Red Herrings and Guns on the Mantle

The main challenge of this part of writing a novel, the last 25%, is pulling off the magic trick that is a tight plot. I had to create a lot of foreshadowing, placing several of Chekhov's "guns on the mantlepiece" so that characters can pick them up and "shoot" now. I had to introduce a few red herrings, so the reader wouldn't get bored by seeing too clearly exactly how it would all unfold.

It's like...
...getting to the point where you can see the picture behind the puzzle pieces, but essential chunks are still unpieced. You hope you haven't lost any pieces (under the table, behind the box).
...weaving a tapestry, where all the threads are aligned and all you have to do is pull them taut for it all to come together.
...decorating the house that has been built.

I read somewhere, or perhaps I heard it on a podcast, that a reader wants to anticipate a good plot twist or reveal about a paragraph before it happens. That way the reader thinks, "I'm so smart! I figured it out before the characters did!" and stays engaged to solve the next piece of the plot puzzle. I like that idea.

One of my favorite parts of writing SPOTD was assembling the plot. You know how the final Marvel Avengers film drew on all the previous films, fitting together what seems to have been an intentional resolution? It was so satisfying. That's what I strive for. And that's the fun part of writing for me.

But it's also tough as diamonds to do. My aging brain doesn't hold as much information simultaneously as it used to. I have notes everywhere -- on little pieces of paper, on rambling voice messages, and in an inch thick of printed notes. It's probably time to start ONE doc called something like "THE END." Then I'll reread the whole story and take notes on what has been set up, what needs more setting up, and what needs to happen in the end.

Oh my. I just realized that this is work I can do while sitting outside in the sun. YAY! Can't wait!

Writing Violence

It makes my students laugh when I casually mention how fun it is to kill off a character.

But the truth is, I struggle with writing violence.

I once wrote a short story in which a cowboy did NOT get into a bar fight. He clearly should have.

There's no big fight scene in SPOTD, just a lot of running away from danger and (spoiler) one well-thrown punch. What kind of superhero avoids the epic battle?

Last November I wrote a scene where a character goes off (into the woods) and returns injured. I didn't write the scene where the injury takes place, just the reactions by the other characters when she stumbles back into camp. And I don't have any great desire to change my approach. Since then, I've been revising heavily and working more on the original chunk of the series, so I haven't written past that particular injury. I don't even know if the character survives. I only know that she's been languishing away these past seven months. It would have been more merciful to finish her off right away, I suppose.

So my attempts at violence have sometimes been weak.

Then again, the original Lio and Lamb opening, from the middle volume of the series, begins with an instigating act of extreme violence that shadows the entire novel. And that novel is, essentially, a murder mystery. It is full of killings.

I guess I'm all over the map.

There is one place I won't go, however.

I've been so frustrated lately with television shows that break audience members' hearts by offing the characters that they identify with most. And it's one of Matt Bird's rules to avoid that, as he specifically states in Law #6 of Writing for Strangers: "It's very hard to get audiences to care about any hero because they're afraid of getting hurt." To paraphrase: Once you earn the audience's trust, don't betray it.

So here's the deal. I promise not to kill off Lio or Lamb. Even though their names allusively suggest that it could happen (à la Jesus/Aslan, sacrificial lambs), this will not be a "heroes sacrifice all" story.

I make no promises for the others, however. After all, sometimes it is fun to kill off a character. 

Is That Sunshine I See?

It seems the last time I looked at a calendar it was mid-February, and here we are in JUNE. Which means...

...my day job has reached its annual hiatus. Already, I have celebrated various life events with loved ones, attacked house and yard jobs with the short-lived glee of early summer freedom, and requested a pile of books from my local library. The best part is finally being able to sit in the midday sunshine reading.

Over the course of the spring months, I didn't make the writing progress I had hoped for, but small Lio and Lamb adjacent projects were on my mind daily. For example, I was constantly looking up the derivations of cool words that I ran across in order to make up new words and names for the story. I've also been on a brain-hunt for nicknames for various occupations, ranks, and positions in my realm.

Alas, I have decided not to travel this summer.

I'm grieving a bit over not being able to see the RSC reverse-gender Taming of the Shrew or Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. There will still be Minnesota trips and lots of theater to see, but no long plane flights or overstuffed luggage.

Instead, I've decided to commit to finishing both Lio and Lamb drafts. It's slow going so far. But I feel like I'll get back in the groove today. As long as that lovely sunshine and the pile of library books on my kitchen counter don't tempt me outside all day.