tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post5478417058989224209..comments2024-03-09T11:10:46.978-05:00Comments on Brooklyn Arden: A Plot Excuse to Watch Out For: "But Then Where Would Have Been My Novel?"Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05972029478350879112noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-81043306053207127812012-08-05T18:00:04.781-04:002012-08-05T18:00:04.781-04:00Oh, I agree! But, I can't help but remember wh...Oh, I agree! But, I can't help but remember when JK Rowling was on tour (either after Half Blood Prince or Deathly Hallows, I can't remember) and she ended up apologizing to librarians for Madame Pince, because, if she had been the helpful sort, then where would have been my novel?Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02024880986964198385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-39214364096387666782012-08-05T05:09:50.176-04:002012-08-05T05:09:50.176-04:00Useful, practical, to-the-point great post! Thank ...Useful, practical, to-the-point great post! Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-72245133979519647942012-08-04T16:29:57.760-04:002012-08-04T16:29:57.760-04:00I read somewhere that coincidence should never sol...I read somewhere that coincidence should never solve problems but you can get away with coincidences that make things more difficult - i suppose no one finds bad luck hard to believe. Good rule to write by, perhaps. <br />But is it coincidence if it is truly character driven? Not so much. The trick is in the set up. <br /><br />For myself a lot of this streamlining is done in the rewriting stage... continuity editing, if you will.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11484157546455266778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-50430985662796386872012-08-04T13:49:53.864-04:002012-08-04T13:49:53.864-04:00Very good point, and a great way of remembering it...Very good point, and a great way of remembering it. I think the same can apply to endings if they seem to come out of the blue - on the last page, suddenly, a big revelation, unconnected to anything else, brings about conclusion. It makes things seem forced, as if the author thought 'Well, this is how I want it to end. If it doesn't come naturally, it'll come all the same...!'<br /><br />Plot naturally needs one thing to follow on from another, but if removing a particularly awkward or out-of-character point would cause the whole thing to come tumbling down, what you actually have is 'block writing' - and like building blocks, removing one brings everything crashing. Maybe different plot points should be strong enough on their own to stand up to the test, while still being linked in a more natural, subtle way. <br /><br />Thanks for this post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07414383276847435706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-20557817611359130132012-08-04T13:41:28.586-04:002012-08-04T13:41:28.586-04:00I should probably append that the definition of to...I should probably append that the definition of too much stewing is in the eye of the beholder . . . so write what you need to write, and then don't worry about it unless your first readers say something like "Goodness, I wished she'd just talk to him already!" or something.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05972029478350879112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-75029143594270701632012-08-04T13:35:29.988-04:002012-08-04T13:35:29.988-04:00Great post, but I'm not going to talk about it...Great post, but I'm not going to talk about it because I'm stewing about my MC stewing too much.Traci VWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18158949570719862850noreply@blogger.com