I have been on a mission, for the last two weeks, to solve a problem in my story; one that had been brought to my attention by a particular industry professional with the power to Effect Change.
It is so exciting when I’ve been puzzling and puzzling over how to solve a problem in a story, and then something goes Ping! It is sometimes with the help of a friend who is willing to listen to me talk through the problem I’m trying to solve, and even tosses in the odd idea here and there. Today we were out walking (in the hail, I might add, so that may have had something to do with it) and it hit me. In fact, it was probably a hailstone that went Ping! off my hat, or my ear, or my nose–there were lots of those–but whatever it was, it clicked. I said goodbye to my friend, who offered me her umbrella for the rest of my walk home, but I didn’t take it, 1) because I’m not afraid of the rain, and 2) because I had made a decision not to bring my umbrella when I left in the first place so it was my own damn fault. But whatever.
The point is that something went Ping! and by the time I got home I had formulated a plan. By the time my wet jacket was hung up to dry and my hat was hooked over the closet door handle and I had gone upstairs to find not-wet things to wear, I had the whole thing mapped out. Seven different places in the story where I could rewrite or tweak things and the problem of the Sagging Middle would be solved.
And now I must shut this blog down and get back at it because I have only tackled two of the seven things, and these things don’t rewrite themselves.