You Must Try it On
I’m watching “What Not to Wear,” TLC’s fashion advice show. The hosts, Stacy and Clinton preach one thing that struck me today: you must try clothes on to see if they fit and look the way you want. You can’t tell anything by just looking at something on a hanger. You must see it on your body.
Revising a novel can be like that, too. I’m facing a major change in my story and I’m just fiddling with ideas. Instead, I need to “try it on” and do some sample writing, trying out the ideas.
In this draft of my novel, the villain is not believable in important ways. I need to soften him, yet still keep the impact of his actions emotionally the same. The problem is that I can’t figure out how to replace his evil ways with something equally evil or deceptive or twisted or, well, something. This will directly change the climax of an important subplot, which feeds into the story’s main climax.
I’ve been making lists and have a couple options of what is plausible, what is not, given these characters and situation. Now, I need to do “try them on” my story. I plan to do some free-writing, trying out different approaches until something hits.
One thing is guaranteed: it won’t be the first thing I try. I’m just hoping it’ll be the third or fourth!
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I do this too! Only instead of writing samples, I make lists of pros and cons – so if I decide to blind my villain in an accident, what are the good and bad points about doing that? Great post, and thought provoking as always.