This morning was about inserting a scene to bring in someone from the initial thumbnail at the start of the book and to fill an interesting question/plothole that got raised during the writing. It also allowed me to expand on some observations about the protagonist’s mother, who is the antagonist of the ‘internal’ plot so when problems arise, they are oftentimes opportunities in different clothes.
Some mornings, it doesn’t always flow but you keep going until it does and even then, so long as I finish, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I can edit a bad page, but not a blank one. I know where I have to take this scene, and what needs to happen in terms of ensuring that the conventions and obligatory scenes are put there. I am returning, or really discovering what a pleasure it is to write to a classic structure, rather than attempt to break convention or herald some bizarre form of new literature. I want to entertain and within that, is the requirement to give people what they want, but not necessarily in a way that they expect. I don’t write for mass appeal, because people are individuals and their feelings and opinions change on a momentary basis.
No one knows what will sell, or won’t in any artform. All I can control is the quality of the work I produce and then trust that it invites attention, possibly acclaim from people who are gatekeepers to publication and distribution. I experimented with self publishing, but made a right hash of it, resented the sheer amount of marketing I had to do and felt it was invasive and too blunt to be effective. I found myself soliciting reviews that appeared to have the same cheery voice as every other self published review does, and it might have been a fear of success manifesting, but I wanted someone to say that it sucked at the time. In hindsight, it did to a degree and I’ve written a lot more, and really worked on my craft since then. I want to build a career where I write and equally enthusiastic people handle the things that they are enthusiastic and competent about. I’m only a half-bright thing if I pretend that I can turn my hand to every aspect of the business and I cannot. If my purpose were PR, marketing or publishing then I would be blogging about, or better, doing that.
I am available for children’s parties, by the way 🙂
It was good work this morning, 177 pages now, into the second act and looking forward to tackling the set up and pay off for the return of the ‘external plot’ which is more visceral and serves as a counterpoint to the reflective emotional underpinnings of the ‘internal plot’
As before, please leave questions, comments and such below in the comments. Thank you.
MB Blissett 