Those of you following my most active social media channels (https://twitter.com/RossPonderson and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ross-Ponderson-Author/441583685981864) know that a critical chapter in the novel I'm currently writing has had me spinning my wheels like a subcompact car in a snowbank. I've come to refer to this problem child as my "chapter from hell."
For those unfamiliar with my literary career (shame, shame,shame!), I'm well into the first draft of my second novel, a story I've come to love even more than my debut offering, "Child of Privilege." (http://amzn.to/1AbE1ty)
Was that a shameless plug? Yep.
For months now, I've been tied up in a creative knot by one of my novel's most pivotal chapters.
Having already painted the backstory, emotional makeup, and current circumstances of my protagonist--a young woman named Samantha--I'm reaching the juicier portions of my suspense arc, the part where Sam carelessly surrenders her heart and soul (and body, eventually) to the most diabolical, backstabbing, and cold-hearted S.O.B since Richard Van Werner in "Child of Privilege."
(Subliminal message: "He sounds like my kind of S.O.B. I'll buy the book.")
In fact, I think Cole (my antagonist) makes Richard look like a kindly, gentle soul with a heart of marshmallow. What a sub-human piece of s***! (heh, heh)
A requirement that I impose on myself as an author is to experience my novel from the reader's point of view rather than my own. What do I mean by that? It isn't enough for a novel to be as structurally, grammatically, and mechanically correct as I'm capable of producing. That's only part of it. Each chapter (and each scene, for that matter) should have a definable feel to it; it should convey something--fear, sadness, anger, happiness, anticipation, empathy--or your reader will disengage and pick up another book.
Let's face it--there are millions of works out there from which to choose.
For you, however, that's a major no-no.
Every chapter and scene should flow at a proper pace while still taking the time to explain whatever may need explaining. You don't have to sacrifice a scene's richness and texture on the altar of "Show, don't tell." No, expository prose isn't a capital crime when used wisely.
Dialogue can also be used to divulge information; it should be interesting yet credible. ("Do real people talk like that?")
At the end of a sequence, the reader should have a gut-level sensation of "I get it."
If not, oops.
If a sequence of events doesn't feel right--or, as I like to say, doesn't lie down right--that's a problem I need to address. This may require relatively simple revisions, a more involved re-staging, or a complete rewrite--whatever's fair.
Such was the case with this chapter of my discontent.
Sam was about to allow her life to be changed--and potentially trashed--by her relationship with Cole. My initial treatment didn't feel right; it didn't lie down right. This was a major turning point in this woman's life and it simply didn't have the right OOMPH to it as first written. Even though this is a first draft--and I let many things pass at this stage--it felt so wrong that I simply couldn't let it go.
So, what was the solution? You're cooking up a literary omelette--crack some eggs, dammit.
Because of storyline restrictions, I couldn't alter the chapter's setting or basic premise; so I turned to my minor characters for help. I had done this with great success in my first novel.
(Subliminal message: "Hmm, that sounds like an interesting literary approach. I'll buy the book.")
Luckily, I did have several offline characters just itching to come back onto center stage. It was time to start the "What if" games.
I started shuffling the supporting players in and out, "auditioning" them singly and in various combinations. In all, I wrote over thirty different scenarios before I found one with the right flow, character sync, dialogue, credibility, and conflict potential. It also set up a wonderful segue into the rest of the story. It worked; it felt right; it laid down right. Result: a happy author ... and hopefully, happy readers once the book is published.
Chapter from hell: done! Woo hoo!
There are innumerable solutions out there for writer's block. Use whichever remedies work for you. But please don't fail to consider the simplest solution of all: write through it and never give up.
It works!
Don't forget to pet your thesaurus today.
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