Saturday, May 7, 2011

Standing on a Butte

I feel like such a fence sitter.
Actually I feel like I am standing on a great butte in the south west.With blinding sun, scorching desert, winds whipping at my hair and sheer drop offs. Like in the movies when the main character is alone, abandoned and isn't sure what to do next and in a beautifully played cinematic move the character is suddenly flashing to a desert to symbolize solitude and the strength it will take to survive.
Okay, maybe I am not that bad. So I guess I am back to being a fence sitter.
Indecision...an awful place to be when writing a three, potential four, part series.
In my life I don't sit the fence. I make a decision and I live with it good or bad. I have been lucky in my life to have mostly made the right decision. But as a human I am fallible. (Yes, I know. I just admitted I am not perfect. Don't be too harsh on me.) I make mistakes. I don't want this to be one of them.
I am not sure what to do next. My dilemma? 
Do I stick with the Young Adult genre or go for the full on Adult?
Does this mean I make it one of those sex books? No.
Maybe I will write one of those when I am old. Wouldn't that be a kicker?
But there is a deep dark path I can take my novel. Really let my characters stretch and grow. Investigate feelings that are complicated, difficult and dangerous.
I love it when a book goes dark. It means there is light on the other end. Happy ending or no, it always ends in light.
It's been a lingering question for a while.
There are pros and cons to both sides. So how do I choose?
Young Adult: The book already has a young adult feel but I don't feel as connected to it.
Adult: The book is more open to intense situations, it can get darker, grittier. I can entertain darker emotions and dilemmas.  But in doing that do I lose sight of the story I want to tell?
How do I decide? Which will be the more interesting story?
I am only twenty seven pages into my latest rewrite. I feel that I need to make the decision and run with it.
This is by far the best rewrite I have done. I know that my new beginning, my new point of view is what I have been striving for. Two crucial points have been met. Now I must decide the last.
Flip the coin? Might as well.
When I say I am sitting on the fence I mean it. I'm not even leaning from one side to another.  Both pulling equally.
And so the adventure continues. I feel like those books I used to read as a kid. I cant remember what they are called, but at the end of the chapter there is a question.
"To follow Mark into the cave go to page seven. To follow Mark down the path turn to page forty eight." Yada, yada, yada...
I decide the fate of my book. So, page seven? Or page forty eight?

1 comment:

  1. I think that they are called 'Select a Story' or something like that. I LOVED those when I was younger. Hehehehe... I always when back and said 'I didn't really pick that option' when I chose the wrong one.

    ReplyDelete