When Your Story Pulls the Rug Out

A short dialogue, last Monday...

Me: "I'm gonna finish Daughter of the Dead. I'm gonna write 1,000 words a day, and, by mid-May, I'm gonna have a first draft."

Universe: "A-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

Best-laid plans, right? Everything goes swimmingly for a few days. I get chapters in order, scenes placed within those chapters, and new words on the page. Then, on Friday, I decide I want to see how the story, written to that point in past tense, reads in present tense.

OK, cool. I save a "past tense" copy of the draft and file it. Rename the working draft "present tense" and begin converting the first chapter. Right away, it feels good. The main characters are young, they're figuring stuff out, they're looking for answers. Present tense is appropriate, it works well, it cleans up all the auxiliary words needed to make verbs for events that happened before the story.

And then it happens. I don't know where it comes from, but without warning, I have an idea that will fundamentally change the story -- and the reader's experience -- yet still works with my existing outline. I sit back and stare at the screen. A Keanu-style "whoa" comes out of me.

I start kicking the hubcaps of the new idea.

Among the pros:

• it reduces the number of POV characters from 2 to 1
• that reduction fits better with the book title
• it adds a great psychological element to the story
• it still leaves room for paranormal elements
• it may allow the reader to explain those paranormal elements scientifically
• it's a more daring approach
• it creates a major twist

Among the cons:

• it creates a very spoilable twist

The pros way outnumber the cons. What an awesome opportunity to take a chance (and scrap my outline if I need to). To develop the characters and surprise the reader. In thinking about the twist, I realize I can address it at the midpoint and then build to an even better revelation for the end. Why not go for it?

So the plan now (ha-ha) is to keep converting the existing text to present tense, and think about the new idea. Going through the chapters is helping me understand how the idea will affect them. By the time I get through them, I should have my answer.

Even though I already have it.

Ever had the rug pulled out from under you (in a good way) while writing? Did you go for it? Did it work?
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