The Mary Factor

So, as I’ve been going over the Zero Draft of my 2nd witchy book, I started to see that a number of scenes are too similar. I feel like my characters are having the same conversations over multiple scenes. And if I’m bored with those chapters, readers will be, too.

Over dinner on Friday, I told Chris (my fiance) my problem. He’s helped me brainstorm both books, so he knows all about my characters, my plot, etc. He asked me a bunch of questions and then one important one – Where’s the ‘Mary factor’?

When I was writing The Bone Key, after all the plotting, the world building, the story beats, I had the structure. But what about all those cool little touches that make the story wholly ‘Me’?

With The Bone Key, I kept a document with things I liked, that I wanted to add in for myself (folklore, which you all know I love, but also other little details – everything from the way a character looks to cool cultural traditions discovered while in Mexico that I wanted to work into my book).

I realized I’d been so focused on my outline and hitting all the beats that I had the structure, but not necessarily my own magical details, those things readers are looking for when they read a book like mine.

Plot aside, we bounced ideas off one another, and came up with some new things (and places!) that I can work into my book to help me get out of the slump I was falling into.

Writing a sequel is no joke. You might think it’s easy – you have an established world and characters you already know. But coming up with a new adventure without losing those things that made your first book work is such a balancing act.

I’m still going, though, and this week, I’m going to work on these new ideas and see where they take me!