Friday, March 6, 2015

The Culling

With The Hushing Days cruising along at a remarkably steady clip these days, the culling of subplots has begun.

It’s an ugly process I’d prefer to face blindfolded and drugged to the gills for. Alas, common sense and creative aptitude are needed in this editorial bloodbath.

Currently on the chopping block is the strained relationship between two of the “minor” brothers. This tangential storyline is not needed to support or even to enhance the main plot.

Keeping it, and all the background shenanigans that go along with it, would mean sacrificing time and space much needed for the story’s big guns.

Cutting it would mean a loss of a very interesting dynamic, one that led me to telling this story.

However, I must bow to the fact that this is being written as a romance, not as a family drama. Admittedly, it’s a small difference. Both genres usually have wide swaths of the other in their plots. One can rarely live without the other.

But when issues of space and plot strength come up, there have to be sacrifices. In this case, the family drama must go…

Or at least be pruned back substantially…

Perhaps trimmed to promote better blooming the next season could be a way of stating it?

Yeah, we’ll go with that one.

So what have we learned today, class?

Answer: a spot of personal delusion often comes with bloody hands.

Until tomorrow…

Chloe

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