Hello Edge of the World Readers!
For my fellow writers, I wanted to share a bit of reflection on my writing process on this project. Hopefully it offers some insight into your own habits. It’s always helpful for me to hear about other writers’ processes. I would love to hear about yours if this strikes a chord.
The initial seed of the idea was the image in the first chapter. The image of a captain sailing toward an endless waterfall at the edge of the world. I had nothing else so I started with the hook and began discovering the story and characters as I went.
I thought that I was about ⅔ done and realized that it was becoming "plotty" and uninteresting. Things were happening but they didn’t mean anything. I took a step back and started thinking about theme and Landon’s character arc. I discovered a way to make the story exciting again by fleshing out Landon’s background and incorporating a parallel story with the characters back on the ship.
Then I thought that all I had to solve was the end. I brainstormed ideas, ran them by my girlfriend, and imagined how various versions might play out. I thought I’d solved it several times before I ended up where I am now and, in working towards the end through the perspective of a supporting character, I started to discover real theme and character that breathed new life and heart and purpose into the story. Sorry for the run-on sentence.
Each step has elevated the story in a different way. The process seems to be a rinse and repeat of -- exploring an exciting idea until it becomes dull -- and then -- pulling back until I discover the next exciting idea within the story. I started getting into the heads of the supporting characters and began to find them more interesting than the protagonist.
I’m fueled by action and adventure so I have a tendency to make things too “plotty”and when the story lags, I add more ideas instead of diving deeper into what’s already there. Sometimes it all feels very superficial so I’m working hard to bring the adventure to life through characters in this new draft. Regardless, with each pass it feels better and better.
SO I will be uploading new chapters soon and am eager to hear what you think!
What has your process been like?
Thanks for reading and if you want to see/read more, check out my website at:
Connor
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