They're mean little buggers that will pop up out of nowhere. It's the only disadvantage to writing fiction versus non-fiction. Those damn plot holes are way too easy when I'm creating something out of nothing.
The plot hole this time, started in chapter 5, and grew into a monster of a beast when I tried to start chapter 8. So, this what I'll have to do. Rewrite about half of chapter 5, make it less filler and more content. Chapter 6 will only need a couple of very minor tweaks, deleting a sentence, changing some words, nothing more. Half of chapter 7 needs to be either rewritten or replaced and moved to chapter 8. This is the weaving aspect of telling a tale. It's a lot like a jigsaw puzzle where you just can't tell where the pieces will fit until you move things around.
Chapter 5 - Rewrite
Chapter 6 - Minor tweaks
Chapter 7 - Rewrite/or move half a section
Chapter 8 - Will fall into place once all of that is done
Everyone following me? No? Well, I didn't really expect you to, and that's okay.
Some authors, and yes I've seen this happen, will write too much to overcompensate a plot hole they created, rather than going back and fixing it properly. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not one of those authors. I couldn't care less how much work it takes to make the story flow properly again. The work is worth is because once I clean this up, I can go back to plowing until the story is finished (or until I run into another plot hole).
Back to writing...
Showing posts with label chapter 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chapter 6. Show all posts
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Filler Chapters
My writing marathon the other day worked out well. I finished two chapters and I'm almost finished the next. After I finished chapter 5, I realized why it was a drag for me. It's a filler chapter, haha!
I normally plan filler chapters in advance, or at least know when a filler chapter is needed before it's written. But chapter 5 snuck up on me. As far as fillers go, it's the most interesting filler I've ever written. I'm seriously laughing about this. I was so eager to get to the fun stuff in chapter 6, I almost didn't write chapter 5. And I still didn't realize 5 is filler. Go figure.
Filler chapters are often a necessary evil. They can seem like a chore, but very much needed to maintain a consistent thread through the story. A brige between two points, if you will. I've read books where it seems the author couldn't tell the difference between filler and just making crap up. Unfortunate, because there's a huge difference.
Fillers still have a plot, or at least a reminder of the plot. It would be downright silly for me to write a chapter about something completely unrelated. Something like, a choreographed disco dance around a bonfire in the middle of a post-apocalypse story, where disco doesn't exist. Humorous, but silly and unnecessary. Might be appropriate if I was writing a parody, but I'm not.
So it is important to maintain related content in filler chapters for a novel. Graphic novels and comic books (though they're the same thing, really) can have cute fillers with a subplot. But they're still related! It might be easier in comics, because of the visual similarities, but the same principle applies to novel writing. The fillers should have a purpose - further the plot, introduce a new character, provide a moment of comedy relief, etc. This is all a part of the craft of creative writing. Every chapter, pargraph, every single word, should be there for a conscious reason.
In essence, filler chapters should read like they're not fillers at all. How an author organizes elements, and how the reader perceives these elements, two different things. In novel writing, filler is a term for the author, but never seen by the readers.
I normally plan filler chapters in advance, or at least know when a filler chapter is needed before it's written. But chapter 5 snuck up on me. As far as fillers go, it's the most interesting filler I've ever written. I'm seriously laughing about this. I was so eager to get to the fun stuff in chapter 6, I almost didn't write chapter 5. And I still didn't realize 5 is filler. Go figure.
Filler chapters are often a necessary evil. They can seem like a chore, but very much needed to maintain a consistent thread through the story. A brige between two points, if you will. I've read books where it seems the author couldn't tell the difference between filler and just making crap up. Unfortunate, because there's a huge difference.
Fillers still have a plot, or at least a reminder of the plot. It would be downright silly for me to write a chapter about something completely unrelated. Something like, a choreographed disco dance around a bonfire in the middle of a post-apocalypse story, where disco doesn't exist. Humorous, but silly and unnecessary. Might be appropriate if I was writing a parody, but I'm not.
So it is important to maintain related content in filler chapters for a novel. Graphic novels and comic books (though they're the same thing, really) can have cute fillers with a subplot. But they're still related! It might be easier in comics, because of the visual similarities, but the same principle applies to novel writing. The fillers should have a purpose - further the plot, introduce a new character, provide a moment of comedy relief, etc. This is all a part of the craft of creative writing. Every chapter, pargraph, every single word, should be there for a conscious reason.
In essence, filler chapters should read like they're not fillers at all. How an author organizes elements, and how the reader perceives these elements, two different things. In novel writing, filler is a term for the author, but never seen by the readers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)