Mar 14, 2010

Listen

It's been a while since I've written about the book. Although to be fair, it's been a while since I've actually written the book. Period. So that may have something to do with it.

My problem was the infamous chapter 11. It took me 6 weeks from start to finish to write that one chapter (to give you a frame of reference, most chapters have taken me 3-4 days to write once I get started on them). But damn chapter 11 almost bankrupted my entire literary career (my my, aren't I witty this evening).

Why? Because this is the big moment in the book when the two main characters finally meet (yes, we're 100 pages in, I know). They haven't seen each other in 6 years. And saying there's some nasty "history" there is putting it mildly. So there they are, in public, face to face, and ... and what? Precisely. How does one write a scene like that without it being too much, or too little, or, or, or? That's what took me six weeks to figure out. And also I was enjoying the sunshine.

Well, I did finally finish chapter 11 two days ago (we'll see if the "big meet" ends up fulfilling your expectations, if not my own). But now I have another problem. I have no idea what happens next.

This problem crops up every time I finish a chapter. I'm all excited for about 5 minutes for having nicely rounded off an episode of my story and then - panic hits. Now what? Yes, I know how the story ends. I know lots of pieces of the story. But I never know what the immediate next step is.

So I wait.

And, ok, here's the weird bit, don't judge me, please.

The characters tell me.

I'm not kidding. I don't hear dead people, I hear imaginary ones.

Is that normal, or have I truly lost the plot? (fortunately, my knack for bad puns will never leave me)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about a flashback in Chapter 12? you can go back in time to 6 years earlier when they were best friends.

Anonymous said...

Or go back to the future: describe the ending in chapter 12. This will give you some time to think of chapter 13, a flash back to what happened after they met, in chapter 11...

The ANALyst said...

SO do you plan to reveal your real name in your book or are we to assume that it shall remain ResIpsa?

Res I(p)sa said...

Thanks for the tips, guys. Have since managed to push myself through to chapter 13...
@ Analyst, I promise you will learn my real name if the book ever gets published!