I've got one stinkin' scene left and you think I could manage it? Nope! I don't know what's wrong with me. I wrote for my usual number of hours yesterday, and I wrote pretty steadily. I did need to do a bit of research, but that wasn't time consuming. (But, boy, I'm an expert on commercial signage now!)
When last I left off, the MC's new sign was being erected. A small crowd of friends had gathered to watch. I'd even finally decided on a business name to replace the old one, which was surprisingly difficult to do, because it needed to have some meaning. Funny (not funny) story: My main character decided to rename her business after her late mom, who was only mentioned one time in the manuscript, toward the very beginning. So, that came out of nowhere. Obviously I'll need to go back and at least have the MC think about her mom once in a while.
Well, we managed to get the sign erected and also form some kind of bond between a rich guy and MC's dad. Not sure why; I'll just call that character development. But of course I couldn't leave that alone. So instead of tripping along to the final scene, I created a whole scenario in which Dad's decided to move to Montana to work for the guy. This thing is just going on and on and on...
It seems I've developed a habit of meandering; something I've never done in the past. It's surprisingly easy to latch onto new writing methods subconsciously. That's not to say it's a good thing. The only reason this manuscript meandered in the first place was because it was originally too short. And I had to force myself to do it. Now I can't stop.
And speaking of plot holes, in addition to Mom, I realized that MC's fiance's parents are weirdly absent from the story. He referred to his dad one time and inferred that his parents live in the area, but are they recluses? MC's never even met them. I'm thinking they've moved away (yea, that's the ticket!) and maybe there could be a phone conversation or two. These people don't factor in, so the last thing I need to add is more narrative.
I did finish the brief scene in which Dad announces his new life choice, and I got going on dredging the pond out back. This is where that elusive final scene is supposed to be taking place, so it's rather important to create a nice environment, rather than a scummy lagoon. Of course I had to research how to dredge a pond, because like erecting a pylon sign, I've never actually done that. It seems there are several schools of thought on the most efficient method, but I settled on a skid steer loader, which is quicker and less involved. Once that's done, MC will need to landscape the whole thing.
You see what's happening? I'm getting bogged down in detail. I'm not hesitant to finish this thing off ~ I want to! Plus, I'll have the whole editing process to tackle. I suppose one could say my manuscript is "rich in detail", but maybe it's too rich. Maybe when I read it back, it'll reek.
But I'm more than ready to find out.
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