Last night I was so confused by my own plot line I nearly exploded trying to explain it to my two writing friends. I wrote this trilogy of novels several years ago, and the plot is definitely complex, hopefully in a good, marketable way.
However, the writer of said work has to be able to get it clear in her own head before adapting it for the screen.
I ended up re-reading the first novel in this trilogy, read a chunk of it out loud to my feedback team here, and got the feedback that it wasn’t confusing when they heard it. This morning I jumped back in and did my best to wrap my brain around the thing my brain previously created. What a hoot!
This afternoon I had made progress but hit the truly complicated part and some resistance. I got up from the work space, decided to do some reading instead, and then Cal Newport’s voice rang in my head. “Deep work. Not distraction.”
Guilty as charged. I turned on a dime and sat my butt back on the red bar stool and forced myself to dig back in. Fifteen minutes later I had sorted out the central issue. This time around I charted the information in the novel manuscript AND on my screenplay outline and also repeated it out loud to my friends in an effort to truly cement it in my brain.
My agent told me years back that I didn’t back away from writing complex material and this is definitely the most complex plot I’ve ever attempted.
Thanks, Cal. Thanks, writing women. I’m back in the saddle and my outline is nearly done!
2 comments:
Once you commit to stick with the Deep Work and get as much done without distractions it will all come together. Hang in there.
Thank you! I finally got myself organized and un-confused. :) It was a great weekend and I’m back on November Hill now doing things like vacuuming and mopping floors after being away for 4 days!
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