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an AHA! moment with my (pulled back down from the shelf) WIP

Doesn't it figure that as soon as I publicly announced the shelving of my WIP, my first novel, that I would have a breakthrough with it? Oh, the sweet (and, literally, I mean sweet, wonderful, making-me-smile) irony!

I've had a writing breakthrough. I'll be sharing it with you now:

I've been writing in third person, so to distance myself from my mc, Laurel, who is very (probably too much so) similiar to me. However, it's been difficult to figure out some of the technique -- was I in deep POV or not? Was I writing with a narrator? It seemed so, because if I wasn't then there may have been a hell of a lot of author intrusion... and wait... If there is a narrator, who is the narrator? Why does the narrator matter? Why would this narrator tell the story? Do I need to know that? Do I even need to address it at all?

So, anyway. I had all these concerns. Legitimate ones. Concerns that had me wondering whether or not I should throw in the towel and work on something new -- something I could write in first person, probably. Something easier to write about than the plot of the current WIP. (I'm far too attached to it. I blame it on my narcissism. Or maybe I'll blame my muse. Who is a narcissistic extention of myself.)

And, concerns that had me wondering if I was cut out to write a novel at all. Ever.

(Okay, wait for it. I'm getting there.)

I've. had. a. brainstorm.

It came upon me at a random moment, while sitting on my back porch reading Bad Twin (that LOST-related novel by Gary Troup, a fictional author whose name is an annagram for purgatory, incidentally.) The book itself didn't have much to do with my breakthrough. I often pause while reading books, between the chapters, usually, and think about my own attempt at novel writing.

This time, when I paused -- I knew my narrator. I knew the reason my narrator was telling the story, and that reason includes a twisty-end-of-book (last chapter, maybe) payoff for the reader.

I'm so stinking excited.

So, I don't think I'll give up on writing alltogether, or give up this WIP.

Did you have an aha-moment while writing your novel? Was it when you figured out the end of the story?
If you don't have an end in mind, is it frustrating you to work on it?
Do all pansters go through this sort of madness to get to a place where they realize where they're going?

Comments

Melissa Hurst said…
That. Is. Awesome! I'm so glad that you're going to finish your WIP. You ARE a wonderful writer.

Seriouslyspice;)
Sierra Godfrey said…
Hee hee!

yes I have aha moments ALL THE TIME with my novel, especially when listening to "take on me" :) :) :)

But I mostly have them in bed at midnight right before I tumble into a hard, dream-deep slumber, from which I remember NOTHING AT ALL the next morning. The best I can hope for is snippets of something vaguely interesting floating in the air above my head some two weeks later.
This is so cool!! What a brilliant aha moment and what a gift! Back to it, girl!
Melissa -- thank you, thank you! Miss you. ;)

Sierra -- I used to go through that close-to-sleep-brillance. I would think of the most beautiful line, or something that seemed crucial, then I'd fall fast asleep and forget it all. Now that I'm preggers, I hardly have one rational thought when my head hits the pillow!


KarenG -- thanks for the encouragement!
B.E. Sanderson said…
Congratulations! I love aha moments. Sometimes they come when I'm trying to figure out the end, but mostly I get mine in the form of some plot twist.

You know, it didn't occur to me until you asked the question, but I don't really have a solid end in mind for my WIP. Especially since I'm doing a total rewrite and my old ending won't work anymore. Hmmm. Maybe that's why I'm struggling right now. Thanks, Amber. I think you just gave me an epiphany.

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