by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I’ve entered a rough patch with the latest iteration of this novel because, well, I’m at something a lost as to how to fill the huge gaping whole in my outline in the second half of the second act.
But a few things are keeping me going. One is, the stuff that I have managed to figure out is really cool. Another is, there are elements of the novel in my mind I love so much that I’m willing to push forward until I solve the problems at hand. Among these is a character that pops up at the midpoint who is inspired by Jessica Chastain.
I really live her vibe as an actor and that vibe dovetails nicely with the OTHER woman I’m drawing inspiration from. So the character is something of a muddled mix of both women.
The main problem as of right now is the character is an FBI agent and I know jack crap about what an FBI agent might do in the situation I’ve put her in. But you can’t edit a blank page as they say, so I’m giving myself a pretty short deadline to fill my outline with something, anything that I can use to write a serious first draft with.
Each time I have one of these existential reboots of the novel, it gets significantly better. But each time I’m also reminded of how much reading I need to do to make this the best possible two novels, once story it can possibly be.
