Harder Than It Looks

I'll be working on the final scene of my novel forever. 

It could be that I've put so much pressure on myself to get it right that I'm paralyzed. Or maybe my concept of the scene is too broad. I took a stab at it yesterday after cleaning up the last bits I'd written, and it didn't go well. I'm trying to fold all the major characters into the scene, and it's coming off as awkward. I may have to scuttle one of them, or at least find a better entrance for him. As it is currently, he's just thrown into the scene "because". Because I've vowed that all of the characters need to be there. 

My other issue is that I'm not portraying the setting as I envision it. I suppose what I want to do is zoom out to show the expansiveness of the location, before zooming back in for intimate conversations. The "closeups" aren't (overly) difficult, but I haven't yet captured the environment. Added to that issue is that the place needs to be buzzing with activity. 

I'm certainly not above using photos to help me "see" what I'm trying to depict. I did look up a few, but I'll need to expand my search. It's another example of trying to write about something I'm unfamiliar with. If you recall, I did that with the awards ceremony and screwed up so badly I had to completely rewrite it (after remembering to look at pictures).

Of course, it can't be all sights and sounds. The emotional impact of the occasion has to be at the forefront. I'm not writing a travelogue.

Honestly, planning is my downfall. I'm guessing that ninety per cent of writers pre-plan, but that doesn't work for me at all. I don't know if it's because my brain rebels, but planning turns all my scenes flat. By far, the best writing I've done is when I write something I didn't expect. That excites me, and I can riff off it. Where I've tripped myself up is, "Now you gotta write this part." I'm not a big fan of have-to's. 

The entirety of what I wrote yesterday won't be trashed. A lot of it is worth keeping once it's revised, and there is one dialogue scene that works. In fact, it emphasizes the theme of the story, a theme I didn't think I even had. Again, it occurred to me by accident. The main character joins her mentor on the star's tour bus, and it's a reunion after months of not seeing each other. They do some bantering and MC throws in a few teasing comments, which makes the mentor laugh. Then she tells MC, "You've changed." MC protests ~ she doesn't see it. The star goes on to talk about how in the past MC obediently followed orders and rarely pushed back; how she went along with every outlandish instruction her record label issued. MC says, "You forgot that I ran away", and the star says, yes, you did. That only reinforces her point; that MC never stood up for herself and confronted the people and forces working against her.

I suppose it was high time to hint at the theme. 😳 

But damn, I wrote so much drivel! The character I'm thinking of omitting, MC's record producer, shows up to the star's tour bus with his entire family in tow, and the introductions couldn't have been more awkward; stilted. It's because there was no reason for them to be there; they didn't know the star, and why she even let strangers board her bus is unrealistic to begin with. I kind of understand that she was doing it out of kindness to the MC, but if he (and his family) appear at all in the revised scenario, I probably should leave the star out of it. They can just pop up somewhere else.

So, as you can see, the final scene isn't going well, and I haven't even scratched the surface of it yet. I refuse to declare, "good enough"; it has to actually be "good". Better than good ~ great. (Yikes! That's a heavy burden!) 

It's a start; a failed start, mostly, but I've at least taken the plunge.