Finally got through a side chapter I'd been thinking about for the past few days. Id been running headlong through the main plot thread and decided to do a one-off chapter to introduce some characters coming later down the line. What I didnt expect was how hard that was going to be.
I think the main reason I had a problem with it was because its based on an idea I had less than a week ago. I didnt have very many details thought up, so I was kinda making it up as I went. The initial end product was not very satisfying at all.
I left it for a couple days, then came back and made it better, but it still wasnt what I wanted. I finally took a step back and realized I was spreading a small conflict across too many characters. I ended up axing one of the characters, deciding he served no purpose and lessened the impact of another character. It helped a lot. Im glad to see deleting things doesnt necessarily mean having to start over, and that it can actually make things better.
I was also able to make the conflict more sensible and not confined to a small area. I expanded it a bit, and now I feel the chapter is do-able. It'll probably be short, but thats how exposition should be. At least, thats how I'd prefer it, as long as it gets the point across and gives the reader enough time to get a feel for the characters.
Tomorrow I'm jumping back over into the main plot. Things are about to start heating up here. The first really big twist comes in the next chapter, so I'm certainly looking forward to outlining how I want it to unfold. Writing it in a draft will be another reward, but alas, I have to wait until November :(
