McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
When writing, you know you are in trouble when...
Shecky:
--- Quote from: Kali on July 08, 2011, 02:07:34 PM ---...you realize that your big, complicated, twisted plot had a very simple solution and your MC could have fixed the whole thing tens of thousands of words ago. Now you either rewrite, or come up with a non-contrived reason why they didn't just do X at the beginning of this whole drug trip.
--- End quote ---
Oh, that's easy. Have the character suddenly *facepalm* and tell on himself ("OMFG, it's so damn SIMPLE. I can't f***ing BELIEVE I didn't think of _____ before"), then let everyone laugh hysterically at him. Especially the BBEG. :D
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Starbeam on July 08, 2011, 02:19:25 PM ---...you get about halfway through a revision and realize that the convoluted and nonsensical introduction to several characters can be greatly simplified. As long as you go back and rip out practically everything you've written and just revised. :-\
--- End quote ---
You mean there are people for whom it doesn't work that way ?
("Novels are like fish; pretty much always, at some point in the preparation, you find yourself having to cut off the head.")
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Kali on July 08, 2011, 02:07:34 PM ---...you realize that your big, complicated, twisted plot had a very simple solution and your MC could have fixed the whole thing tens of thousands of words ago. Now you either rewrite, or come up with a non-contrived reason why they didn't just do X at the beginning of this whole drug trip.
--- End quote ---
Change the reason and the character so that it's something the character would literally never think of.
Example of this working well is Harry in DB spending half the book wondering what a bunch of numbers mean as a clue to where something is hidden and never thinking of GPS, which works because Harry's interactions with modern tech have been so well set up all along that GPS could quite plausibly never occur to him. I don't think not thinking of GPS would work for most contemporary Westerners, but it's well supported as something Harry specifically would never think of.
Haru:
--- Quote from: Gruud on July 08, 2011, 11:49:59 AM ---The character you're writing about turns and looks back at you like Sonic the Hedgehog, giving you an "okay, now what?" look.
--- End quote ---
So I'm not the only one, that is quite comforting. Although I tend to find myself in a position where the characters seem to know exactly what to do, but they won't tell me. And then they complain when I let them do the wrong thing. Stupid characters...
Gruud:
Yeah, in this particular instance, there were actually three of them there. :D
When the POV character's dialogue typed out as "What do we do next?" and neither of the others had a clue, I knrew it was time to go to bed. ;)
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