Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Reeling Motives

Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but here it is. Feel free to stomp on with extreme prejudice or embrace with a blush…

As I continue to muddle through my First Draft of The Hushing Days, I find myself doing a lot of scene shuffling.

For example, you couldn’t have the scene of dear old Jack falling down before the scene of he and Jill going up that troublesome hill. (Unless, of course, you’re writing the story in a flashback. In that case, all rules are off, baby!)

Anyhow, my shuffling is a lot more petty than that. Mine is all about the flow.

Deciding what goes where and when is not always easy when you’re dealing with a large ensemble cast. Everybody’s got to stay fresh in the reader’s mind while not popping up too much to hog the spotlight.

How do I make these calls?

Movies.

You know the ones that have a handful of A-list actors and an equally fine fistful of Oscar-worthy supporting players? “Steel Magnolias,” “Love, Actually” and any 4 hour WWII movie from the late 1940’s jump to mind immediately.

While the literary gods might frown down on cinema leading a writer anywhere, in certain cases, I suggest it nonetheless.

--Insert “Stomping” or “Embracing” scene here—

Until tomorrow…

Chloe

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