Hit a Snag

I was tripping along quite merrily on my novel, until I hit a snag. "Tripping" is an appropriate term, because I think I'll need to backtrack. My intent was good, as was my idea. 

My main character had just served as a superstar's opening act for a ten-city stadium tour, and now she was back in town, feeling the letdown and hoping that her record label had some "big plan" for her to continue marketing herself. It did have a plan, but it was a demoralizing one. She was being sent out on a tour of Midwestern bars, and not only was she only being granted two musicians, but she would have to drive her own car to the venues. 

I was keen to show the contrast between a major tour and a rough and tumble slog. The superstar's tour was comparatively luxurious ~ MC was riding on the star's bus; bunking with her, even. Her every need was fulfilled, the crowds were enormous. Now she'd be tooling around the countryside in a car with two complete strangers, plus her poor manager, who'd. after all, signed up for this gig. I planned to show the humiliations she would suffer.

Then I got bogged down. 

I couldn't "not" introduce the two new guys, but it felt like a repetition of an earlier scene, in which MC got to know her three-piece band before her Texas club tour. At least that scenario produced an important plot line (the love interest). And exactly how many quirky people are too many? It's not easy assigning distinguishable characteristics to characters who aren't even a big part of the story. But I couldn't just have her traversing the roads with a couple of generic ride-alongs. If I play this scenario out (big "if" at this point) things will need to happen, and at least one or two of those things will be facilitated by the new people. 

So, I wrote the whole introduction thing. The drummer is what used to be called a "hippie", but nice enough. The guitarist is a wild, independent guy, who zooms up to the meet-up point in a muscle car that attracts a group of admiring onlookers. He's already late, but he takes the time to show off his car and shoot the breeze with the rubberneckers, while MC stands around and fumes. (He also parks in a No Parking zone, clearly marked.) You know, the scene is okay, but won't readers by this time be weary of more new characters? 

The whole thing just doesn't feel right to me. I do want to get to the "demoralizing" scenes, but this groundwork laying is either too much or completely unnecessary. And it feels like I've been stopped in my tracks. What had, up 'til now, been exciting is suddenly sluggish. I always evaluate my scenes as I'm writing them to ensure they're relevant and impactful, but this was just "written"; like one would "write" a grocery list.

I haven't re-read any of it yet, but my impression right now is that I took a wrong turn. It's fixable. I just hate wasting good writing time with this slop. Maybe I would have been better off sending her on the road alone (I suppose the manager could come along) and have her work with house bands. I already hate these two new guys, and I don't even know them. I just hate them for making me invent them.

Well, everything is not a smooth glide path. Sometimes the landing is bumpy. And all is not lost. I added a few colorful details outside of the introduction scene that might be keepers.

I have to be willing to edit. Every line I write isn't gold. 

I just need to get back on track.