Bookin' It
An update on the novel: I've been wrestling with the complexity of this story, as I had no fewer than three plots running simultaneously, all of which were pretty similar in theme (quests, essentially). Getting them to work together was tricky, since I'd have to pace them all such that they'd get to the overlap points at around the same time. Combine that with issues of reader patience (too many character switches can make for a tough read, unless you're George R. R. Martin), and you've got a recipe for sleepless nights and painful editing.
So, I decided to lop off most of it.
I'm moving away from the young adult, "Let's see a kid on an adventure!" vibe, and instead focusing on the most interesting character, and how he works through his own issues while dealing with the events that unfold. I think it makes for a more straightforward story, and frees me up to have a little bit of mystery in this thing (since, in the original version, the reader would pretty much know everything that was going on).
In short, an hour-long drive after midnight is fantastic for brainstorming, and I'm newly excited about the whole thing. I've got the book pretty much laid out by chapters (or at least by plot segments), and I can start re-working the chapters I have to fit the new vision. It's nice to have a direction, finally.
-Sam
So, I decided to lop off most of it.
I'm moving away from the young adult, "Let's see a kid on an adventure!" vibe, and instead focusing on the most interesting character, and how he works through his own issues while dealing with the events that unfold. I think it makes for a more straightforward story, and frees me up to have a little bit of mystery in this thing (since, in the original version, the reader would pretty much know everything that was going on).
In short, an hour-long drive after midnight is fantastic for brainstorming, and I'm newly excited about the whole thing. I've got the book pretty much laid out by chapters (or at least by plot segments), and I can start re-working the chapters I have to fit the new vision. It's nice to have a direction, finally.
-Sam