I think I've got it all figured out!
It was about
time. Or it wasn't. I don't really know when, if there is such a time, where you know
all the stuff about your story, but last night I saw the bigger picture. (The
Kamikaze move actually helped me a lot!)
Usually, I
write following my gut. There is a scene that prompts me to write, a character
or some random words that came to mind and turned out to be a story. That
usually goes on until I'm pretty close to the end where, at last, I know how
the story is going to end.
But now, 50K
into the story, I saw the events unfolding, getting into place and staring back
at me. A few details are still missing but I know what happened to her, I know
who did it to her, I know where she's gotten herself into but I don't know the
ending. So this is the opposite of what I'm used to. It's like I'm on a wild
ride, like reading a book instead of writing it. It's fun.
But at the
same time, even if I know the whole story and I feel kind of secure about the
events that take place, I have another "technical" issue!
I write the
story in two different timelines. I started writing that way because it helped
me move the story forward and it was so much fun to write something that I
didn't really know how it would fit into the story. And then it clicked and it
was so good and addictive!
These two
timelines will eventually collide, but I still don’t see it. I had a glimpse
of an idea on how it's gonna be but I lost it and now I feel disoriented and a
little sad. It worries me more than the ending because I know the end will come
to me eventually. What about the two timelines though? How may I going to merge
them and continue the story as one? Any ideas?
I'll keep
writing, waiting to see if it's gonna come to me. But if I don't, I see this
issue rising up like a wall and transforming to a writer's block. I cross my
fingers that it won't come to that!
So, do you
have everything figured out when you're writing? How do you deal with
unexpected ideas and how do you handle crisis?
Holy cow! I've never tried to write a story that way, in two different time lines. That sounds like so much fun. Maybe not this dilemma about converging somewhere. I also know how fun that ride is when the story is unraveling as much for you as a reader. Maybe pick something complete random, like spin around and point to something as soon as your eyes open. Make that your converging point. Somehow both timelines' meet up will revolve around that random object. Lame probably, but I think about those carefree types who travel by means of dropping something on a map and that tells them where they're going.
ReplyDeleteOh, and how I deal with unexpected ideas? I usually write the story into the ground. I can't stop throwing shit at my main character. That usually means I need to give some love to a new story and character.
I hope you have a great week, Athina!
Yes, it's fun Robyn even if the dilemma is practically killing me! I'll figure something out! (I hope!)
DeleteThrowing shit at our characters is what we do, right? A new story is always welcomed though! I Love your way of handling ideas!
Have an amazing week!