Sometimes, we struggle. Let’s talk about that.
So you have a purpose, a concept and some world building.
What about plot?
There are plenty master plot writers out there who can come up with a strong story from the outset.
I am not one of them.
I often forget that with my amazing characters in this really cool world, stuff actually has to happen. That doesn’t mean the end result is lacking, but it just takes me a while to get there.
Writing such a large narrative comes with a whole new set of problems and it can easily get muddled. Plot is added onto subplot that is written alongside three other subplots. Strands are left dangling in the ether, forgotten in place of another.
Losing my sanity while grappling with act two’s subplot and act one’s character arc does nothing for the clarity of the story anyway, or my mental health.
So no one wins.
And we’re all exhausted just trying to figure out what is going on.
This was where I was at a week ago.
After writing a 125,000 word first draft, the concept of sifting through my dual narrative and rewriting what probably amounts to a third of the plot, was soul destroying.
The problem lay with one of my protagonists, Victoria, the posthumanist scientist who created the prosthetics that became humanity’s downfall (no spoilers I promise). Her part builds the foundations of the story and it wasn’t bad. However, for a science fiction novel, it just didn’t push boundaries enough.
With this genre, there is always the inevitability that reality will surpass fiction. People now are doing such incredible work in prosthesis and making astounding progress. I’ll admit, it was a struggle to keep up. Victoria’s narrative had to be beyond what we can do now and maybe I’d fooled myself into thinking it was. But it wasn’t quite. That was scary.
As a first time author, I felt as if my first draft was such an achievement that it was, in a way, this sacred thing I was too afraid to drastically change. It wasn’t easy to let go of this even though I knew that it was so far from perfect (or even legible to others) in some areas. I was prepared for the sticky middle that I’d just waded through in an effort to get to the end. I was not prepared for the beginning needing more heavy duty treatment.
It can be overwhelming. But that’s okay.
Take that distance. Start at the bottom. The root of the plot, and yes – purpose.
I needed the courage to break it apart and push it further. Once I got started, it was exciting being back in such a creative place where I could rebuild her motivations as a character. I want her narrative to have this element of the fantastical while being enough of a possibility that it asked questions about our own reliance on technology. However, I became so rooted in reality that it lost that excitement and imagination.
A safe, simple story is not what Subhuman is.
Its complex. I want readers to piece it together and have those lightbulb moments throughout where I’ve left breadcrumbs. Its those stories that I fall into and don’t want to climb back out of.
The BioChronicles has to have greater potential than one linear story. It will span books, games and blogs. It is diverse and limitless. Subhuman is just the foundation.
It was never going to be easy.
But it would be worth it.
Now, a week after my plot crisis, I am ready to take it on. I’ve learnt that a first draft doesn’t mean the end of development. If anything, it forced me to see my plot more clearly and answer those difficult questions.
I could have avoided the ‘why’s’ that cropped up in Victoria’s narrative. They weren’t glaring holes. However, her story, although shorter than Kai’s, has the potential to be so powerful.
And now it will be.
Just you wait.
N.S.Land 