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 Hatrack River Writers Workshop
 Open Discussions About Writing
 I hate this chapter!!
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| Author | Topic: I hate this chapter!! |
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sholar Member |
posted January 31, 2010 04:33 PM
  
I am supposed to be taking this chance to write while my daughter naps. Instead I am wandering around the internet, procrastinating. I have been working on rewrites of this one stupid chapter for the whole week and have gotten all of 500 words into it.  I have considered just chucking it, but there are a lot of important things that happen. A new character joins the quest, some relationship stuff between everyone, foreshadowing that bad things happen out there and a chance for everyone to breath a second after a massively disastrous battle. And so now I am further procrastinating by whining about how much I hate trying to fix this stupid horrible awful chapter. IP: Logged |
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Meredith Member |
posted January 31, 2010 04:55 PM
I had one like that in THE SHAMAN'S CURSE. Never liked that chapter from the beginning. I made it better, but I still didn't like it. I ended up breaking down what I really needed and finding other ways and places to establish that. And then cutting the d*&%$@# thing. I have never been so happy to cut 2000 words. IP: Logged |
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Edward Douglas Member |
posted January 31, 2010 04:56 PM
If I'm wrong someone correct me, but I think you can post the first 13 of this troublesome chapter in F&F section and you'll get some feedback, which might help you along. Just a question. Do you really want to kill off your MC? If so, is it really the MC to begin with? The hero should last at least to the very end of the story, IMHO. IP: Logged |
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Teraen Member |
posted January 31, 2010 05:12 PM
If you hate it that much, try skipping it. Write something like: Chapter 4: MC almost dies. This happens somehow. They react by getting really cowardly (or whatever.) Now MC doesn't trust love interest as much (or whatever). Then, move on with your story in chapter 5. By skipping the hard part, sometimes it works to get you back in the flow of the story to start later. Also, remember OSC's advice. Sometimes when you have "writer's block" it really means you did something wrong and it is your internal editor refusing to let you go forward until you fix whatever mistake was made. IP: Logged |
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sholar Member |
posted January 31, 2010 05:19 PM
oops- bad word order- should be seeing MC nearly killed. He's not all dead, just mostly.  I decided to rewrite from scratch instead of trying to force it to fit (reading through, there was really only one line I liked). So, hopefully that will help. And while goofing off, I figured out a way to add a bit of tension and so I am going to start there, instead of where I had initially started. If after the rewrite I still want to throw it across the room, I'll try posting in F&F. Unfortunately, just figured this new angle out and little girl popped up. Maybe during gymnastics tomorrow... (joys of writing around a toddler's schedule).
IP: Logged |
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sholar Member |
posted February 01, 2010 08:36 PM
Hurrah! I got through it. I ditched the old chapter but kept the chapter goals (need to introduce character D and show that A is not dealing well and pulling away from B, foreshadow the big bad that is coming up, etc). The events are actually much different but the fit better. And when I read it with the chapter before and after, it was like Yes! It works now. And with this chapter fixed, the next chapter needs no higher level revisions- just some minor fiddling with dialogue. Before, it was like why are the characters being so distant and weird. Now, it makes perfect sense (at least too me-not yet ready for a beta reader).
IP: Logged |
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