Blog entries

Jun 6
Notes On Editing Chapters 12-16
Posted by Robin Rice
in Editing Process, Robin's Videos


Where is the big problem in The Mayden Chronicles? We need to know… and soon

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Comments: 2
Comments: 2
  1. NadineNo Gravatar, June 7, 2009:

    Aha! So that’s why my interest started slipping in chapter 10.

    By the way. Thanks for all of the writing advice. As far as reading autobiographies. Two that I’ve read stand out.
    The Glass Castle was about a family growing up in poverty. I think the big question in that novel was: will they escape poverty? A Smaller question probably was: will her father recover from his alcohol addiction?
    The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom was another autobiography that revolved around a family being sent to concentration camps after hiding Jews. Can the big question change throughout the book? While Corrie was hiding Jews the big question was: when will the Nazi’s catch them? At the concentration camp the big question was: will both sisters escape alive? After that the big question was: how will Corrie get home and manage to deal with/forgive the Nazi’s.
    The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath was a piece of autobiographical fiction that I read recently and loved. I’m a little confused at what the big ? is in this novel. The ? could be: will she become sane again? but I feel like this isn’t quite right. The book centers on a girl who gradually becomes insane and ends up in an asylum. I kept reading the book because I just wanted to know what would happen to her but “what will happen next?” seems too broad to be a big question.
    Now as I think about my own story I wonder what the plot will revolve around and what the big ? will be. I was thinking about focusing my book on how I developed into the person I am today and just plain growing up. Then I could probably make the conflict an internal one about experiences/decisions/uncertainties I dealt with. Compared to the stories of poverty and living in a concentration camp my life seems inescapably ordinary. I’m still not sure what the big question will be…

  2. Robin RiceNo Gravatar, June 15, 2009:

    Sounds like you are on the right track, Nadine! Those are great works to learn from. Good to ask what the big ? will be, and yes, when the interest starts to slow, often look at structure… you are likely to find the problem there. Hope I’ve got your interest back up, I know mine is!

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