The Rewrite

 I like having an accountability monitor and this week, I've promised my team that I will have a chapter written by 9 a.m. on Monday, and I've chosen rightly or wrongly, to do a complete rewrite of an early chapter which needs a complete revision. What I have down at the moment isn't cutting it - and it's a crucial chapter where Faith, my protagonist, has to make a phone call which will adjust her whole reality. 

In the first draft, I had her one the phone in the early evening, making the appointment, going through an administrivial all relaying information which the reader needs to know in a not-so-great way, so I've been walking around trying to think of different ways to approach the chapter. 

I've also set my procrastination list, and have marked off a few things on that:

So far I've:

• Walked 13000 steps - went for a walk with Jay
• Set the agenda for the Property Association
• Had a sneaky traveller mulled gin
• Had a chat with George from the gym
• Made dinner
• Got the stuff ready to do the Mason's books

And generally procrastinated over a heap of things. 

I hate rewriting, but it has to be done. It's just finding the hook for the chapter, and some narrative drive. It's what you do when you get stuck on a situation - what does my protagonist need to do? What is she trying to escape? Why is she avoiding what she is about to do? What are her feelings about what she's doing? How does this make her act? What are the consequences of her avoiding what has to be done. Getting the narrative drive on this crucial scene is hard

Then there's the setting. I originally has it set in her flat overlooking the city. Do I keep this or set it somewhere else - mind you, it's a phone call which needs to be made around office hours. But where does this get set?The work tea room? On a park bench? In the car? On public transport? You want to make the scene remotely interesting, and you can always use the sensory aspects of the location to bring forward or hone in on the story. 

Then there's the prompts. The Sacred Pool card talks about reflections - I think I can use that. The archetype of the Advocate, I can see a point to that too - a my character has to advocate for her own life.

Then there's the Cards Against Humanity prompt. Alternative medicine - I can work that in, sure. Finding curative powers in something - sure, that might be useful. But perfunctory foreplay... hmmm... I'm not sure how I can use that. I mean, she has a deadbeat ex-husband and a long-standing lover. What would underwhelming foreplay have to do with this situation? What would the feisty Faith feel about all of this - I can see her putting up with an useless lover. 

Then there's the song of the day. Marlena on the Wall has been running thorugh my head for most of the day. Why is this so? Can the themes of the song be used in this scene. 

Anyway, that's what I'm procrastinating about. I'm still not sure about this writer lark, particularly when you're writing fiction

I do find that mulling things over like this might help the writing process tomorrow. We will see. 

(It will also help if the cat decides not to be an arsehold and sit on my keyboard like he did this morning. He really is a little prick at times. )

Today's song: 

 Today's Cards:   

The Enchanted Map Cards: The Sacred Pool

Archetype Cards: The Advocate

Cards Against Humanity:  Alternative medicine is now embracbng the curative powers of...Perfunctory foreplay.