I swear it isn't a gimmick

[wayfaringwordhack]

My WIP, To Be Undone, is not going to be an easy book. I have a completed, albeit badly broken, draft that comes in at 54K. Yes, I am the same person that just wrote a 230K ms. Aliens or body snatchers have not run off with the real me as frigg  suspects (but really, would I tell you if they had?)

My first stabs at this project date to around three years ago, and the next day, the day after the first rush of a first chapter written in 3rd person, I had the urge to try it out in first, which I promptly did. And I liked the voice. Nonetheless, I decided it would be best in 3rd (probably going off writing advice from some shady, or possibly illustrious and very intelligent, corner), and that was that. Until last year in July. I once more thought, This would be good in first person. Once again, I shoved the idea away and did TBU in 3rd person for NaNo. Then, last week, for novel_in_90 I started a fresh draft, and  surprise, my storymind says, No, no, no. You are going to tell this novel in 1st person. And because you were so baaaaaad and so ornery, you are going to tell it in 1st person for not one but THREE characters. 

So my rational brain whined a bit a lot to the storymind, and it retorted, Enough of your sniveling. Because you want to be difficult, because you think you aren't up for a challenge, you are going to tell the story in the present tense. Oh, and there will also be framing sections in third person past tense told by a genderless being. So there. And in case you were wondering, here is my flawless logic for why it shall be so....

Well, being the baaaaaad and ornery person I am, I got my brain to back me up and said no. Emphatically. And proceeded on my merry way. But. the. Storymind. Would. Not. Shut. Up. About its idea, anyway; it just left me and the rational brain floundering when we tried to do it to our plan. The storymind's flawless logic kept piping up, and I--and, no, the rational brain held up no more heroically than I--could no longer ignore it. So I have cracked, and rational brain has cracked. And now I'm getting story love. Now it is talking to me. Now it is lighting that fiery, passionate, why-can't-I-be-at-the-pc,-writing spark that I've been craving.

So the moral of the story is: You shouldn't always listen to the brain you think you should listen to because several thousand words and months down the road you'll wish you hadn't. Instead you should listen to the one that asks hard things of you because, yes, you may fall on your face--you may fall a lot farther than that if you want me to be honest, a lot farther--but at least you'll burn, baby. Burn all the way down.

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Hey, we can share the pain. The project on tap is wanting to be told in three different rotating first person POVs too. I'm kind of cringing and wanting to back away so I can write them all in the third limited like a normal writer person though...

Normal writer people...

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

It feels better knowing there is someone else out there feeling the same thing. And the icon you have there is perfect for the way I felt when my storymind said it was not going to let me be a normal writer person on this particular project.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

I love when a good story gets itchy like that. :-)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

You deliberately left the B off itchy, didn't you?

[rabiagale.livejournal.com]

Whoo! Yay story-love! I guess I need to prod my Story Brain; it's obviously not doing it's job. :)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Yeah, story brains are tricky. You never know what is going to make them shower you with love. If you ignore that might work. But it is just as likely to result in them ignoring you back. You can coddle them, but they don't necessarily reciprocate. :(

[slmcgaw.livejournal.com]

Yay for story love, yay for fiery passion. This is just what you needed. And you are so right - always trust your instincts.