Is there anything worse than Chapter Three?
I hate chapter three. It’s the bane of my existence. (Well, unless I’m working on the synopsis or the blurb or the cover art form, then they are. Or the first line. Or the last line.) Chapter three’s where the initial burst of inspiration starts wearing off and I actually have to start planning/plotting/figuring out what the hell’s going on and where the hell it’s supposed to end up—and when it’s a partial it better end up in a kick-ass place. For me, that’s where the creative fun fades and the hard work part really begins.
Plus much mental time is being spent on figuring out the ending, which is immensely helpful in the writing of the synopsis, no? I haven’t found my call-back point yet, and that worries me. Usually it’s in chapter one. Or maybe it’s there and I haven’t recognized it yet. I don’t know.
I feel like I’m trying to write my way out of a paper bag right now, and some smart-ass duct-taped the opening closed. But…back to it I go.
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Today I can state with absolute certainty that Chapter 11 is worse than Chapter 3. It’s giving me fits. (It’s the beginning of the end, sigh.)
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At least you have chapters.
I’m struggling with the 10050th word.
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No… No… it’s chapter 5
I’ve rewritten this chapter at least three times now.
Grrr…..
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I usually chug through the first three or four chaps okay — Act 1. Not that I don’t tweak them endlessly as I write, but those first three chapters are all about getting all those ducks in a row — the conflict, the characters, the setting, the tone. The part I like, where I can toss as many plates in the air as my widdle heart desires.
It’s keeping ’em up there in Act 2, then bringing them gracefully down again in Act 3, that makes :crazy:.
If I could make a career out of the first three chapters, I’d be cookin’ with gas. :cheesy: