I know, I know, artist types can be so boring when they talk about themselves but… humour me. I’ve been stuck for months now on the ending to my dystopian YA novel. Every time I would try to push the plot forward, the action would deviate from the protagonist’s ideals. It’s fun to create a future world; keeping it consistent is the tricky bit.
I got excellent advice from Robin Maharaj (while he was working as Toronto Public Library’s writer-in-residence he did a public workshop on the short story). Maharaj is a literary author known for his novel A Perfect Pledge. Robin advised me that the difficulty I was having reconciling plot and character could make the book better, as long as I kept developing my characters and let them lead the story.
I’ve also had support from Peter Carver’s course. It was riding the bus home from class one day that I came up with the idea. My kind of dystopia? Trying to read on a swaying night bus, full of loud strangers and their electronic gadgets. I’m just so sensitive.
Questions about my latest workshop reading forced me to analyze the details of my future city and relate them to the big picture. I came unstuck yesterday and put in a full day of writing and editing. I can see the end of the tunnel now and it’s spelled C.L.I.M.A.X.
I won’t bore you with further crowing or repetitive writer-in-angst entries. I’m supposed to be too busy writing…
If you do enjoy writerly angst with a sense of humour, I recommend Mur Laferty’s podcast: I Should be Writing. I listen regularly, especially when I should be writing.
Happy reading!
Interesting. Why a 50 word story, was that the workshop format or did you do something like a Friday 50 writing challenge?