Let's dispense with word count first. Only 857 words today, but I feel great about it. The only writing I did today was at lunch, and it came easily. In fact, I feel better about what I wrote this afternoon than anything else I have written to this point. And the fact is, I really didn't expect much of a word count today. I had a few drinks with the neighbors, watched a little tv - basically acted like a normal person tonight. Besides, I am counting on a good word count this weekend.
So what's the dilemma? Well, the scene I wrote today was back story. It was about how my main character got into the business he is in. It was my most fluid writing to date, and the further I got into the scene, the more I kept thinking that this shouldn't be back story, this should be THE story. This should be where I am starting the novel, as opposed to being a setup scene in chapter 3. And I could make that happen without changing the plot too much. The only real change would be my vision of the main character. I had conceived the storyline, in part, around the notion that he had been in this particular line of work for a long time (about ten years), and had grown cold and callous about the nature of the work he did. My thought was that the length and depth of his commitment to his work would make his struggle to redeem himself from it all the more interesting. And that single thought is the only thing holding me back from making the change.
So, I'm letting things rest where they are for the night, I'm sleeping on it, and I will take my chosen direction in the morning! Stay tuned!
Daily Word Count: 857
Total Word Count: 7,516
Completed: 15%
