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August 5, 2009
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This is the chapter that was easily the most difficult to write, and the main cause of my writer's block. Yes,
216 gave me some difficulty, but I knew that I wanted to show Stark performing a bushido meditation, while
reflecting about a conversation with Lord Luna. And I knew several main topics that I wanted to discuss in it.
On the other hand, when I outlined the Volume. All I had for this chapter was "Stark finds a lieutenant."
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There are two really big problems there. The first problem is how. Before I stopped writing, I knew it was going
be another break-in. I had thoughts that maybe it would be Draven that would be targeted. But that still leaves
things incredibly open-ended. Who breaks in? Why are they doing it? What is their plan? When do they get spotted?
How do they react? Which guards find them? How are they stopped? Is Stark directly involved or does he find them
after it's all over and done with?... the questions go on and on.
I'll repeat this again, but that's the difficulty in writing Stark chapters. For Melfina, I have a much clearer plan for her. I know what I want her to discover and
learn. There are outcomes for Stark that I have planned, but how it all happens is pretty much up in the air.
The second problem is that it isn't enough. The more that I thought out it, the more I realized how lame that would be
for the last Stark chapter (Yes, the final two are Melfina chapters. Same as I did in Volume 1.) to end with just him
finding his lieutenant. It is a conclusion to the New Recruits arc, but it's not a good conclusion.
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I wanted Draven to join West Luna at some point, and it became obvious that this was the right time. But the problem
remained that I didn't know how the break-in was going to actually occur. I had some elaborate plan that was going to
happen in the day time, that was going to play off of Stark's experience from chapter 213. The problem was that
before I wrote it, it seemed too comic book. Why do thieves have to have an elaborate plan? I decided it would be
better to have the chapter take place at night, and while the break-in was the last thing I wrote, I eventually came to
the conclusion to keep it as simple as possible. The thieves get found out, they run, the guards chase'em. Nice
and simple, and it works. Now I had Stark witness his guards in action, and choosing his lieutenant, and their
actions convince Draven to join West Luna. That's a much better closing to the last Stark chapter. But then...
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My notes saved me from making an excessively complicated ending to the Volume, and gave me a good way to frame the
chapter. I saw that I had that prayer written in my notes, but had no where planned for it. I saw that I was supposed
to do more with Chivalry in this Volume, and I had yet to show Stark casting an invocation in either Volume, when it was
his point of view.
As a side note, the Conflicted Stark arc isn't something I planned in my notes. It's just something that happened
when Stark met Wayland for the first time. It seems an obvious thing to do now, and I'm glad it found it's way
into the Volume. But after I came up with it, I thought that it would have to be resolved in the final chapter.
Ignoring the fact that there is a lot planned for the final chapter, I think it would have been too cheesy to try
to build up tension, wondering if Stark would remain in West Luna, or take Wayland's offer. Most people would
already know the outcome. But getting to see Stark figure it out on his own, with no immediate pressure, and
accept that he's in the right place, that makes a nice character moment.
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So in the end, instead of just "Stark finds a lieutenant." I have Stark finding his lieutenant, the guards
successfully stopping thieves which convinced Draven that he should join West Luna, and Stark comes to terms as to
where he belonged. It was the most difficult chapter to write, but now it's one of my favorites.
Word Count: 1,873
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