20 Oct
20Oct

A couple years ago, we were finally in our own house. My husband had finished medical school and, though we weren't well off, we did have enough to do more for Christmas. Between us, my mom, and my in-laws, there were (admittedly) WAY too many presents. We made the mistake of deciding that we wanted to get through all the present opening right away, so as our daughter opened gifts we were telling her to set them aside and open the next one.


If you're a parent you won't be surprised by what happened next--with a completely flat face, she was unwrapping presents and tossing them aside, no longer caring about any of them.


This analogy recently came to mind while beta reading a friend's novel she's in the midst of querying. The premise is fantastic and the first 3/4 were great, but toward the end I was getting hit with one twist after another... and they started to lose their impact. Like my daughter with her presents, I was getting the twists and setting them aside, no longer caring as much because I knew they'd keep coming.


My advice to her was to simplify the plot a bit and removing a few of the plot points/twists in order to let the rest of them shine in a way that could truly be appreciated. 


Another way you can do this is to vary the types of reveals and twists either through switching between your POVS (if you have more than one), or alternating between the main plot and sub plot as you weave them together.


If you're writing/querying, take time to make sure you're not choking your own brilliant ideas. When it comes to writing, sometimes simplicity is the tool you need to aid your complexity (as contrary as that may seem). Don't be afraid to let your twists and reveals have their moment to be appreciated before moving onto the next!

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