WIP... Saturday?

[wolffyluna]

I realise that today is very much not Wednesday, and thus not the traditional day, but I've been inspired to talk about my current WIP because of chocochipbiscuit 's post, and the fact I've identified the pacing problem in mine. I haven't quite worked out how to fix it, but I've found it!

So, context: This is a fic that more or less follows canon, but through the POV of a particular character. Our POV character is Beleg, one of the best elven archers around, and absurdly loyal to Túrin. Túrin is human, hella cursed, the foster son of Beleg's king, and generally a bit unreadable.

In canon, while Túrin and Beleg are in the Hidden Elven Kingdom, things go... okay, until Túrin gets himself exiled, Beleg has to defend him in absentia and then try and retrieve him when he gets un-exiled. So that's the beginning of my fic, as well.

Except the beginning, before the exile, seemed... slow. And disjointed. Like several fluff scenes haphazardly stapled together, and yet somehow not enough of them?

Which was basically the problem. I wanted to establish the relationship, I wanted to get the readers to care about the relationship between these two, but nothing really happens pre-exile, so it was all just disjointed scenes.

So, there's the problem. And I have two ideas how to fix it, but I'm not sure what's the best way.

1) Make Something Happen

That is, come up with a little subplot for the pre-exile stuff, so I can establish "Aren't these two so important to each other <3 <3 <3" while still, like, having things happen.

The main issue is that I think it'd end up being, pacing-wise, kinda like the tutorial of a video game. Just sitting there as this little side thing at the beginning that doesn't have much to do with anything.

2) Let's Skip To The Good Bit

Or rather, 'have a couple establishing pre-exile scenes, the get to the exile promptly because that's the Call to Adventure where the conflict starts'.

This would involve taking advantage of the fact I'm writing fanfic, so I can assume the readers know these characters and know this pairing so I don't need to establish them that much-- which feels like cheating. Then again, the exile malarky would also work for establishing their relationship. Bluh.

Comments

[contrarianarchon]

I'd do the latter, because I feel it could be pretty jarring for a long section focusing on the pre-exile to just be an antechamber to the intended story, but I don't actually know any of the characters/context so ... pinch of salt?

(It's not cheating to use people's pre-understanding of a fandom to shortcut on establishing shots - I'd argue that it's like 50% of the point of writing fanfic.

... I say as I mostly read fanfic for things I've never seen/read)

[wolffyluna]

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the second one for that reason as well. Esecially because the exile is basically the Call to Adventure, so it would be weird to try and drag out the bits before it?

[chocochipbiscuit]

Glad to inspire! Even more glad you identified the pacing problem! That's the very first step of fixing the thing! :D

In fanfic, I'm generally a fan of skipping to the good bits, or at least trying to make EVERY bit seem like a good bit because fanfic using a shared canon allows more liberties with that than original work. Starting in media res or with some other kind of dramatic opening generally works as a quick way to get everything up to speed, but obviously ymmv. Not all fics are the same or need the same fixes.

[wolffyluna]

Yeah, I think I might keep a couple of the fluffy scenes at the beginning, both because I think they'll be good and because I think a little build up might help the exile scene, but then I'll try to get to the exile nice and quickly.