Of Rabbit Holes and Revisions
My current work in progress was born of two parents. One, to create a humorous, offbeat fantasy a la Terry Pratchett and two, to follow a writing guide, i.e. the Hero’s Journey (and Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel). The tale started well enough. But by the fourth and fifth chapter I was hip-deep in banal epic fantasy normality.
I followed the tale where it led me, even though I had laid out the outline and four act structure beforehand. It felt like I was on track. The characters were taking me where they wanted to go. Then I paused to grasp that the characters were taking me down a rabbit hole with a dead end. I’d written three chapters and the light at the end of the tunnel was a dumpster fire.
The lesson my WiP was screaming at me was that staying on track was pointless when the story had derailed a thousand words ago.
Many writers can outline to a tee. They write chapter summaries and synopses as easily as a drunken vet scribbles a prescription. Others get a wisp of inspiration, go where the muse leads them, and in the end find a cohesive story. I envy both. I am a dreamy brick layer. While I cling to fantasies of words pouring forth like Niagara after a spring melt, my writing is that of a workman: methodical with a lot of cursing along the way.
Staying on track may not lead to a good place.
My current WiP got away from me. I let the story drift into a shallow pool stocked with anemic piranha. Now I must scramble back out, find where my path went wonky and carry on. It happens. It happens to a lot of writers. That’s something I tell myself to keep from giving up.
The problem as I see it is that I want to be a free-flowing creative, but I’m an engineer at heart. I want to work in the ether, to hear the muse and let her take over my fingertips. And yet, I am a tradesman, a wordsmith of the most rudimentary fashion. My art requires mistakes, false leads, wrong turns, and backtracking. I never get it right from the get go.
Recently, a friend of mine published a 96,000-word novel on a whim. He wrote it in a couple of months and allowed for maybe two weeks of revisions from friends before putting it out in the world. Now he’s on to book two. He writes a synopsis, then a chapter breakdown, then the novel. It’s that simple for him. I’ve completed one novel, revised it over a dozen times, and continue to query it in the hope of representation and traditional publishing. It’s been four years.
Am I stupid?
My point is that rabbit holes have their purpose. If you find yourself staring into the tightening darkness, don’t be afraid of backing up, revising, and carrying on in a different direction. In the end what I want (what readers want and what the world wants) is a good story.
So, should you suddenly step back from the keyboard a realize your story has gone off the rails, don’t fret. The great thing about rails is it’s easy to see where they came from. You can easily go back to the last junction and take a different route.
