Writing: The Blank Spot
Jan. 22nd, 2011 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jpskewedthroneOne of the disadvantages of writing in the way that I do--by the seat of my pants, basically by "feel"--is that occassionally I'm humming right along with the writing (as today) and I get to the end of a scene and it's a good scene and I think it's the end of the chapter . . . but it's not. It FEELS like it could be the end of the chapter . . . but when I look at how the next chapter begins, and look at what's in this chapter, it feels like there's something missing. There's a blank spot at the end here, basically a missing scene. SOMETHING is supposed to go here and I don't know what.
So what I've been doing for the last hour or so is going over in my head what could possibly go here that I'm missing. I can't have character K (sorry, this is the secrit projekt) doing anything, because she's in the first scene in this chapter, a significant scene, and she's also in the first scene in the next chapter. I thought about moving her scene forward to take the place of the missing scene . . . but that doesn't work. That first scene in the next chapter is definitely a "first" scene and needs to stay there. And it picks up right after her scene in this chapter already, so I can't add in another new scene from K's perspective.
OK, fine, so let's think about character A. But it can't be his scene because I just FINISHED one of his scenes and nothing of significance can happen to him immediately after that scene. Some time has to pass. And since his scene is tied in with K's scene, I can't move it, and since K's next scene happens immediately, there's no space in there for a time jump. So character A is out.
In fact, based on the thought process for character A, whatever scene goes in here has to be happening simultaneously with both K and A's scenes in this chapter. So it has to be in a different location completely, so has to deal with one of the other plot threads. So I'm now considering characters D, B, Au, and H.
I can't imagine what Au would be doing after his last scene and what importance it might have so soon after that scene. He's got scenes coming, but I can get across anything that's happening of importance with him now in those scenes, so it can't be an Au scene.
B pretty much always have scenes together with D, one ordering the other one around. I don't think I've had a scene with just B alone. Maybe I could do something with that? But what? He made his thoughts clear in the last chapter. Nothing's happened to change that. But it's possible there's something going on with B here.
Same with D. Both he and B are more or less waiting on word from H, which leads me to believe that this missing scene is probably from H's perspective and should be a short little "catch-up" on what's happened with him recently. Hmm . . . perhaps the fact that he's finally caught up with character L? That might work. Advance that plot thread, since it needs to be reaching a climax here shortly. But I can't advance it too much. Character K and A's plot thread needs to advance much farther before everything can start accelerating to that climax.
Hmm . . .
Just a quick peek at the thought process of a writer flailing at the end of the chapter. *grin*
So what I've been doing for the last hour or so is going over in my head what could possibly go here that I'm missing. I can't have character K (sorry, this is the secrit projekt) doing anything, because she's in the first scene in this chapter, a significant scene, and she's also in the first scene in the next chapter. I thought about moving her scene forward to take the place of the missing scene . . . but that doesn't work. That first scene in the next chapter is definitely a "first" scene and needs to stay there. And it picks up right after her scene in this chapter already, so I can't add in another new scene from K's perspective.
OK, fine, so let's think about character A. But it can't be his scene because I just FINISHED one of his scenes and nothing of significance can happen to him immediately after that scene. Some time has to pass. And since his scene is tied in with K's scene, I can't move it, and since K's next scene happens immediately, there's no space in there for a time jump. So character A is out.
In fact, based on the thought process for character A, whatever scene goes in here has to be happening simultaneously with both K and A's scenes in this chapter. So it has to be in a different location completely, so has to deal with one of the other plot threads. So I'm now considering characters D, B, Au, and H.
I can't imagine what Au would be doing after his last scene and what importance it might have so soon after that scene. He's got scenes coming, but I can get across anything that's happening of importance with him now in those scenes, so it can't be an Au scene.
B pretty much always have scenes together with D, one ordering the other one around. I don't think I've had a scene with just B alone. Maybe I could do something with that? But what? He made his thoughts clear in the last chapter. Nothing's happened to change that. But it's possible there's something going on with B here.
Same with D. Both he and B are more or less waiting on word from H, which leads me to believe that this missing scene is probably from H's perspective and should be a short little "catch-up" on what's happened with him recently. Hmm . . . perhaps the fact that he's finally caught up with character L? That might work. Advance that plot thread, since it needs to be reaching a climax here shortly. But I can't advance it too much. Character K and A's plot thread needs to advance much farther before everything can start accelerating to that climax.
Hmm . . .
Just a quick peek at the thought process of a writer flailing at the end of the chapter. *grin*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 04:17 am (UTC)I am in a stall situation in two WIPs right now as I am stuck on a chapter ending. Irritating, isn't it? Sometimes it helps to read the whole thing from word one and by the time you get to the stall it is now clear how to proceed. Sometimes research does the trick. I know I need to do this for one of my stalls and I don't want to. The block is I want to continue with the story and I can't without the setting. I have to look up the setting and that is boring. Must get more discipline going.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 06:51 am (UTC)Tarzan woke to a sunny morning in his home treetop. He could barely remember how he had finally escaped the pit. Something about tying several snakes together to make a rope. Ah well, there were more important things to think about now.
It's Only a Movie
Date: 2011-01-23 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 03:05 pm (UTC)Glad I'm not alone...
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 06:17 pm (UTC)Dave
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 10:40 pm (UTC)Catherine