I had a breakthrough on my novel yesterday. A major plot needed work, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it right. It was just too much–full of complicated, dramatic, unrealistic scenes. I would read a scene outloud and say, “Yeah right.” Now if I’m saying that, what would my readers say?
How did I fix it? I took a day off. No writing whatsoever. I just let my mind roam free for new ideas. (That includes plenty of reality show TV watching.)
One of the shows was TLC’s, Say Yes to the Dress. One of the brides didn’t want to listen to her mother and insisted on picking a heavy, overly-designed wedding dress, that did nothing for her petite frame. (Consider the photo. Enough said.)
“Simple is best,” her mother kept saying.
“But I like this dress,” she whined. She couldn’t let go of the image of what she thought her wedding dress should look like. But she finally gave in and tried on a dress that her mother suggested. (Could it be because her mother was paying for the dress in the first place? Perhaps…) The dress was simple, yet spoke volumes. It was elegant, and chic. It was perfect. The bride knew it, and thanked her mother for pushing her to try it on.
“Eureka!” I said. (Okay, I didn’t actually say that, but it’s a cool word don’t you think?) “That’s my problem! I need to simplify!”
By the day’s end I had re-worked several scenes. I know I’ve done my book justice by removing all the extra flubber I didn’t need, and now my book is much more simple. Like the mother said, “Simple is best.”
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