Jumping Back In

Yesterday, after waiting nearly four hours for Microsoft 365 to repair itself, I finally gave up and did a whole new install. Pro tip: Whereas one could wait interminably for Microsoft to complete a repair, a new installation takes approximately 20 seconds. That being said, I'm shocked it actually worked.

So, now I've got all my Word docs back, including my in-progress novel. I fully intended to stay away from it for a period, because I was downhearted over my ability to write a decent final scene and because I was just sick of the whole thing. But being disappointed with myself tends to work as an incentive, so I tiptoed back in.

The final scene is going better; still not "good", but better. I got rid of the surprise appearance of the main character's producer and his entire family, which, really, was hokey. I'd put them there and then had nothing for them to do. 

The scene takes place at an outdoor concert, in which the main character and her band are the middle act, slotted in between an (as yet) unnamed opener and the superstar. The MC has talked her superstar mentor into debuting her album in front of fans, instead of at an industry showcase, and that's what brings her to MC's hometown. As luck would have it, the MC's band is also debuting their new album.

Contrary to my wild-eyed dream of bringing all the major players together in that one place, not only did having the producer show up become too much for a reader to swallow, but it was unworkable. Now, I'm still referencing the producer, but only from afar. While he's not on the scene, he still has managed to pull off a few surprises, one of which is booking MC's former band as the opening act. Along with them comes, yes, MC's best friend from (the town of) Chance. So, that sleight of hand provides the first surprise.

At first I (briefly) considered creating some tension between the superstar and the best friend, a jockeying for position, let's say; but then I went in the opposite direction. The two couldn't be more different ~ the superstar is a real down-home hillbilly, while the best friend is quite erudite ~ but lo and behold, they hit it off famously. In fact, she develops a bit of a crush on him, not catching onto the fact that he's gay. Their interaction is cute, if I do say so myself. 

What this also accomplishes is to avoid the dreaded, "this happens, then this happens, then..." While the scene is meant to be a momentous occasion, my initial struggle has been to not turn it into a travelogue. How boring would that be? Thus, I've thrown in a few playful dialogue exchanges that are true to character, including one between MC and her cousin. 

I'm still not satisfied with MC's interplay with her old band. Initially, she's inside the star's bus when the band starts playing, and while the sound is muffled, she can still deduce the song they're playing, which perks up her ears, since it was the opening song she used to do with the band. Well, there's more to it than that, but I'm not going to regurgitate the whole scene here. Anyway, she's drawn out of the bus by her curiosity and goes up to the stage, where she sees them. Then blah, blah, pleasantries, waves, etc., until the lead singer calls her up to join them. The ensuing events are rather bland, but I suppose they need to be depicted. And I can't have some catastrophe happen in every scene.

By this time I'd had a couple of drinks, and thus MC turns a bit emotional. I may have had her expressing a lot of "love" for all these folks, but I haven't reread it yet. I'm pretty sure she didn't also profess her love for her producer, but she certainly turned sentimental toward him. Good to know I'm a lovable drinker; not a surly one, or the book would be way different.

It's not the first time I've done that, and it'll likely be revised; not so much because of the outpouring of emotion, but because it's a little over the top for the circumstances. 

Obviously, this is all building up to the big reveal, but I'm in no hurry to get there. I want to draw the scene out more. Surely more things can happen before then.

One thing that's nagging at me is that I haven't resolved MC's contract dispute with her former record label, and if I want to do that, I'm going to need to either slot in a separate scene or have MC get a call from her attorney during the main event, which again is implausible (it hasn't been long enough for a resolution to take place). Or I could leave it open-ended, although I would prefer to tie up loose ends.

So, it's a start, or a restart. Now I will definitely be taking a break from it. But at least after yesterday, I'm no longer feeling hopeless. I still might be able to pull it off.