If you're a writer like me, you know that there are times when you're writing that 500+ page science fiction novel with a thrilling plot, compelling characters, and terrifying villain, and suddenly you're looking at what you have and you're just like:
I have no idea what to do next.
Maybe you've written yourself into a corner. This could mean a variety of things - the plot is stuck, the characters are falling flat, etc. When this happens, I always try to follow my number one rule.
SIMPLIFY.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. I can't stress the word enough. This probably seems confusing to you. Here's an example.
During the revision process of my own novel, I always had this horrible feeling that something wasn't working right. My spidey senses told me that something was off, something was contrived, but the worst part was, I had no idea what it was.
Obviously, the plot needed reworking, and the minor details like wording and sentence structure required a fair amount of polishing. But I knew that whatever it was that was bothering me: it went deeper than that. For a long time, I avoided the feeling, too scared to face the fact that this problem, this feeling might be irreversible.
The bad news: I was right about there being a problem.
The good news: I was wrong about it being irreversible.
I had this one character - let's call her Sally. She wasn't the MC, but she was definitely my child. You know the feeling. Anyway, I had all these plans for a gloriously heart-wrenching back story, with twists and turns and betrayal and sacrifice. The backstory was a novel in itself. She lived in Place A - tragedy strikes, and she has to move. She lives in Place B - tragedy strikes, and she has to leave. She lives in Place C...yeah, you get the idea.
I was so proud of Sally's backstory. Sally was going to carry the story. People were going to love Sally, I just knew it. Unfortunately, it soon dawned on me that Sally, my child, had about as much personality as a damp paper towel.
How could this happen?!?
I'll tell you. She was too complicated.
You see, the problem was that I was trying too hard. The story wasn't even really my story, it was about what I thought people wanted to read. This manifested itself in the plot and sometimes, the characters. I was trying so hard to avoid cliches that the whole thing was sloppy and complicated and impossible to get excited about. None of it felt natural. I was focused on my audience more than my characters. The real story was muddled behind all of the extraneous details.
The problem is that as a non-published author, I don't really have an audience. At the very least, not yet.
However, like I said, this is fixable. If your story doesn't feel right, one thing you can do is go back to the basics. Cut out those extra, pointless scenes. Simplify your MC's back story. Shorten your sentences. Go back to the basics. Outline your plot in the shortest way possible. This will help you start over again without really having to start over again. Get rid of all the unnecessary things, and the details will shine through.
Resources:
Simplifying Your Novel - It's a GOOD Thing
25 Steps To Edit The Merciful Suck Out of Your Story
