Just completed 600 words on the March story–the second scene. I’ve got mixed feelings about it. The story isn’t moving as quickly as I’d like it to. Normally, I’d go back and rework things at this point, but I think it’s important for me to get the first draft done and rework from there. Otherwise I end up in a spiral where I never really make much progress. What I’ve learned in the writing workshop and in other places tells me that I am starting the story too early; that I likely need to jump to a later, more critical scene to begin with. I have an idea of what that scene might be, and it’s current position is the third scene in tale. I plan on writing that scene tomorrow. In second draft, I may rework the whole thing to start with that scene instead.
In addition, a subtle plot twist has crept into my mind. I think it would be too obvious to go with it but I might be able to use it to add a little bit of tension to the story (which mostly takes place on the surface of a terraformed Mars, several thousand years in the future).
I can definitely see improvements, particularly in the details of what goes into a scene, but I’m still struggling with pacing–and the characters are maybe just a little bland at this point. But it’s all still first draft, and I’ve got to keep plugging away.
The whole things stands at just over 1,600 words.
Originally published at From the Desk of Jamie Todd Rubin. You can comment here or there.
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