That @#$ing Chapter

Every story has That @#$ing Chapter that you know has to be there, but just isn’t working. Even when an author outlines, it’s inevitable to realize that a scene or plot point you need just isn’t coming together properly. But the story needs That @#$ing Chapter! The plot can’t progress without it. The characters will lose all their momentum. Without it, everything grinds to a halt.

I don’t generally outline my stories. The term plotting or pantsing (as in by-the-seat-of-your-pants) is bandied about readily in the writing community, but I think it’s a false dichotomy. Most writers don’t sit on one end or the other, but rather, move along a spectrum of the two extremes. I can’t speak for all writers–nor would I want to–but the story is made in the edit for the most part. It doesn’t matter how well you outlined or plotted or improvised your way through the first draft, the edit is where everything starts making sense.… Read the rest “That @#$ing Chapter”

The post That @#$ing Chapter first appeared on A. Lee Martinez.