Multifaceted

20,000 or so words into the serial fiction I was writing – and I hate it.

Alright, so maybe hate is a strong word. It’s not like I want to set fire to it or anything (maybe if it was a hard copy and not a file on my computer).

I still like my main character, but everyone else bores me. The sister? A wimp! The stepfather? Bo-ring! There isn’t even a sassy sidekick! What was I thinking?!

Time to brainstorm!

Do I need more interesting characters? Do I change POV characters? Or change her role so the stakes are more personal to her? Who is the real antagonist? Where is the conflict?

Very important questions I thought I had planned out already but they just don’t seem to be working. These may sound like painful changes to make but nothing is worse than being bored by what you are writing and feeling like you are failing the cool idea you had. So, it looks like I’ve got some retooling ahead of me.

On another note, I’ve been outlining the short-story-turned-novella-or-possibly-novel and things are going fairly well. Not to say that there haven’t been bumps in the road. There are always those moments when I am in the middle of plotting what I thought was a great idea but then I get lost, or tangled in plot threads and feel like it is the worst idea I’ve ever had. Luckily those feelings are (mostly) fleeting.

I have the basic story milestones in place, but the middle and ending feel a bit sparse still. Either way, I’ve moved on to plotting out the scenes now, filling out the beats of each one. Hopefully working through each one will help me figure out how to beef up the lagging parts. After I get most of that lined up, I’ll get into slightly more detailed notes for the scenes (character motivation, wants/needs, gains/losses etc.). Full-fledged, card-carrying Plotter in the house!

Having said that, I may start writing the first Chapter before I finish outlining. I’m feeling the itch…

I also hope to knock out a new horror short or two and plan to get back to editing one of my other novels next month. It’ll be kind of interesting to see how things pan out. This book is near-future sci-fi-esque. The other is a paranormal mystery set in Victorian England. Yes, my writing life is multifaceted.