Lost

It's occurred to me that I have no idea where to take Second Chance. I've gotten the preliminaries out of the way ~ MC's new "adventures" in Nashville; new embarrassing and/or uplifting experiences, but those can't continue. Where's the drama? I'm not deleting those vignettes, because I really like them and they're important to show. But now something needs to happen and I don't know what that is.

In the back of my mind, I'm pretty certain that she won't be successful, ultimately. Everything starts out promising, but doesn't that always happen with newly-signed artists? How many of them actually make it? To have her become a big star, she'd need to morph into someone unlikable, and I don't want that to happen to her. (Oh, you know it's true. They all become that ~ selfish, self-centered, haughty, demanding. Most of them just don't let the audience see it.) 

One bit of the story so far is rather unrealistic. The main character has been steered toward the guy who becomes her manager, but now he's spending all his time with her. How great could he be if he only has one client? Somehow I need to show that she's starting to feel neglected because he's got other artists to tend to. I suppose that could lead to some drama. And the fact that they're personally involved would only add fuel to that flame. I kind of like that. What would be even better would be his professional relationship with a new newcomer. That would deepen MC's resentment even more.

It's that dreaded "bridge" part of the story that's confounding. Getting to the drama can't happen just like that. So, I'm stuck. Usually I can write my way out of it, so maybe I'll just put down words until I hit on something. A flash forward would be the easy way out, but that seems cheap. 

I know that readers like drama, even melodrama. Shoot, I'm a sucker for that, too. Big, fat emotional scenes. My spouse and I are currently rewatching Mad Men, and he remarked the other day that the show is like a soap opera. Yes! That's why I like it! Unfortunately, books and TV scripts are two separate animals. Whereas a television drama can start its next season with a big time jump, what do I do in a story? Leave pages of blank space? (I'm kidding.)

Writing is easy, huh? Yes, 'til you try to do it. Becoming too ambitious can be a trap. I'd like to write a story that's memorable, at least to me, but I don't know that I have what it takes to pull that off. I hope I do.

Brainstorming here is helpful. Also, showers. Taking a shower is a foolproof way to spark on new ideas. Looks like I'm going to need to take a long one today.