By this I mean, that the middle of my WIP continues to expand as I delay moving the plot forward. At page 188, it is time to get to the meat of the story, and I know what that meat is, but it's all about numbers/money and I have no head for them.I just can't focus on numbers at all. Okay, why did I choose a plot that was about money? Someone advised me (well, my kid) to find a true crime story with the necessary details, a story that I could relate to and make it mine. And it worked as far as understanding the main dynamic, creating some nifty characters. Pages 1-188, I'm into character and having a ball. But now that gun on the mantle has to fire.
Sad to say, I'm not really interested in the mechanics of scams and frauds and money laundering, but now it's time for that to take place. If I don't like it, you can be sure, you probably won't either. Maybe she can just kill someone and forget the rest. I can live with it.
Do you delay parts of your story or is it just me? Does anyone know a good book that explains these things for the layman?
6 comments:
I've been dealing with some money laundering stuff, too. Yes, it's a challenge to make it interesting.
The RCMP have a helpful website:
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/poc/launder_e.htm
The thing is, it's complicated for a reason - people doing it want it to work and want it to be tough to catch them. But complicated doesn't mean interesting, so it's up to the characters to be interesting.
Sounds like you're just at the toughest point, but when you round this corner you're in the home stretch and it'll fly again. This is where the hard work is, though, and there's no way to avoid it. Keep pushing, you'll get there.
Thanks, John. I need all the help I can get. Should have been paying attention in math classes instead of reading novels under my mathbook.
I read an excellent non-fiction book last year titled, "Crime School: Money Laundering" by Chris Mathers. He was an undercover cop, I think for the RCMP, and has some good stuff in there. It's a quick read and, while it doesn't give away too much of the inside mechanics of money laundering, it does give a good taste of how and where money moves.
I tend to plot out my stories well in advance, so I'm rarely stuck when it comes to the actual writing. Several people have been working on talking me out of that; your post here just reminded me of why I do it. I threw away about 100 single spaced pages of a book a few years ago, because I'd written myself into a place where I really didn't want to have to write my way out of.
I have the plot but not the mechanics of it. I mean I know what they do but not how it actually works. Thanks for the book rec. I will look into both.
Yes, I delay parts of my stories. Whenever I'm stumped on something, I go to another part of the project and work on that area. Usually while writing new scenes an idea surfaces resolving the glitch I ran into earlier. I never write in a linear fashion; it's always here and there and back again. Although I do use a rough outline to keep the story going in the right direction.
If you can find an investigator whose passion is in those areas, you might find yourself taking on some of that passion. I found that with digital forensics! I might be able to find someone for you - let me know if you want me to.
And yes, I delay too, mainly when I don't feel ready to tackle something. Like a climax I can envision but would rather write after I know the rest of the story and the characters, so that I can really bring it to fruition. Sure I could write it sooner - I just always feel like I'd be jinxing it.
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