Just a brief ramble this morning --about forks. In stories. Not the eating utensil type, the which-way-do-I-go type.
I'm newly diving into book four of the Lost Ancients series, yup, the Sapphire Manticore is up and running. I'm trying to make sure to get some writing in every day to keep it fresh and make sure I stay on track--that does mean writing first thing in the morning before my day job ;).
But, I digress. Today is about plot choices we make as writers. Doesn't matter if you're a plotter and make those choices in the planning stage, or a pantser and make those choices as you zoom through your dirty first draft.
Choices must be made, and they will change the story.
Even little ones. I just left off this morning's writing with a "was it stolen?" or "do they just not know it's there?" comment for myself when I come back. It doesn't seem like a big thing, but either choice could lead to larger and larger differences.
I really wish there was a way to follow both options through, see where they end up, then decide. Instead, I'll ponder it for a bit (like today at the day job ;)) then pick what I feel works best.
But it does make me wonder what could have been. What existed in those missing paths.
It's like you decided to get a Starbucks that morning, missed the bus and find out later the bus was totaled by an eighteen wheeler. What if you hadn't gotten that coffee? Would you have been killed? Maimed? Survived? It's the same for characters. If they discover something will it be the death of them? If they don't will it be the death of them?
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Marie. The next question is: What if you find out later that you should have made the other choice?
I know! That's what gets me sometimes. On some forks, I just merrily go down a path and don't look back- but on others I feel stuck. And yes, I have gone and changed directions when the "wrong" fork didn't work ;).
DeleteMarie- at day job- can't get on blogger
I do a lot of that kind of pondering, too. I try to go as far down both forks as I can to see which one works better and feels more right. You never know where you're going to end up.
ReplyDeleteNothing like trying to decide which path to take when both paths look like fun. I recently asked my crit group which way I should go in my story and they gave me an answer which I was perfectly happy with for about two weeks, then I decide to pick the other option. but I had to write for a while to decide which option was best for me.
ReplyDelete