Jan 13, 2025
How do you deal with a change in ideas halfway through your book?
Or do you save it for a sequel/prequel?
Those of you who have followed me know I am a pantser. That means that I don’t plot the storyline out ahead of time when I write. I start with a premise, and let my characters tell me where the story is going to go. After all, they are the experts.
One of my favorite examples of this is the romance subplot in Wolves’ Knight. I’d planned a sweet little courtship for Tasha, my main character. I’d even started writing the scene where the first kiss between the characters would happen. It was a beautiful setting. Deep in the woods, at the top of a waterfall, late at night, with a full moon overhead. It never made the book, because Tasha started yelling. She wanted nothing to do with the suiter I’d created for her, having other idea about what should happen.
On the other hand, there’s my work in progress. I’d written a great first chapter, putting Annie’s life in danger in the first few paragraphs. But it doesn’t work as Chapter One. I’m hoping to use it later in the book, but we’ll see. The new chapter I wrote is sending the story in a different direction. Shoot, Detective Myers showed up, and I hadn’t planned for him to be part of this story.
Or maybe the original attempt will end up in a later book in the series.
It’s a game my characters play.
They let me sweat over my slow to non-existent progress and then hit me with the reason I’m having issues. Often, I go back to what I’d previously written and find out the clues were there, I just didn’t recognize them.
It’s not just the subplots that it happens with. I didn’t realize how fitting the title “Wolves’ Pawn” was until I was three quarters way through the book. I can’t talk too much about that without revealing more than I want to.
So here’s a taste of the next Edwards Investigations book. I don’t even have a title for it yet. But I wonder where this snippet will lead me.
“I’ll ask you the same thing I asked before and didn’t get an answer to.” Annie shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Was he undercover?”
“Not one of ours. I heard about your observations and understand your conclusion, but it’s not true, as far as I can find.” Myers grinned. “But the guys over there think you must be.”
Which at least partly explained the way she’d been treated. Hell, they hadn’t even confiscated her weapon. “Did they drag you here just to deal with me? You’re out of your precinct, Detective.”
So, how do the other authors on this hop handle abrupt changes in their plots? As always, follow the links below to read more great posts and find out.
And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.
Jan 13, 2025
How do you deal with a change in ideas halfway through your book? Or do you save it for a sequel/prequel?
all. But it works. Well, most of the time.