Hello everyone.
This week’s outlining didn’t get off to such a hot start. I took a day off from outlining on Saturday to head up to Saratoga to celebrate my brother’s birthday. The following day, a little worn out from the day before, I wasn’t up for outlining, opting instead to recuperate.
I was a little disappointed in all this because of the streak of days I had going outlining the new project, and I didn’t like snapping that streak, let alone risking losing the momentum I’d gathered by taking a second day off. I was more than ecstatic to get back on track on Monday.
This week, I focused on another character’s perspective. This character is a bit unique. She isn’t a minor character; her involvement in the story gives context and motivation to the main characters perspective and actions throughout the manuscript. But she isn’t a major one either. Her presence is just essential, despite her lack of presence.
I’d say the closest example I can give to the role that she serves is Axel Forsberg. When I finally wrote Dig Down, I was surprised just how little he was actually in the story (4 chapters, 3 of them in the final act). Yet his fingerprints for how the story unfolded are all throughout the book. This character will participate more often throughout the story, but the story won’t be focusing on and following her every move like it will the other four characters.
What felt promising as I was outlining her perspective was how her involvement was meshing with the main character’s actions and motivations. I could really envision scenes and scenarios where because of an interaction with her (A), it would play a part in what the protagonist did next (B).
This is always a really good sign. Storytelling is at it’s best when a scene or interaction is crisp and efficient, advancing multiple plot lines, showcasing the true nature of multiple characters by their actions, laying the groundwork for payoffs in the future, all while feeling completely natural, like it was the only way these events could have happened.
As the week wore on, I started to outline for a little bit longer each day. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I made up taking the weekend off, but I do feel that I at least avoided losing all my momentum heading into NaNoWriMo. Focusing on this character’s perspective, I think it’s really starting to round the story out, and without her, I don’t think this new project would feel as polished, making it vital that I get her right.
As I’m wrapping up her perspective, I realize I’ve got a problem, but a good one to have. There feels like a lot I’m going to have to unpack throughout the course of this novel. This is the first time I was writing about her since late July/early August, even though I feel she’s an important component to the story. And that’s because each character I’ve gone in depth with is also highly important, and brings a lot to the table throughout the story. I keep having ideas about details to include in each interaction, and where I’m going to interject all this information. I’m rapidly coming to the point where I’m going to have to start whittling down the details to make this a polished, fluid, entertaining read.
Until next week.