What Just Happened?
Most recently, I've I needed to plot out my stories and my characters more than I’d like. I prefer to have a fairly solid idea then fly by the seat of my pants. But thirllers? So many moving parts. Which leads me to two days ago.
I'm sitting here, working on the penultimate chapter of a new thriller; more accurately a reimagined draft of one I’d previously completed. (It didn’t work on a number of levels, but I still loved 84%* of it.) By now, the plot and the characters are fully cemented in my mind, right? Seeing the finish line so, so close—78,000 words in—I’m furiously typing. Out of the blue comes a sentence that not only changes a primary character but flips the motivation behind the entire story. Huh? What just happened? Months ago, I’d decided exactly how this book was twisting and turning. And now?
In all honesty, I shouldn’t have been surprised because...
Sometimes, in this writing game, your subconscious makes decisions for you. Better ones.
*feel free to question the accuracy of this number
Shameless plug...
If you're trying to decide on a fast summer read, check out No Way Home. Let me know what you think.
- Jody Feldman
Those flips can be so invigorating!
ReplyDeleteMy sister Kate calls these her 'can of peas' moments. She'll be shopping and all of a sudden she'll have a character hijack her brain and when they're done, she'll be staring at something like a can of peas with no idea where she is. I think those AHA moments on steroids are the best part of being a writer.
ReplyDelete