Do Over

24 May 2010 | Filed Under Revising 

Make the revisions stop!

Hopefully this is the last time I have to re-plot The Narrator before I send it out to beta readers. I’m getting sick of re-plotting it, but I know the story is benefiting from it!

If you know anything about the protagonist’s inner and outer desires, excuse the quick explanation. The outer desire is what they want, and is usually selfish; the inner desire is what they need, usually unknown, and is usually unselfish. To create a great protagonist, these desires need to be in opposition.

I came up with the perfect set for Prince Calder. His outer desire is to go on adventures and be a hero; his inner desire is to control his own life. Normally those go hand in hand. But with an omniscient, powerful narrator as your antagonist? Holy crap, you’re screwed.

If you go on adventures and are a hero, you’re not really controlling your life because you’re falling into what the narrator wants. If you don’t, you are controlling your life but you’re very unhappy. And probably no longer qualify as the protagonist!

Unfortunately, this revelation also means that my progress bar reset to 0. The first quarter of the revision should go pretty fast, since the content is similar, but it’ll slow down as I expand or totally re-write the rest of the novel.

Comments

2 Responses to “Do Over”

  1. Julie Dao on May 25th, 2010 3:28 pm

    Great tips! I sometimes forget that a character’s inner desire is usually not apparent to them. I love when it’s apparent to the reader and they can watch as the character makes a realization.

  2. Jenn on May 26th, 2010 12:23 pm

    When I was sorting all this out, I wondered if every character is supposed to get a set of inner and outer desires. I gave the major characters a set to help character development, but who knows how much they’ll come into play.

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    Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

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    4/21 segments

    A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

    Status: Second revision



    1,639/70,000 words
    A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

    Status: First draft



    1,087/70,000 words
    When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

    Status: First draft





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