(October 5 – 11)
I have gone back to the science-fiction short story—this one seems to be my real passion project for the moment. Unfortunately something’s still not quite working with it. Normally I’d let it go, but I know there’s a really good story in there somewhere and I’m determined to get it right.
In this minor rewrite I’ve done some more work on the main character. While she started out as a fairly strong and cocky character, I’ve opted to play more on the psychology of the particular situation she’s stuck in; as such there are a few more cracks to play with.
I’m still thinking a lot of Winston Smith, from my recent reading of Nineteen Eighty Four, and how leading characters can often be the ones plagued with doubt and who ask all the questions.
I’m also doing my usual polish of the language, trying to bring the mood and visuals of the story more to the fore.
Finally there’s some restructuring required. Without giving anything away, there’s a thing that happens at the end which is somewhat undermined by another thing that happens earlier. Unfortunately this earlier thing wraps around an event that is kind of fundamental to the story. I’ve been running various alternatives around in my head, but I won’t truly know which one works until I write it into the story. (The end, incidentally, is non-negotiable: it’s pretty much the whole point of the story).