Another IM gaming night, so not much 'real' writing got done. I did manage to critique another chapter belonging to another writer in one of my writing groups. That's something.
The other writer's chapter got me thinking about Angel Odyssey. They pretty much ramrodded their plot into motion. Parent/guardian dies, supernatural being shows up and tells them they have a destiny, and then villagers chase them out of town.
My novel is more gradual. Jacob finds Jael, nurses her back to health, villagers (with some help) decide they want to take Jael (for different reasons). Jacob is forced to leave for Jael's sake and for his family's sake. (If they'd stayed, there would have been bloodshed between neighbors, which is against the Way the farmers follow and/or the farm would be under siege, more or less.) There is a plot hole in my novel, which makes enough sense in my own mind but some readers might wonder about. No, I'm not going to say what it is, if you see it, fine; if not, even better.
There are virtues of kicking the plot into gear through 'artificial' means. You can control the pace and keep things from getting bogged down (see 'nursing Jael back to health'). I don't know, though. It feels better to me for the conflict to occur organically, arising out of the needs and motivations of the characters, rather than from the arbitrary dictates of plot. Still, at least that other author doesn't have to worry about getting bogged down.
Tonight I finish the second draft of 25/26. There may be some major cutting involved. We'll see.
The other writer's chapter got me thinking about Angel Odyssey. They pretty much ramrodded their plot into motion. Parent/guardian dies, supernatural being shows up and tells them they have a destiny, and then villagers chase them out of town.
My novel is more gradual. Jacob finds Jael, nurses her back to health, villagers (with some help) decide they want to take Jael (for different reasons). Jacob is forced to leave for Jael's sake and for his family's sake. (If they'd stayed, there would have been bloodshed between neighbors, which is against the Way the farmers follow and/or the farm would be under siege, more or less.) There is a plot hole in my novel, which makes enough sense in my own mind but some readers might wonder about. No, I'm not going to say what it is, if you see it, fine; if not, even better.
There are virtues of kicking the plot into gear through 'artificial' means. You can control the pace and keep things from getting bogged down (see 'nursing Jael back to health'). I don't know, though. It feels better to me for the conflict to occur organically, arising out of the needs and motivations of the characters, rather than from the arbitrary dictates of plot. Still, at least that other author doesn't have to worry about getting bogged down.
Tonight I finish the second draft of 25/26. There may be some major cutting involved. We'll see.
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