ISWG: Trying To Do Too Much (Or Weaving Too Many Threads in Your Novel)

When I posed my last chapter to my critique group, I really wasn't quite sure how it would be reviewed. I was pleased to receive mostly good comments on it, but then a recurring comment occurred: the scene did a lot--possibly too much.

I know this novel I'm working on has a lot of threads (i.e. subplots). So many so that I have deliberately removed some threads that are less important to the story I want to tell. But it's led me to an interesting line of thought, and that is: how many threads are too many?

Say the chapter is 3000 words, one setting, essentially one long scene or two medium-sized scenes. Does tackling three or four subplots in that chapter constitute as "too many threads?" I don't know if there's a right answer here, but it's something that I've been thinking about. The last thing I want to do is pull my reader in too many directions at once, and I've been working on having all my scenes pull double-duty. I don't want a scene in my novel to only do one thing--even if I love the way it's written, every scene must do at least two things or it ends up on the cutting table. 

So, a part of me was thinking (before receiving feedback), that I was really making these scenes work and I was kicking butt in making my scenes do double-, triple-, even quadruple-duty. Then the comments came back, and although they weren't negative in the sense that it was too difficult to follow or even that my scene was divided, they made me consider: where is the point when a scene tries to do too much?

Now I find myself reconsidering each scene, wondering if it's not doing enough or if it's doing too much. I certainly don't want my reader overwhelmed, but I also don't want them underwhelmed. In some ways, I feel overwhelming them is better than underwhelming them, but then again... It seems that this may be one of those things that requires a delicate balance best determined by experience.


~I.E.

Confidence (and April's Insecure Writer's Support Group)

C is for Confidence

Since today is the third day of the blogging A to Z challenge, but it also happens to be the first Wednesday of the month, which is the Insecure Writer's Support Group day, I decided to combine these two and post about my insecurity: lack of confidence.

I've been part of a writing forum for about six months now, and it has its ups and downs. Most recently, I've been quite down about it. This has arisen from one feedback I've given which gave me a proverbial slap in the face by suggesting that my personal beliefs had no bearing in the feedback I was giving. In other words, my personal beliefs should have nothing to do with how a particular scene comes across to me. In all honesty, I find that to be quite wrong.

Every reader brings their personal beliefs, backgrounds and experiences to a novel. I believe that a book is more personal than a movie. A reader spends more time on a book than a movie, and if the situations or the morals in that book or movie clash directly with the reader's morals, most likely there will be some dissatisfaction. Some readers are able to attribute the actions to an unlikable protagonist and read the book without agreeing with what happens, but there's a trick to that, which is not my point in this post. (E.g. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, which has an unlikable narrator.)

Dissatisfaction with a story can occur if a conservative or liberal reader reads a book which goes directly against their morals. A reader may put those books down if bothered enough by them, and a writer may have lost a reader. No author is for everyone. An author I adore, another reader may hate. As long as a reader can give a reason for their likes or dislikes, it's not wrong to love or hate a book. That's the joy of having so many books to explore.

But this incident has severely shaken my confidence and given me a huge insecurity in offering my feedback. Almost to the point where I don't want to give it at all. If my personal views are irrelevant to my feedback, then what am I left with giving? Merely grammatical edits? Is that all I am allowed to say? For my personal beliefs, interests and past experiences undoubtedly influence how I see a character, how I feel about them, and whether I believe them to be realistic characters. In fact, my personal beliefs, interests and past experiences are what makes up me. 

So I'm left with a difficult situation in giving feedback. And that is: How can I divorce myself from my opinion? If I knew someone like this "unlikable" character in the past, I won't like this character unless there is change. If the author asks for feedback on whether their character is likable and I see them as particularly unlikable for their beliefs, their actions or their personality, what can I say? Do I just not say anything at all? 

#IWSG Alex J. Cavanaugh's page

~I.E.

Insecure Writer's Day #1

So I was browsing some blogs over December, and stumbled across something called "The Insecure Writer's Support Group." 

I cannot express how much I love this idea.

Every first Wednesday of the month, writers across the globe blog about their insecurities. It's the opportunity to announce your insecurity, and hopefully, get rid of it as you realize other writers have the same ones (or used to).

So this is my first time joining up in Insecure Writer's Day, and it's sadly too easy to come up with a big insecurity for me.


My insecurity is:

People don't like my plot.

My biggest hurdle in sharing my work is not in thinking that the writing isn't any good, or even in whether I've got a modicum of talent. No, it's a bigger issue than that. 

Bad grammar can be forgiven, and poor sentence structure can be overlooked--if the plot is absolutely amazing.

The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, neither of those series have perfect grammar or perfect sentences. They probably could have been written better, to be honest. And really, The Hunger Games doesn't have a particularly new plot, nor does Harry Potter. So why are they so great?

I think the plot resonates with many readers on many levels. Classic tales of good versus evil, of children growing up and doing the best they can to overcome the odds. Stories where, despite the differences of the characters' lives and yours, you can connect with them.

So maybe it's not that my plot isn't any good, but maybe it's that the way I'm telling the story could be done better. Maybe the characters I've chosen aren't compelling enough. Maybe there aren't enough twists and turns in the plot. Maybe my desire to give an ambiguous/literary ending angers my reader so they never come back.

I could go on and on. Really, it's endless. All because of plot. 

I could read a million books on plot, and I'd probably still struggle. Because really, the best way to learn plotting is to plot. 

So I'll head off to my work-in-progress now and begin plotting once again. In the hopes that someone will want to devour this book until the final page.