I work long and hard on my novel outlines, making sure the main character has a goal to work towards, rising action and challenges before a crisis propels the story towards a satisfactory climax.
So why does it surprise me when I find myself wavering off course? I'm determined to finish the first draft without looking back at what I've written, but that came to a halt the other day when I realized my main character was taking a backseat behind the antagonist.
Actually, the antagonist began as the protagonist since he will be in all four books of the series. It made sense while I was writing the outline, but while reading the first draft scenes to my trusted colleagues in our writers' circle, they reminded me who needs to be the main character in the first novel.
Taking two steps back, I realize they're right. Now what? I've written 150 pages. After pondering the problem for a few days, I decide all I need to do is rearrange the chapters, bringing the new protagonist to the beginning of the novel. Easily done since I never use chapter numbers in the first draft.
Now I feel satisfied with the written chapters, but what about the rest of the outline? I've added notes on the outline where the changes will happen. Should I forge ahead and resolve the holes that crop up as I write or should I take the time to rewrite the outline? What's a writer to do?
I think you can forge ahead now that you've resolved who plays the major role in your novel. It's amazing how these eureka moments crop up out of nowhere. You would think they'd be obvious, but only to other people, perhaps, since the writer is nose down on the page most of the time, too close to see clearly. Thank goodness you weren't beyond those 150 pages before you realized what was going on, but that's what friends are for...
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Tina. Nose down, ignoring the obvious until someone points it out. Actually the 150 pages are fine, just needed to be shuffled around. It's the last third of the novel that completely changed and all because the protagonist is kindhearted and begs the antagonist to save a child from dying.
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