More trouble in writer’s paradise.

It would seem I’m having yet another moment of panic.

This happens on occasion, as more frequent readers may have clocked by now. One moment I’m looking at my manuscript, marvelling at the story my brain is somehow weaving before me. In those moments I feel a pride in the dreams that are bleeding from my mind, into written form. Those are the good days, the ones where I feel like I’m doing the right thing, that writing is what I was put on this earth to do. Then there are moments like the here and now, where I cast a more critical eye on my prose and wonder what on earth I’m playing at. Was it always this shoddy? Has the excitement and glee of the writing experience caused me to overlook how flawed and foolish all of this typing malarky really is?

I’ve discovered another plot hole in my book. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t the worst of faux pas, but it’s sizeable enough to send my self-esteem spiralling. Basically, one of my major twists has a massive logic gap in it. The character in question starts our story as a rival of sorts, seemingly making unkind errors that work against one of our heroes. Except we eventually learn, as the story progresses, that this particular character’s actions have been all apart of something more grandiose; a scheme to save our protagonists from a dangerous and callous fate.

I know, it’s probably a cliche move, but it’s exciting and adds depth to a character who starts out life seemingly minor. I love individuals like this in stories; those who seem pointless on the surface, but become more central as events unfold. That’s all good and well, be the problem is, their motives are objectively just too dangerous to be considered plausible at this stage. It’s a huge gamble, so much so that no one human alive would be daft enough to even try what this person is attempting to pull off.

My instinct is to throw the whole subplot in the bin and figure out something else. If it doesn’t work, kill your darlings, and all that. I can just come up with a more effective way to utilise this character, one that doesn’t require them to be so ruddy foolish within the confines of this story. Then again, a part of my brain is whispering for me to reconsider. Don’t chuck it out, not just yet. There must be a way to make this work. Having this character go from an apparent obstacle to a guardian angel (of sorts) is so appealing. To simply abandon the concept because it isn’t watertight right now would be a shame. Surely there’s a way to make this work!

To pull this off, I need to figure out a valid reason why they’d partake in such a risk. Why would they gamble everything on a plan that’s almost certain to backfire? I need to add an additional fact or feature that assigns more logic to the audacious attempt. This individual needs more of a reason for their confidence; they need to be more in the know, more certain that their reckless behaviour will pay off because of something they have knowledge of.

As I write this, I have no idea what that additional something is. I’m genuinely at a roadblock right now, overwhelmed and confused about how to iron out this particular plot hole. There are two ways I can go from here. I can panic and flap about, or I can embrace the challenge. There’s a glitch in the manuscript, a fault in the flow of words. In the past, this would be my cue to throw in the towel and write something less taxing. Perhaps an article on a favoured Doctor Who episode or even a short story about a protagonist processing a messy breakup; the sort of thing I can smash out and feel satisfied with in a matter of days.

I think this time, however, I’ll try something different. I’ll try and land the plane, so to speak. Sure, I’ll moan and complain about how I’m the worst writer to have ever walked the earth. I’ll even likely harp on in my own head about how my ideas are supposedly as watertight as a fish tank in a warzone. Be as that may, I’ll keep going. Based on past experience, when I stick with a problem, the solution often ends up being far more appealing than the original ever was. Who knows, may the answer to this monolith of a plot inconsistency is far grander and more interesting than my initial idea could ever dream of being.