Subplot 004

As I write this it is 4:52 pm Tuesday 14 January 2014.

I'm still so jazzed about what I accomplished yesterday in terms of furthering the story AND in terms of allowing you, quasi-curious reader, to share in my process that I'm giving it another go.

Today's work?

You remember those Subplots I kept failing to come up with?

Well I want to give it another go!  Now that I really like my Hero, and now that I know what his daily life is like, I want to explore that!

I think it's not a bad idea to start by integrating Philip's daily life and backstory into my existing outline, then add new scenes from there.  (I'm currently at 26 out of 40 scenes; if I create 4 new ones I'm 3 quarters done!)

The first scene that I can slip Philip's daily life into is Scene 3: TIFFANI tries to recruit Philip to help with this case.  (This scene has been BEGGING for this subplot!)

As the scene reads, it probably won't change in its outline form:

--

Sc 03 - TIFFANI wants PHILIP to investigate a case.  The Brimes Family are being tormented, but Tiffani's group -- Central Texas Paranormal Investigators (CTPI) -- can't solve it.  It's too powerful to be residual or intelligent ghosts, it is actually hurting the family and their daughter, but 2 religious cleansings have failed to exile whatever it is, and no Catholic churches in the Central Texas area will area will sanction an official cleansing.  Seeing that Tiffani is desperate, Philip tentatively agrees to look at the evidence Tiffani's group has collected.

--

I could scribble a couple of notes on the page, just to remind myself of key words and phrases when I'm writing, but this contains the pertinent story information.

However, I do want to rewrite this scene in terms of the subplot and back story, just to make sure I have it in my mind.

--

Sc 03 - TIFFANI meets PHILIP at a food cart.  She asks how the movie-review show is going and Philip says it's fine.  Tiffani says Max and Noel miss him; he misses them, too.  Yeah?  Yeah, Philip misses all of it, the coffee, the sitting for hours in the dark, trying to act like a responsible adult around clients, meetings at (insert cool Austin restaurant), the whole thing.  Tiffani asks if he can help them out with one more case.  Philip jokingly asks is there's any chance it's on a weeknight and Tiffani says "no" but rushes into the pitch: The Brimes Family are being tormented, but the group -- Central Texas Paranormal Investigators (CTPI) -- can't solve it.  It's too powerful to be residual or intelligent ghosts, it is actually hurting the family and their daughter, but 2 religious cleansings have failed to exile whatever it is, and no Catholic churches in the Central Texas area will area will sanction an official cleansing.  Philip wants to help, but James (the other overnight guy) hates working on his days off and Saturday is when they tape the show.  But Philip can see that Tiffani is really, really hoping for Philip's help, so he offers to look at the evidence CTPI has collected.

--

Okay, maybe I'll rewrite the outline, too.  It looks like it might all fit on a printed-out page.

I already like the way this scene plays so much better!  I never had a problem with it before -- though many writing texts will warn against exposition scenes, I think they're compelling reading when done well -- but adding the back story and character information makes the scene more human, more personal.  If I'm good, I can play the awkwardness of this conversation so that the Reader maybe wonders if there's something romantic between Philip and Tiffani.  I don't yet know if there is or ever will be, but in Scene 3 it can't hurt for the Reader to wonder, right?

Now my next Subplot scene is definitely Scene 7 -- that gaping hole in the beginning of my outline.  But can I slip Philip's day job into any  other scenes before that one?

Scene 4: Philip reviews the evidence?  Nope.  He needs to be at home and undisturbed for that.  He'll take the whole day and really give this all his attention.

Scene 5 is Philip meeting Carlton, so there's no wiggle room there.  At that point, the game is on.

BUT WAIT....!

Scene 5 is just a "tour".  Philip's meeting Carlton, getting a sense of him face-to-face, and having a look at the layout of the house.  The investigation hasn't stated yet.

If Scene 2 takes place on Monday and Scenes 3 and 4 take place on Tuesday, maybe Tiffani worked it out so Scene 5 takes place Thursday or Friday night before Philip goes to work!  (or Saturday, for that matter!)

So Scene 6 -- Philip and Tiffani talk about the case -- could take place over breakfast early Sunday morning after Philip gets off work (before he goes to bed) or Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night.  Philip can have been agonizing over this for days, knowing that he should investigate this case but wishing he could think of a way to wriggle out of it!  Maybe at the start of Scene 6 he thinks has has found a way, but talking to Tiffani he just can't say "no".

This is cool because it gives the audience that monomyth "The Hero Declines The Call To Action" story beat that audiences are so familiar with (because of Hollywood's obsession with Campbell...or, really, with Lucus's success).

The more Philip tries to wriggle out of the case, the more the Reader KNOWS that he's going to investigate.  But more than that, I have been giving them a taste of the paranormal since Scene 1, so by Philip STILL trying to find a way to say "no" 6 scenes in, the Reader might even be growing a little impatient for him to stop stalling and accept the case already!

Why is that a good thing?

Because then the audience WANTS to see the investigation!  When Philip shows up for the investigation with Tiffani and CTPI, the Reader is a little RELIEVED.  "Finally," they might feel, "we can get on with it!"

The way the outline read before, Philip investigating the case felt (to me, anyway) inevitable.  As it always has been.  This whole novel is predicated on Philip investigating this case.  This case was invented to be investigated, and Philip is who I created to investigate it.

And the audience knows that.  They bought the book because they know that Philip is going to investigate this case.  They started reading so that they can find out how Philip solves the case.

But sex is always better with foreplay.  And the best foreplay starts long before the clothes come off, even before the date begins!

So let's see how this looks in outline form:

---

Sc 06 - PHILIP meets TIFFANI to talk about the case.  He's going to tell her that can continue helping them on his days off, reviewing evidence or whatever he can do, but he just can't get the time off work, but Tiffani launches right in with the background: New house, no recorded deaths or psychic trauma.  Whole neighborhood was an empty field before that.  This fact interests Philip, but he won't say why just yet, he's still going to beg off the case.  Tiffani is worried this might be "inhuman", but since "civilian" cleansings didn't work, there might be nothing CTPI can do for the Brimes family.  (During their, the 2nd, cleansing, CTPI utilized an ordained minister, so they're up against the wall.)  There is another aspect that makes Tiffani want to solve the case for the Brimes family, but she doesn't want to taint Philip's opinion.  Philip starts to explain that he can't do it, but the look on Tiffani's face won't let him.

---

I like it!  :D

Just a couple of tweaks and the scene now plays with some emotion!

Now, as you read this, at this point I still don't know how this scene played out in the finished book.  I'm excited because when I get to the day I write this scene, I will read this description and be able to slip into that writing trance that makes this job so much fun and write the shit out of this scene!  But when I'm in that trance, I don't know what's going to happen.  And I also don't yet know what will happen after the first draft's finished (I haven't even completed the outline yet) or what will happen when I rewrite the book after that or, if I'm very lucky and sell this to a publisher, what an editor will say about this scene.

But the only thing that matters is that I had a scene I felt comfortable writing, and now I'm actually excited about it!  THAT is "the process" and that is what we're shooting for.  We want to make ourselves excited about writing this thing!

We'll worry about what the Reader actually thinks much, much later.  The Reader isn't here to hold our hand through the loneliness and insecurity.  Right now we have CRAFT, we have process.  We know, if we're honest and generous with ourself, when we do something well and when we do something better, and we're trusting that for the time being.  This should be part of the PLAY for us.

Listen to me, getting all mentor-y.  As I write this I'm not even published, so how about I step off my high horse and remind myself I'm still figuring all this out?

Okay, so Scene 7...

After the way Scene 6 now plays, I'm already wondering if I won't be inverting these two scene.  Maybe I need Scene 7 to convince Philip (and the Reader) that Philip CAN'T do the investigation.  Because I know that Scene 7 is just going to be him talking to that producer he's crushing on and her becoming unhappy with him.  I also know that JAMES (whoever James turns out to be) is going to give him a hard time.

If Scene 7 comes before 6, it motivates Philip's attitude at the beginning of Scene 6.  Then when he caves, we cut straight to Scene 8: The investigation.

But let's outline Scene 7 first, and then decide...

---

Sc 07 - Thursday Night - As soon JAMES gets in PHILIP begs him to cover Saturday.  James obviously wants to say "no", argues in his head for a few minutes, then says he'll do it.  RELIEF!  Philip tracks down TANGIE.  They banter (maybe even flirt?) for a bit, then Philip dives in: He gives her a jump drive with his scripts and video and begs her to forgive him for not being able to make it Saturday.  Tangie becomes an ice queen.  Philip tries to explain that he wouldn't do this if he had a choice, and Tangie informs him he doesn't.  She's barely holding this show together, scrounging every bit of advertising she can con out of someone because the General Manager keeps hinting the show doesn't make enough money to keep it on the air, and now Philip is bailing, too?  He's not bailing, he just can't be here Saturday.  "That's fine", Tangie says, but Philip knows it's not fine.

---

Yeah, I'm switching the order of those scenes.

Of course, if I hadn't already considered it, would I have written Scene 7 differently?

Probably.

Actually, I think I had convinced myself to switch the scenes before I had finished explaining to you, probably-not-as-curious-as-I-think reader, why I might switch them.

And now I have a NEW SCENE!!!  27/40!  WrItInG rUlEz!!!  :D

Okay, I need to be thinking about work now.  I mean the day job.  It's 6:19 pm and I should avoid being late if I can.  I'm still excited about this new addition to my outline-writing arsenal, but I think I'm tapped for the time being.

"One hour of work," you might exclaim, "You wuss!"

Yes.  Yes I am.

Now you know why I haven't published a novel before this.  :P

Also, it might be worth considering how in-depth I should go with these blogs.  I mean, publishing what I've done is one thing, but putting all my thought process on the page might actually be splitting my energies.

Maybe not.  It's something to consider, though.