Themeattics

People crave the familiar yet seek the novel.

Allen Gannett, The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea at the Right Time

It seems like every week I make some new discovery about my writing processes that is equal parts worthwhile and frustrating. This time around, it’s about how hopelessly drawn to new ideas I am.

For those uninitiated to the phrase “Cult of the New,” it references people’s tendency to favor new things over old. This most generally applies to entertainment media – new games are better than old, new movies better than old, etc. – but I don’t really want to get into the problems of all that here. All I’m doing is stealing the phrase to apply to my writing. You see, in doing all this outlining of Residuum, I’ve managed to spend a great deal of that time inventing new ideas whole cloth.

On one hand, great. I’ve actually been a little worried that my creative well has dried up as I’ve gotten older, and with nothing real to show for it that’s been a frightening prospect, but I guess I can shelve that worry. On the other… that’s not the point of doing this review. I’m supposed to be making what exists better so that it’s marketable, not continually placing it on the back burner in order to chase something new and flashy.

But, at least it’s giving me something to think through here. I’d imagine this isn’t an isolated phenomenon. Were I to guess, a lot of creatives likely suffer from this same thing. I know there are whole societies of creatives who adore the refinement process that comes from editing and reworking their drafts, and good on them. I’m jealous of that, in fact. That’s not me. Combing over an existing story to pluck out the bad and engineer the good is about as fun as getting teeth pulled at the moment. Pass after pass on one scene at a time to get it tightened up and conveying the exact emotional beat is just… merciless. It’d be easier – and more enjoyable, certainly – to just go chasing one of these myriad new and exciting ideas.

Easier and more enjoyable. Man, how many worthwhile pursuits are shelved by running after those two things? What a fantastic way to make sure I never get anything done with any kind of marketability.

If it wasn’t obvious, I’m doing my best to banish that devil on my shoulder. It’s hard, but necessary. While I do that, I’m continuing to learn more about how I work on these things. Outlining a new story is certainly difficult – especially when it comes to something like Catalyst, which is the first story of a series – but I can easily find the enjoyment there. Outlining changes to an existing story is much harder to get invested in. I don’t have a good handle on the reasons why, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true for me. Sitting down in the wee hours of the morning and trying to get my brain to churn through what exists, compare that to what I’m trying to do, determine how that might affect later existing story, and then figuring out how best to tweak things… it’s starting to feel a bit untenable, and that’s led me to other options.

For instance, I’ve got a throughline that I’m trying to strengthen regarding Delen’s father figures and how they sculpt his view of the world. Due to some circumstances early in the novel, one side of that sculpting is left hanging and seems to meander or simply fall flat. So, in going through places that need more general updates, I’m trying to see if threads like this can be slotted in. That way I’m killing two birds with one stone – adding more to a lacking scene by adding more to a lacking plot point.

In the end, each scene needs to be conveying at least one important aspect of the plot. Whether it’s building character, building the world, or advancing the story overall, the story needs to be doing things. It’s not like I’m lacking in things to do, either. There’s a lot of density in this plot. I can’t let things meander.

Which is why I’m debating doing rewrites as I’m in the middle of plotting these throughlines. Yes, sure, I need to know every step of each line, but that’s not to say my opening paragraph, which needs a hook, can’t be redone now. Not all these lines are going to need to be injected right up front, after all.

Basically, this shit is hard and I’m learning that all my time writing has just been the tip of the iceberg. The easy part, if I dare to label it as such. Now, I’m in the thick of it. But, eventually, it’ll all come out better on the other side. I just need to keep pushing.