Today, I was working on The Well of Youth. It’s a backstory to my epic series that turned into a full novel. It’s written from the villain’s pov, which makes it a fun story to write. I haven’t touched it in a long time. It was paused so that the plot of the main series could catch up. And it just did so I thought it was time.
So now that I was revisiting it, for a moment there, I was worried. All writing advice out there, all the story arcs that I’ve studied, they don’t talk about writing stories from the bad guy’s pov. Do I reverse all the heroic things to be antiheroic? Do I skip this step or that step since it’s not applicable to a villain’s story? What do I replace it with?
But then as I was working on it, I realized that I can write it as a redemption plot. OMG. Throughout the story my villain is going to be pursuing revenge, no matter how immoral things she needs to do to get her justice, but then what if she’s swayed off course and is given an offer she can’t refuse? What if for once, just for once, she does the right thing?
That would be such a triumphant feeling by the end of the story! I did not see this coming. I’m excited about this story again.
No idea, but I can’t hold back, because I am excitable, so I started an unofficial one.
But in other writing business, I need to finish a bit more work, do my workout and then try to add some words on the short story while watching figure skating. I plan to read and write another review this weekend, or, maybe finish the short and ask for a closed beta on it. Not sure yet.
I’ve been making progress on chapter 4 after grinding out the remains of chapter 3 a bit more than a week ago. Most of the beginning of the chapter is concerned with planning for a future when the family’s canned food begins to run out. I’m slightly concerned that readers won’t find that to be particularly interesting since it’s a lot of dialogue, but I really wanted to expand on the characterization in a way that is connected with each person’s vision of the future and how they’re planning to deal with expanding the greenhouse. We’ve got my MC’s younger and older sisters with completely opposite visions with everyone else somewhere in between, and I also wanted to show my MC’s ability to listen and forge compromises since he’s definitely had a pretty negative character arc for the first three chapters and its good to see him, at the very least, get to a state of emotional stability and embody the person that he used to be.
Finished my first draft of the short story. Unfortunately, I overshot the word count, so I will need to do some reductions, because 2.5K is too tedious to read in one shot.
To Make a Kinder Children’s Story, I’ve got through the whole manuscript, and noticed I chose an affectation in styling sentences. It’s a bit backwards to natural reading, so I’m having to tone that down because it irks my nerves, some 3 years later.
It’s a simple story with short chapters under 60K words, total. (I won’t have a final count until I’m done with the general editing.)
This will be the first book I’ve got past my own critique of myself, once done.
Then I’m going to have to figure out what to do with it. As I’m not in this for a following or for making money, I’m not sure how far I want to go on working on my books. I know that just under principle, I should “workshop” the thing, but it’s going to be a challenge to figure out how much of it would need the changes and how much of it to leave alone, as it is.
It is. It’s a story of a goddess whose powers were stolen, leaving her mortal and grumpy.
I always thought to end her story with “I got my powers back. Muahaha,” but now, I’ve got a new path for her. She can still end on getting her divine powers back but there’s a catch, she needs to make a sacrifice. And that’s so much more interesting than just her getting away with all the immoral things she’s doing. It’s not exactly a “change,” it’s closer to a compromise, which I think makes a whole lot of sense in a villain’s story. She can’t just become one of the good guys. As a cold, manipulative narcissist, she needs a compelling reason to do the right thing.
I’m excited to write it. And conflicted because I’m not sure what I should be working on. It would make sense about now to work on the villain’s story, now that I know how the main story ends (the rough draft is finished), I can finish up this one and it might impact the main story in small ways.
BUT
February is almost here and if I take part in ONC, then I’ll have to drop it to be picked up months later. So I’d rather not write it now. But I want to work on it. Working on what excites you gives best results.
See my dilemma?
There’s one solution out of this which I don’t know if I can make happen - pull a nano and write like the wind.
It is the eighth… Can I finish it by February?
Hmmm.
Yeah, that’s what I was doing. And I’m done. The next step would be writing.
That’s my fear too. December and January I was supposed to take it easy to psych myself for February. And psyching myself definitely is an important step with anything in life.
Unless I take it easy and write a couple of scenes only?
Omg, omg, omg, my poor wronged darling made European Championship because another skater WD. I hope he bubble-wraps, masks and overall avoids breathing when not strictly necessary… but skates well. And doesn’t fall. And between that and US Nationals finishing today with men’s free, where the whole Brown vs Malinin is unfolding, I am not sure I have a emotional energy for anything else.
Off topic: I am in need of a new computer chair. I managed to make the one I am sitting in work, but I would still need a new one.
On Topic: Things are going very slowly and still have not start chapter two. I am becoming lazier and lacking the motivation for things. I really need to break out of my shell. So, I am going to do some reading and DO some writing regardless of my feelings and laziness.
I worked on my villain story. OMG. I forgot how cool this whole concept is.
You know how there is this important beat: Speech in praise of the villain? This is usually when the villain gives a speech about why they do what they do, and if it’s done well, you can’t help but agree with their reasoning.
This whole story is a Speech in praise of the villain!!!
