Fill: Challenge #340
Apr. 22nd, 2024 12:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivver posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tenminutesadayWell, I did actually work on that WIP this past weekend, though I didn't do any actual writing. Basically, I worked through a problem I was having with the plotting.
The story involves two characters in a rather large, crowded, and maze-like area. Character A shouldn't be there and is trying to find his way out without getting caught. Character B finds out that A is there and is trying to find him. Much of the story is about near-miss shenanigans and misdirections.
The problem was that it didn't feel long or confusing enough. It's supposed to be a multi-chapter, and I had already plotted out the following:
1. A arrives and gets lost
2. B realizes he's there and goes to find him
3. A crosses to the other side of the area
4. B gets to the original side and realizes he's got to search some more
5. Someone engages A in conversation and at that point, B sees him and waves at him to get him to come over to talk.
That's not much, just basically one instance of missing each other. It didn't feel satisying or entertaining - and I've been stuck at that point for years now. A couple of months ago, I tried writing out a detailed outline, and I still couldn't think of anything to add.
I finally figured out what to do. I added a third character to the story and interspersed her between the events I listed above with scenes told from her point of view. So, in step 2, she's the person that B talks to, who says something that makes B realize A is there. She doesn't realize this, so later, after 3, when A is leaving the other side, he runs into her and has a bit of conversation which will be amusing to the reader even if it doesn't help A at all. Then even later, after 4, she runs into B again. And then she'll have a part in the end of the story, which is unrelated to these events but is the actual point of the whole thing.
So, I have my new(!) outline written, and I'm going to duplicate the parts I've already written into a new document and start rewriting from there. I am actually really excited to get working on this, because this idea has been, as I've noted above, in the back of my mind for years now. Unfortunately, life is also getting far more busy this week and not likely to let up for a couple of months. :(
The story involves two characters in a rather large, crowded, and maze-like area. Character A shouldn't be there and is trying to find his way out without getting caught. Character B finds out that A is there and is trying to find him. Much of the story is about near-miss shenanigans and misdirections.
The problem was that it didn't feel long or confusing enough. It's supposed to be a multi-chapter, and I had already plotted out the following:
1. A arrives and gets lost
2. B realizes he's there and goes to find him
3. A crosses to the other side of the area
4. B gets to the original side and realizes he's got to search some more
5. Someone engages A in conversation and at that point, B sees him and waves at him to get him to come over to talk.
That's not much, just basically one instance of missing each other. It didn't feel satisying or entertaining - and I've been stuck at that point for years now. A couple of months ago, I tried writing out a detailed outline, and I still couldn't think of anything to add.
I finally figured out what to do. I added a third character to the story and interspersed her between the events I listed above with scenes told from her point of view. So, in step 2, she's the person that B talks to, who says something that makes B realize A is there. She doesn't realize this, so later, after 3, when A is leaving the other side, he runs into her and has a bit of conversation which will be amusing to the reader even if it doesn't help A at all. Then even later, after 4, she runs into B again. And then she'll have a part in the end of the story, which is unrelated to these events but is the actual point of the whole thing.
So, I have my new(!) outline written, and I'm going to duplicate the parts I've already written into a new document and start rewriting from there. I am actually really excited to get working on this, because this idea has been, as I've noted above, in the back of my mind for years now. Unfortunately, life is also getting far more busy this week and not likely to let up for a couple of months. :(