Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Chapter Meandering

As mentioned previously, I’ve started writing a new book that is a sci-fi/fantasy mashup.  I think I’m building out the world decently enough, but I’ve found that I’m wandering a bit from chapter to chapter.  That’s because while I am looking far enough ahead to know how each chapter will go when I start writing it, I don’t yet have a full direction for the story.  I mean, I kinda sorta know what I want to do, but the picture has yet to form.

What that means for me is that this could either end up being one of my more lengthy works as I build up a storyline that is in-depth and lays out a full world the way Tolkien and Martin have done, or it could just meander from place to place without ever finding its true voice.  That’s the trap I’m trying to avoid…which means I better find a more clear path in the next couple of chapters.

I’m sure the solution lies in outlining a little more, but even as I look ahead, I’m finding that an entry point into the main story is challenging unless I can more create the world since both of them are so disparate that I need to connect them enough for the readers to properly invest themselves.  I suppose I could just try to separate it into a few books the way George RR Martin did with Game of Thrones, but I don’t know that what I’m working on has enough plot to justify different books.

Oh well, just a look inside the travails of a writer.  😊

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