Killing Trezka gives me some f*ckin’ hope.
The last time I wrote about Trezka, the final chapter of the Procyk Forfeit trilogy, I noted that I was continuing to “evolve” it into a strong ending for the series, and that I planned to work on it extensively throughout 2017.
Well, all of that is still true. However, I realized something this past week.
Trezka sucks.
That’s a bit harsh (as if no one’s ever said that to me before), but it’s definitely true. At least about the current form of the novel. Because while the kernel of a good story is there, while there are several amazing moments, there’s simply too much down-time and what could easily be considered filler. Plus, frankly, it’s all a little too slow, a little too boring. Simply put, there is so much potential, but it never reaches those heights.
I think the problem originally stems from the idea Trezka would be an homage. I wanted to pay tribute to that famous storyline with a similar structure, a similar narrative construct and so I tried bending my concept to that rather than that to my concept. What resulted was a lot of time jumps, some repetition, and a constant nagging in the back of my head wondering who the hell cares about any of this.
So, I’m going back to the drawing board. I’m killing the book’s current form, making it bleed left and right. What I’ve done is summarize Trezka’s narrative into a 4,000 word outline, and I’ve started crossing out whole sections, inserting new ones, throwing in ideas and “visual,” playing with what the location brings to the story, and just plain taking the concept at the heart of the tale—the thing I love the most about it—and trying to bring it to the next level.
If you’re thinking to yourself this seems like a lot and will likely result in Trezka getting pushed further back, that’s fair. That may actually come to pass, too. But I’ve had this trouble before, and once I crack the difficulty I’ve had with this book since its very first iteration, it will be smoother sailing.
At least, I hope. It's like a little flag at the end of a flat piece, if you know what I mean.
Well, all of that is still true. However, I realized something this past week.
Trezka sucks.
That’s a bit harsh (as if no one’s ever said that to me before), but it’s definitely true. At least about the current form of the novel. Because while the kernel of a good story is there, while there are several amazing moments, there’s simply too much down-time and what could easily be considered filler. Plus, frankly, it’s all a little too slow, a little too boring. Simply put, there is so much potential, but it never reaches those heights.
I think the problem originally stems from the idea Trezka would be an homage. I wanted to pay tribute to that famous storyline with a similar structure, a similar narrative construct and so I tried bending my concept to that rather than that to my concept. What resulted was a lot of time jumps, some repetition, and a constant nagging in the back of my head wondering who the hell cares about any of this.
So, I’m going back to the drawing board. I’m killing the book’s current form, making it bleed left and right. What I’ve done is summarize Trezka’s narrative into a 4,000 word outline, and I’ve started crossing out whole sections, inserting new ones, throwing in ideas and “visual,” playing with what the location brings to the story, and just plain taking the concept at the heart of the tale—the thing I love the most about it—and trying to bring it to the next level.
If you’re thinking to yourself this seems like a lot and will likely result in Trezka getting pushed further back, that’s fair. That may actually come to pass, too. But I’ve had this trouble before, and once I crack the difficulty I’ve had with this book since its very first iteration, it will be smoother sailing.
At least, I hope. It's like a little flag at the end of a flat piece, if you know what I mean.
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