Trying something different

Paula is doing something she’s never done before!

 

I’m a linear writer. I write the events as they happen in a story, A, B and then C etc. However, with my current ‘work in progress’, I’ve been tying myself in knots trying to work out the order of events. Even a month away from the story didn’t result in any great flashes of inspiration, despite thinking about it (every so often anyway!).

 

I’ve known for a long time how I wanted the later part of the story to work. The problem was that I didn’t know how I was going to get there (and still don’t!). So, last weekend, I sat down and summarised that later part. I won’t say it’s all resolved but at least it’s part way there. (And yes, Ana, I have actually been ‘advance plotting’!)

 

That was when I decided I was going to leave what I have already written and write the later chapters – something I’ve never done before. Another ‘novelty’ for me is leaving gaps, mainly those ‘linking’ time-lapse passages between the major events, or descriptions of places. I’m simply writing a note in italics – insert details of venue here etc.

 

Whether I’ll eventually be able to tie these later chapters up with the earlier part of the story remains to be seen. Already I have a feeling that I may need to rewrite or condense or speed up the early chapters (which I’ve already felt were too slow).

 

We shall see what happens now! Wish me luck!