Drunk on Writing

Anyone who reads my blog (i.e., no one) knows that I do not write from start to finish. I like to jump around, exploring different scenes and moments in my novel despite where they occur. I find this is a great way to defeat writer's block...if I can't come up with something during the course of the story, I write something that happens later on.

However, this poses a problem when I am suddenly faced with the task of connecting my main storyline with something I have previously written. Sometimes this happens effortlessly, but most times I am stuck at a point where I know something I've written before has to happen. I'm just not sure how to get there.

So I present a post dedicated to bridging the gap between Point A and Point B, A being where I am in the narrative and B being where I need to go.

1. What needs to happen between the two plotlines?

The characters are trapped in limbo in one part of the story and they need to get to another part. Certain things must happen for B to occur. If I could just plunk the existing scene into the story, I wouldn't be writing this point. When we think about what needs to happen first, we don't necessarily have to focus on physical actions. Sometimes we need to consider how the characters' feeling must change in order for B to make sense.

For example, in my current effort, I am stuck in a sort of meh scene where not much is really happening. What I want to do is add in something I have already written because, well, it's time. I'm not going to sweat over what actions need to occur. Instead, I'm going to look at how the characters are feeling and interacting and think about how they will feel and interact in the new scene.

Try working backwards from Point B to Point A It's often easier to figure out how to finish the journey then to conceptualize how it started.

In order to do this, I grabbed my trusty notebook and jotted down what had just happened in the story. I then left a few lines blank and wrote what happens in the scene to be added. Now all I need to do is scribble in what has to occur in between. Have I done that yet? No. I decided to procrastinate instead and write this post.

2. Go big or go home?

Now we know that SOMETHING needs to happen between A and B, but how big should you go? That all depends on Point B. Is Point B dramatic or story changing? Is it highly climatic? If so, then the middle ground should be low key and work on building up the big scene. What if Point B is mundane and merely moves the story along? Depending on what point of the story you are at, you can go either way. Think about whether it's time for something exciting or if a slower pace is more appropriate.

3. How big does the bridge have to be?

So how much bridgework are we facing? Let's use a bridge as an example, since that seems appropriate.

You need to figure out what kind of distance you are covering. If the middle ground is a body of water, you need to figure how wide it is and what kind of bridge you need to build. If you're facing a small stream then obviously you don't need a big, fancy bridge. Something short and sweet and simple will do. However, if the body of water is massive then you need to build something bigger, higher and with more structural support.

4. Invest in a good computer.

This point may seem out of place in the scheme of things, but I think it's great advice for anyone trying to write a novel. Nothing kills a train of thought quicker than a system that freezes and lags. I swear to god if this thing lags up one more time while I'm trying to write this post, I will vomit shards of rage.


Side Note: Immediately after writing Point 4, Firefox lagged twice, crashed and then disappeared. Thank the Lord Baby Jesus that Blogger saves drafts.