Expert: Cathy Clamp - 11/7/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I'm a bit undecided how to continue my story since I'm afraid a sub chapter could stop the story's progress. I've always planned for this part of the story a main character's trip to his home town after he declined to travel to another location with some workmates he disliked. I feel this choice would be the more coherent according to the character's personality, but I'm afraid a reader might think this is repetitive when I could describe a trip to a new scenario.
I now there aren't rules when writing but I'd appreciate if you could tell me if I'm taking the right path.

ANSWER: Hi, Ariel,

I guess I'm not sure what you mean by a "sub chapter." Do you mean a scene break or a subplot? In either event, a side trip could be useful if you have subplots in the book that cause additional tension in the character's life. The trick is whether you're writing in first or third person or whether you're following multiple characters. In a first person POV story, where the only story is the primary protagonist's plotline, yes, it could quickly throw a book off track to distance himself from the main plot. But it can be wound back in by gathering information or tools necessary for the main plot while in his hometown. For example, he could see or meet someone in town he didn't expect that rolls right back into the main plot and keeps the story alive (and gives good reason why he went home.)

Does that help any, or did I confuse you? Let me know!

Cathy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Cathy. Although your reply was clear and useful, I'd like to clarify
that the story is written in third person and is centered in the main character's life. What I meant was a subplot in which the character goes back home a couple of months after he left to try to recover a former girlfriend who is important in the first two chapters (this event takes place in the second), avoiding a trip with the workmates he disliked.

I'd also like to ask you how can I avoid the story look monotonous. I mean, the main character is stuck at a job in his home town and had a monotonous life until he moves out of town. I also realized that in some parts of the book the character follows routines like waking up, going to work and then back home and doing something different during weekend. I'm working on this point trying to remove some unnecessary parts like always going home at the end of the day. Could you suggest me some other techniques?

I appreciate your time. Many thanks,
Ariel.

Answer
Hi, Ariel,

I think what might be happening that you feel the book is monotonous is that you're following every minute of every day. It's perfectly fine to drop big chunks of time in favor of only those scenes that actually move the action forward. It's fine for it to happen in your head becuase it's how you connect with the character, but does the READER actually need to see it for them to know the character's life is boring?  It might be easier to remove several chapters of day-to-day monotony in favor of starting one chapter with Monday and follow the boring routine and then start the next chapter with Friday and let the character feel the monotony--that he's forgotten what day it was because they're all the same.

Give it a try and see if that spices up the book. Yes, it will delete a lot of pages already written but it'll give the book a much stronger feel when reading. Good luck!

Cathy