I'm a pantser. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, that means my characters run the show and I just write down what happens to them.
But the last few books I've had this really cool idea that my brain keeps trying to stick in there. Actually it's a really old idea and one of the primary cool things for this world. Usually I catch myself before it becomes a problem, but this time I didn't. Now the last third of UnderWorld needs to be rewritten.
My brain got in the way. I've been obsessed with the HalfWorld and using a story to explain about it, so my brain managed to twist this story in that direction and it was the wrong direction. Now I have to go back to the point where the story went off-track and rewrite.
It looks like most of what I have will still work, but it's going to be rewritten and the ending will be entirely different.
My brain tries to direct things, and even when the story goes off-track there's this need to make it fit until I have to twist myself into a prezel to even see how I got here.
So the first draft of UnderWorld will be a while. I thought I could post the status and first three pages this week, but noooooo.
At least I can identify where the story went off-track now, which I couldn't a year ago.
Good luck with the rewrite.
ReplyDeletePantsing will do that, unfortunately. It's not necessarily bad, you can reuse the parts you must cut in other stories, but it will still cost you time and nerves. Using outlines --even really really brief ones-- can help a lot. :)
ReplyDeleteI've tried outlines of various types. They don't work for me, so I do without.
DeleteThere are disadvantages to being a pantser, but no one ever says my stories are predictable. :)
Lauren