NaNo dilemmas

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Sage

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When you are trying to decide what to do and want to write it out somewhere or just have someone decide for you.

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It's not a secret that I'm using a lot of my already-written short stories in my NaNo, which is a sequel. The book is based on the foundations those short stories built after the first book, and it would be silly to not include those foundations which would be developmental changes from book 1 to book 2. I was feeling that the beginning was lacking because I was trying to use one short story as if it had already happened, and it was just failing to portray the developments created in that short. Steal four paragraphs from the short and rewrite them to work in context, and instantly the scene had more meaning and the reader can feel the change, rather than be told of it. Because I did that, that scene becomes an integral part of very important dialogue in the next scene.

But several chapters later, and the next time these two characters come back together, I have accidentally set up the perfect intro to use that short story word-for-word. Although I made those paragraphs work in the first chapter, they feel shunted in to me, and I adore the original short story. I would much rather put "(add Non-Scents after NaNo)" here, but it means I'll be stripping that first chapter and the results of it in the beginning. But if I decide in the end that I don't want to use the short here, I want to have something happen in this scene that moves the novel forward in some other way. So I feel torn because how the scene after this develops is based on whether I decide to use the pre-written stuff here or not.
 

MySummerJob

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Yeah, that's a tough one, not sure what the right answer for that one is, but someone knows better than I do.

Maybe you could do three versions. One with the short story included (as is like you wanted), an original piece, or you could do a hybrid (where you take the short story, and touch it up (I know you said you wanted to include it as is, but this could make things "click" better for you =D)).

________________________________________________________________________________________

That being said, I have my own dilemma, and I'm glad this topic came up. I came up with a possible detail that I might want to throw in (I'm not in that part of the story yet, thankfully), but I'm not sure if it contradict my original intention, or not. I wish I could discuss this with someone who not only doesn't mind spoilers, but will still be willing to experience stuff later on, even if they know what will happen (because I told them, or they found out).
 

Sage

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MSJ, I have a book that has a major plot twist 2/3 of the way in. When I did my first round of beta readers, half knew the twist and half didn't, and I found that I could still get a good read on how that book reads from both perspectives, so don't worry too much about "losing" fresh beta readers by spoiling the twist with someone. The spoilers can also sometimes make someone interested in the book.

You would think that two hours of digging through mud would have given me enough time to ponder my own dilemma, but you'd be wrong ;)
 

Raindrop

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(...)I was feeling that the beginning was lacking because I was trying to use one short story as if it had already happened, and it was just failing to portray the developments created in that short. Steal four paragraphs from the short and rewrite them to work in context, and instantly the scene had more meaning and the reader can feel the change, rather than be told of it. Because I did that, that scene becomes an integral part of very important dialogue in the next scene.

But several chapters later, and the next time these two characters come back together, I have accidentally set up the perfect intro to use that short story word-for-word. (...)
Oh wow, tricky. Correct me if I'm wrong, but basically, the short story causes the characters (or setting, or events?) to change/grow, and starting book #2 without that info looks awkward, is that right? So I get why you borrowed paragraphs from the short story and slotted them in at the start of book #2. It makes a lot of sense.

But... aside from the technical issue of what to do with the "borrowed" paragraphs, if you insert the short story later on, after the characters meet again, will it risk resetting whatever development happened previously?

The way you have it now, the short story happens before the book. The four paragraphs set that up nicely, along with the changes that already happened. Moving the events of the short story forward might clash with that (unless it's told as a flash-back).
 

Sage

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Rainy!

So what I have now is that the short story would be replaced, one way or another, either by the four paragraphs or by bringing it in word-for-word in the current chapter. I'd love to have the short be canon in the novel because it's probably my best written short ever.

So, full disclosure, the short originally initiated the romantic feelings between two of my characters. One of them is a ghost, so there's only so much he can interact with the human. She can't hear or see him, and with a lot of concentration, he still only has a 50% shot of being able to touch her. However, she's reminding him more and more of her great-aunt, who he was in love with when alive. Because of this, it's easy to fall into the trap of him constantly flashing back to the woman he could romance when around her, and to go back to "I can touch her...no I can't. Ooh, a touch...no, that was disappointing." I'd rather have the really strong scene of that bringing him to a point of no return with his feelings, and then develop from there.

The conversation after the first chapter is that another character (who can see the ghost) asks what happened with him and the girl. He's talking about something else, and there's a lot of inadvertent misdirection between the two sides of the conversation, so neither knows what the other is actually talking about, but think they do. I actually added the four paragraphs because I felt the interaction between the ghost and the girl weren't strong enough for that conversation to work.

So, yeah, that is the dilemma. I really want the short to be this chapter, but I'm worried about what to do with the relationship during the first chapter. But I think I'm going to go forward as if I'm putting the short here, and deal with it in revisions :greenie
 

Raindrop

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:hooray:

So, full disclosure, the short originally initiated the romantic feelings between two of my characters. One of them is a ghost, so there's only so much he can interact with the human. She can't hear or see him, and with a lot of concentration, he still only has a 50% shot of being able to touch her. However, she's reminding him more and more of her great-aunt, who he was in love with when alive. Because of this, it's easy to fall into the trap of him constantly flashing back to the woman he could romance when around her, and to go back to "I can touch her...no I can't. Ooh, a touch...no, that was disappointing." I'd rather have the really strong scene of that bringing him to a point of no return with his feelings, and then develop from there.

The conversation after the first chapter is that another character (who can see the ghost) asks what happened with him and the girl. He's talking about something else, and there's a lot of inadvertent misdirection between the two sides of the conversation, so neither knows what the other is actually talking about, but think they do. I actually added the four paragraphs because I felt the interaction between the ghost and the girl weren't strong enough for that conversation to work.

So, yeah, that is the dilemma. I really want the short to be this chapter, but I'm worried about what to do with the relationship during the first chapter. But I think I'm going to go forward as if I'm putting the short here, and deal with it in revisions :greenie

Ooooh but if you re-use your borrowed paragraphs and tweak them a bit... just enough to make them a call-back to the first chapter, that might make the relationship stronger. Like an echo. Or a game of ping-pong (assuming the ghost can play ping-pong).

(You sure have a knack for impossible relationships! :greenie )
 

Sage

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(assuming the ghost can play ping-pong).
He could play successfully against the human MC. There are specific rules about when he has a good shot of interacting with the rest of the world, and anything that affects the human MC almost always works.

(You sure have a knack for impossible relationships! :greenie )
They're my faves!
 

Kjbartolotta

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My current Nano Dilemma (and it's fine, really, I just need to vent about it): So, my story features a lot more cannibalism than I expected, which is just yuck. Technically the MC is a zombie, so it makes sense, and this is still very much the story I want to tell. But I'm not especially enjoying writing about people-eating, and this is day three of trying to hit the word goal when all my character is doing is eating people and feeling awkward about it.

#WeirdNaNoProblems
 

Sage

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Having gone in detail already, can you skim over those specific parts when you get to them in future scenes? Or does each bout of people-eating bring enough new details or information to make it worth describing each time?
 

Kjbartolotta

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Oh, definitely worth describing as far as I'm willing to, and actually less people-eating, more other stuff then I making it sound like. Just I can't wait to get to the next episode.
 

Atalanta

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I'm agonizing and flailing for the first time all month. It's killing my enthusiasm. The story is self-indulgent fan-fiction and up until now I've been having a blast.

The problem? Romance crept in when it's not supposed to have any romance at all. I know it's a first draft. It's also, as I said, fanfic just for me. I basically can't ruin it because nobody's ever going to read it. And yet I am agonizing over whether I'm ruining it. Am I forcing the romance? I don't know. What if I took it out? Would I be sad because this character ends up alone? I'm single. Why can't he be happy being single?

Now I'm sitting here in front of my document, paralyzed. I wanted 2k words today. I have 177 of some of the worse dialog I've ever written. lol. The next scene doesn't even have any opportunity for romance. I can just write it and worry about the romance later. And yet, here I sit like a deer in the headlights.

I feel like I've become poisonous. If I touch the story again it's going to curl up and die. It's as if my investment in the story has now crossed beyond what my self-confidence can handle. :(

Thoughts? Advice? Free brain transplant?
 

Sage

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Oh, no, Atalanta! It's so funny (but not funny) how we can get paralyzed even when we know that nobody else will see this but us.

Sometimes, even when I know that the scene I'm working on has nothing to do with a scene that's bothering me that came before, I just can't let go of the problem I know exists before, and so I can't go on. Even when I tell myself to write myself a note that "from this point on" I will assume that the previous scene was fixed, I usually just go back and fix it.

i'm wondering about your process, because I know it's fanfic just for you, is the experience of writing it the first time really the experience of living it for you--like a choose your own adventure? Or are you looking forward to having a final edited version in the future for you to enjoy over and over again? I feel like that's the answer to how to deal with it.

If the important part for you is the experience of writing this fun fanfic adventure, and what you just wrote doesn't feel right to you, I say go back and write something else there instead (keeping those words, of course, in some exiled section of your document).

If you're looking forward to editing it and then rereading it over and over again, then you might want to keep what you have just in case it turns out amazing. I have had characters take detours in my novels that I wasn't expected but that turned into a really amazing part of the story. But if knowing that that might happen doesn't do enough to unparalyze you, do exactly the same thing. Go back and change it. Or write the next scene that might or might not be about romance in both ways and see which you like better. (Keeping all words, of course).

And if all else fails, assign a number to an option and roll a die ;)
 

Kjbartolotta

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I feel like I've become poisonous. If I touch the story again it's going to curl up and die. It's as if my investment in the story has now crossed beyond what my self-confidence can handle. :(

Someone could burst in the door and shoot the romantic lead, thus turning the story into a hard-driving revenge novel as the MC must redeem himself in blood.

I mean, you said it best that there's no way you can ruin it, so if you're hemorrhaging enthusiasm (and trust me, I feel you), why not swing for the fences? Play to every trope and cliche situation you enjoy, or even deliberately try to ruin it so that the characters are left scrambling to figure out what to do next. Just keep that wordcount rising!
 

Atalanta

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I deleted and rewrote that post three times before I hit submit. Ha. I wasn't sure it was worth publicly angsting. But I felt better afterwards, and my confidence got a boost from the kind words. Thank you.

I went back and cut about 100 words I really hated. There are now three lines in the story that possibly hint at a romantic connection. When I get to the end I can choose to take that route or not. I still haven't decided, but at least I'm no longer thrashing.

In fact, I girded my loins this morning and wrote 2,500 words. They were mostly terrible. lol. But I had fun, and this year that's all that matters. Thank you again. :)
 

DarienW

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Happy to hear you pulled through, Atalanta!

When i hit one of those and decide to head in a new direction, I just turn the words to be deleted purple so it doesn't lower the count. I'll delete them later, or maybe restore it and go that way instead.

Like Sage, I usually can't just go on with a problem, and I did have to take a moment and work out a plot that I hadn't figured out before starting. I did finally get it, and it helped that I had already written a lot. I hit the 50K, took a night off, and now I'm going back through with some glue in places. I don't know how many more words I'll gain doing little edits etc, but I'll be happier with the final at the end!

:)
 

Sage

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This thread has been very useful for plotting. I come type in the dilemma I'm having and pros and cons and possibilities, until I have my own answer, and then I cut and paste it into Scrivener to count the words ;)
 
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