by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
To date, I’ve been very strict with my structure because I really want to stay in the 165,000 to 185,000 word sweet spot. But looking at the macro structure of the story, I realize the time has come not to be so tough on myself.
I need to let the story breathe some structurally. So, things should move a lot faster, hopefully. The structure isn’t going to fit the “rules” absolutely. It’s going to be a little different than it’s “supposed” to be. But it still fits the general rules, just not as strictly.
So over the course of the next few days, I’m going to flesh out scenes on a tactical level. I hope to start writing again no later than early next week, if not sooner. I just have to believe in myself.
The story is strong enough and I know the universe well enough that I should not be absolute in some of my “rules” that I have previously placed on myself. And, yet, I needed to that earlier because it gave me some guidelines. Now that I feel a little bit more comfortable with the story, I think I can simply go where I feel the story needs to go.
As such, the first part of the second act is likely going to be a little longer than the second half. Or, to put another way, I can allow there to be more scenes in the first half knowing the second half can have the same number of scenes but actually fewer words.
Or something.
Anyway, I need to keep going.
