Wow, I'd forgotten how tangled and messy this story gets... I've spent all day working and only just got into chapter 19.
There's the three different timelines, right? Well, through most of the story, it's just switching between two of them: the present where they're trying to get rid of the body, and the party six months earlier.
There are very few mentions/hints about the third timeline (the night Jackson died) until chapter 17, and the timeline with the party (6 months earlier) doesn't end until midway through chapter 18.
Which is why my fast & furious progress yesterday suddenly got jerked from third gear into first, 'cause for two entire chapters, I've had all three timelines to deal with, and they have to flow together, yet each one also has to be easily recognizable from the other two.
I'm on page 87/114 (single spaced), and my word count has inched up to 52,350.
Even though it's been a slow day, I'm happy with the progress I've made. Especially that I made it into chapter 19 where we're back to just two timelines.
You may not believe me, but from here on, the story gets much simpler.
...and with this post, I've probably terrified all the wonderful people who have agreed to read/critique when I'm done this major round of edits...
Sorry, guys... but at least I'm giving you a taste of what you've gotten yourself into...
...and seriously, someone whack me with a rolled up newspaper if I ever mention it might be fun to write another multiple-timeline-story.
Actually, scratch the newspaper idea. Make it a Louisville Slugger ;)
sounds like you have your hands full. Good luck moving forward. FOr what it's worth I'm impressed with your multiple timeline WIP, I could never pull it off.
ReplyDeleteWho says I've pulled it off?!?!
Delete...at this point, I can only hope ;)
I'm actually working on a duo timeline right now. It would be interesting to compare thoughts.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the progress. Even slow progress is forward moving, so here's three cheers for success!!!
Anytime, just send me an email :D
DeleteI love chatting about writing!!
I've considered doing such things (or a story from multiple POVs) via writing the entire storyline or pov, then going back and doing the other and so forth until the story is done. No idea if it would really help consistency or not, mind you.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've kind of gone back and forth between alternating as I go, then I've stopped and written entire chunks of one timeline that I know I'll go back and break up later.
DeleteI think, if I was a plotter and knew how the story ended before I started writing, I could have simply alternated throughout... because it's important how, in the present, the pieces of the past fit together in the MC's brain.
As the MC gets closer and closer to a guilty-mental-breakdown, the chunks of timeline get shorter/more broken up/interspersed.
Writing one timeline, then another, then the third, and then patching them all together, I think that would have been much more difficult because things in the present need to remind/make the MC think of the past... the triggers have to match, if you will.
Challenge accepted! I can't think of too many techniques harder than multiple timelines, especially making them fluid. Good for you for pushing that boundary, I just hope you don't lose me along the way. In my other WIP the multiple POV's was making my head crack... ;)
ReplyDeleteWell, it's your job to point out where I lose you ;)
DeleteI find things like pacing/etc are so hard to be objective about when it's your own story...
I'm home I'd never wack you with the paper and I have to get writing my fingers itch
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, well, I thank you for that then ;)
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