Scrambling Scribbles

I’m still developing the new novel. I’ve drawn one of the main characters and he turned out pretty well. I did wind up learning more about him just from drawing him. [Yeah, that's the top bit of him on the left.]  The other guy, though, is a little trickier. I didn’t draw him correctly, for both he and I are objecting to how he looks. So I’ll keep plunking away at him. He’s a little more shy, so he’s not very forthcoming, plus there’s a story reason why he wouldn’t quite be defined yet in terms of his appearance. (Then again, there’s a story reason why he would, too.) Confused? Yeah, I am a little bit, too.

The fact of the matter is, however, that even though I’m generating cool ideas and/or scenes, I still haven’t found the thru-line, a la the main plot or what the protagonists “want.”

And just when I thought perhaps I should put the whole novel idea(s) off to the side... lo and behold, I’m struck with what might be the very piece I’ve been missing. I’m going to have to have another gander at all I have written down and see if anything locks into place. But at least this new spark is the kind that might ignite the rest of it. I do know right off the bat that part of it connects directly to something the main guy told me. But I also know that I’ll still need a motivation from another one of the guys, since it would be he who is responsible for setting said spark in motion.

However, if I do find that I just can’t get my wonderful collection of snippets to be anything more than a collection I will have to set it aside for the time being. After all, it isn’t as if I don’t have other books to give a whirl. I’ll either try and pick up the pen for the sequel to What if It’s a Trick Question? or perhaps the third book in Thom’s series (both of which do have the overall plot set already.) I tried once before to get Thom’s final adventure to flow... but he just wouldn’t have it at the time.

All in all, I’m grateful for the fact that I’ve got plenty to keep me going. And in terms of this book that’s slow in development, I still do love the characters.

 Meanwhile, I’ve got another person who is about to read about my boy named Jeremy (on left) in What If It’s a Trick Question?   Hosah.  I've got quite a good number of people who want the sequel... hmmm.  Maybe I should try and tackle it?

I’ll see what happens.