I am chugging along on the Sapphire Sirens. I am finally starting to get over my "mental lag" from my father's recent passing and get the story clicking again.
As I have mentioned before I write from a pretty extensive outline (usually 25+ pages) but I allow myself to venture off of the outline when the story calls for it. After all sometimes you don't know a character or how characters will react to a situation until you write for those characters for a bit and get to know them and the situation.
Plugging along suddenly it hit me. All along I have known who the killer or killers are in this story and what their motives were but then my brain said, "Oh wow, wouldn't it be cool if I did this..." The this being making the killer a totally different person.
I totally fought down that "Oh wow" moment. I have a very clear version of this story and where it is heading. Following that "oh wow" moment would have clouded that vision and slowed the process down. Being slowed down is something neither I or my publisher wants right now. Especially since this thought was more of a whim than a true thought out thought. Maybe if I had more time I could explore it but not this time. Books are created by having a solid foundation and plans on how to build up from that foundation.
True it might have been fun to explore where this new path would lead me, but when you are deadline the goal is to get there as fast as can. Will I regret not following a whim? Perhaps. But if Sapphire Sirens finishes on time and is an enjoyable read it will be a regret I can live with.
Peace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hey an "Oh Woo" Moment I get tons of those, you know half baked and totally cool, but it's more or less something you really should write down that idea and use for another project. I think a good red herring story will be amazing to read!
Post a Comment