomes less of an issue, Yay)
Then there is MC Rohan, who started off personality-less. I wrote Finn with such strong personality that she fell by the wayside the first go around. Finn is blunt and states right off the bat who he is, what he wants, and what he's about. Rohan is secretive and sly, and mistrusting, but the further I get into the story--the more I discover about her. Her paranoia has been something I've started sprinkling in here and there. Paranoia is fun.
The one thing that I worry about constantly is whether I'm portraying a strong female character. Physically she is not strong, but mentally-- she is the strongest of them all. That is the point I want to get across, due to the subject matter of AR. Mental strength is of extreme importance.
This is especially evident, after the 'Big Event'. Wherein Rohan transforms--Finn not so much.
Both of my POV characters are flawed, both of them make bad decisions, and both pay consequences. But will both learn from their mistakes? That is something I haven't allowed myself to think about yet. As of this moment I'm putting my characters through hell without any hope of coming out unscathed.
When it came down to it, I had to face the facts and the facts were in its current state 'A' was not original enough. Sad but true. :( Also I realized that if I am going to publish one day 'A' was not the first book I wanted associated with my name. It didn't represent me as clearly as I would have liked it to.
The way I see it, trunking doesn't mean failure. It means I tried really, really hard at doing something and learned a ton along the way. Which I did. I've learned more in the last month, than I learned all three years of highschool. My lovely Beta's have helped me so much in this area. I admire their bold criticism.
Which leads me to my next point. Beta-ing. I believe the critiquer learns as much as the critiquee, at least it seems that way in my case. When I'm looking for flaws in someones work--I see these same flaws in my own work and make the change. Which is how I came to realize that 'A' wasn't working out.
Still, 'A' was my first attempt at a full length novel and I put a decent three months work into it. So to see it go, was a sad, sad day. But alas, I am mostly an optimist.
Which is why... da... da... da... I have a SHINY NEW thing I've been working on.
It is pretty much 'A' with a massive overhaul. I'm calling it AR for now, and AR is fun to write, simply because it is me, dark, edgy, a little dangerous. Or at least the way I'd like to see myself:)
