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wyntir_knightI imagine that most folks have seen that Crack The WIP is back and up and running. But if you haven't go check it out. It's a great way to work with others and to get help and encouragement in completing that work in progress that you've got going.
So, I signed up, and it's already starting to help out. We'll see how it continues, but for right now, the next chapter in The Polyhex Candidate is drafted after several months of fighting with it. I think that having a deadline helps. The knowledge that I will have to check in every two weeks also helps -- last thing I want is to report in with "I have nothing".
So, the issue that I had with Polyhex is that I need to show just how far Jazz has fallen and just how bad off he is. I threw around a variety of ideas and settled on something far more disturbing than I've written in the past and I was having trouble with it.
So here's what I had plotted out: Jazz mistakes Smokescreen for Prowl and he tries to renew the bond, leading to a near rape. This is followed by Mirage victim blaming when he misinterprets what he's walked in on. The problem is, how do you write a scene that's that dark and still keep the characters likable and relatable? I have written sexual violence before (in Plague of Need and in the various Smokescreen/Swindle pairings), but this was different since this wasn't reciprocated. I never considered the violence in Plague as rape because it was a mutual violence - neither wanted it, both did, and both wanted to other to both suffer and be safe. This was the first time I wrote something so completely black and white and so very stark.
Thankfully I think I've gotten past my concerns and I have the chapter drafted. I just have to set it aside and reread and edit later one. And probably find a beta, because this really is outside of my comfort zone.
So, I signed up, and it's already starting to help out. We'll see how it continues, but for right now, the next chapter in The Polyhex Candidate is drafted after several months of fighting with it. I think that having a deadline helps. The knowledge that I will have to check in every two weeks also helps -- last thing I want is to report in with "I have nothing".
So, the issue that I had with Polyhex is that I need to show just how far Jazz has fallen and just how bad off he is. I threw around a variety of ideas and settled on something far more disturbing than I've written in the past and I was having trouble with it.
So here's what I had plotted out: Jazz mistakes Smokescreen for Prowl and he tries to renew the bond, leading to a near rape. This is followed by Mirage victim blaming when he misinterprets what he's walked in on. The problem is, how do you write a scene that's that dark and still keep the characters likable and relatable? I have written sexual violence before (in Plague of Need and in the various Smokescreen/Swindle pairings), but this was different since this wasn't reciprocated. I never considered the violence in Plague as rape because it was a mutual violence - neither wanted it, both did, and both wanted to other to both suffer and be safe. This was the first time I wrote something so completely black and white and so very stark.
Thankfully I think I've gotten past my concerns and I have the chapter drafted. I just have to set it aside and reread and edit later one. And probably find a beta, because this really is outside of my comfort zone.