Why Do I Do This to Myself?
Yet again, I am kicking around a novel in my head, putting some notes down . . . and I already know the narrative structure is going to be difficult. It is a novel told, somewhat linearly, but with a theme each chapter. I am pretty sure what I want to do will work, but even as I am plotting it, I am kicking myself.
When I wrote Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven, I told the story one chapter from Lily's point of view, the next from Michael's (her best friend), the next a column of Lily's with a title (she was a lifestyle columnist for a newspaper), the next Lily's POV chapter, the next Michael's, the next a chapter from Michael's novel--which unfolded in linear fashion every sixth chapter. And yeah, it was a b*tch. It was also the novel that sold the best and got great reviews . . . and judging by the emails I got, meant a great deal to many readers.
When I wrote Freudian Slip, my next RDI (out 2008), the last sentence of each of the hero's POV chapters is the first sentence in the mind of the female main character's next chapter (he talks to her in her head). And every once in a while, what the two main characters are doing ends up in a video stream on the laptop of Albert Einstein, who works in a sort of cosmic purgatory. And yeah, it was a b*tch.
When I wrote Invisible Girl, it was even more complex than the other two in terms of narrative structure. Because the father of the heroine believed the only way to keep his secrets from Vietnam was to never tell any one person all its parts, Maggie and her brother literally had to find each person who had a part of the secret and ascertain their story and place in the secret . . . which was not linear . . . and piece it all together. And yeah . . . it was . . . fill in the blank.
So as I ponder this new book idea, I know it will be difficult and I wonder why I do it to myself. On the one hand, I know when I pitch books to my editor, I don't have cookie-cutter ideas. On the other hand, I torture myself with these difficult narrative structures. But it's how the stories come to me.
Anyone else just really make things more difficult for themselves?
Cheers,
E
When I wrote Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven, I told the story one chapter from Lily's point of view, the next from Michael's (her best friend), the next a column of Lily's with a title (she was a lifestyle columnist for a newspaper), the next Lily's POV chapter, the next Michael's, the next a chapter from Michael's novel--which unfolded in linear fashion every sixth chapter. And yeah, it was a b*tch. It was also the novel that sold the best and got great reviews . . . and judging by the emails I got, meant a great deal to many readers.
When I wrote Freudian Slip, my next RDI (out 2008), the last sentence of each of the hero's POV chapters is the first sentence in the mind of the female main character's next chapter (he talks to her in her head). And every once in a while, what the two main characters are doing ends up in a video stream on the laptop of Albert Einstein, who works in a sort of cosmic purgatory. And yeah, it was a b*tch.
When I wrote Invisible Girl, it was even more complex than the other two in terms of narrative structure. Because the father of the heroine believed the only way to keep his secrets from Vietnam was to never tell any one person all its parts, Maggie and her brother literally had to find each person who had a part of the secret and ascertain their story and place in the secret . . . which was not linear . . . and piece it all together. And yeah . . . it was . . . fill in the blank.
So as I ponder this new book idea, I know it will be difficult and I wonder why I do it to myself. On the one hand, I know when I pitch books to my editor, I don't have cookie-cutter ideas. On the other hand, I torture myself with these difficult narrative structures. But it's how the stories come to me.
Anyone else just really make things more difficult for themselves?
Cheers,
E
Labels: narrative structure
posted by Erica Orloff at 7:08 AM
5 Comments:
I just finished Drive by James Sallis. He does tricky things with time, location, POV, but is skilled enough to make it seamless.
For now, I'm sticking with a linear narrative, but I'm playing with multiple POVs and alternating first/third. Baby steps. :)
I never warmed up to alternating 1st/3rd, but I know some authors use it and do so well.
WIll have to check out Drive. Thanks for the recommendation.
E
I do this to myself when thinking of new ideas. The negative part is sometimes I tell myself I can't pull it off when really it would take a lot of hardwork, head-banging and tears, but in the end might come together as I imagined. haha!
I'm sure you'll do great, Erica!
kelly:
I'm so impulsive, I guess, that I am more like to get 150 pages into it and THEN discover how God awfully hard it is to pull off. I start out optimistic. And then pull my hair out in the middle. :-)
E
Totally off topic, and I apologize...I've been hectic busy and blog-hopping less, but I got tagged and thought I'd tag you: :)
www.nataliedamschroder.blogspot.com/
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