Novel Decisions
So yesterday, I came to some rather major decisions about my novel.
As I think most of you know by now, I've been working on a big fantasy novel...working for the last 3-4 years on a couple of major drafts, working on the general story and characters in various forms on and off since I was 12. But last night, I took a hard look at the (sort of) complete first draft, the second draft I'd recently returned to, and the copious notes and outlines I'd developed, and I decided that copious was too much the word.
What I've really developed over the years, I think, is more of a role playing game, or an entirely unfilmable TV series. Too many subplots and characters, overly complicated magical systems, and a story slowed down way too much by attempts to investigate the nature of good, evil, and modern warfare in a metaphorical context.
And my central character, the guy who happened to share a name with this journal, really never developed a personality to speak of. I invented him when I was 12, to serve as my proxy and explore the world I was creating and react to it much as I would, but I finally had to accept an odd paradox. It seems when you try to write a character more or less as yourself, what you would expect to be the easiest character to describe...instead you get a cypher. Rachael compared it to something with from the Wayside School books about how you can't taste a you-flavored ice cream. You just can't pin down or describe your own uniqueness like you can observe and relate those of others. ( I sincerely hope this is the problem, and I'm not just really boring. )
So I've come up with a new streamlined outline. It takes one peripheral character and puts him in Elflore's place at the center (with a couple of Elflore-ian traits and relationships), it cuts most of the other side characters and a lot of subplots, and hopefully takes us directly to the action in a way that makes sense and makes readers care.
It's kind of a scary thing for me. I feel like I'm starting over, because I pretty much am. I feel like I should've been smarter, should've been able to figure out these needs for the book a long long time ago, if I was a 'real' writer or something (more emo). But I really think this is how the story has to work, so--we'll see how it goes, yeah?
But I'd definitely love to hear your takes on the situation, especially those of you who've read some of the last draft. If there are things you really liked and want to see preserved, let me know. If it was totally boring you, this is absolutely the penalty-free time to say so. *snerk*
As I think most of you know by now, I've been working on a big fantasy novel...working for the last 3-4 years on a couple of major drafts, working on the general story and characters in various forms on and off since I was 12. But last night, I took a hard look at the (sort of) complete first draft, the second draft I'd recently returned to, and the copious notes and outlines I'd developed, and I decided that copious was too much the word.
What I've really developed over the years, I think, is more of a role playing game, or an entirely unfilmable TV series. Too many subplots and characters, overly complicated magical systems, and a story slowed down way too much by attempts to investigate the nature of good, evil, and modern warfare in a metaphorical context.
And my central character, the guy who happened to share a name with this journal, really never developed a personality to speak of. I invented him when I was 12, to serve as my proxy and explore the world I was creating and react to it much as I would, but I finally had to accept an odd paradox. It seems when you try to write a character more or less as yourself, what you would expect to be the easiest character to describe...instead you get a cypher. Rachael compared it to something with from the Wayside School books about how you can't taste a you-flavored ice cream. You just can't pin down or describe your own uniqueness like you can observe and relate those of others. ( I sincerely hope this is the problem, and I'm not just really boring. )
So I've come up with a new streamlined outline. It takes one peripheral character and puts him in Elflore's place at the center (with a couple of Elflore-ian traits and relationships), it cuts most of the other side characters and a lot of subplots, and hopefully takes us directly to the action in a way that makes sense and makes readers care.
It's kind of a scary thing for me. I feel like I'm starting over, because I pretty much am. I feel like I should've been smarter, should've been able to figure out these needs for the book a long long time ago, if I was a 'real' writer or something (more emo). But I really think this is how the story has to work, so--we'll see how it goes, yeah?
But I'd definitely love to hear your takes on the situation, especially those of you who've read some of the last draft. If there are things you really liked and want to see preserved, let me know. If it was totally boring you, this is absolutely the penalty-free time to say so. *snerk*