I used this quote from the Holmes story “The Yellow Face” about seven years ago. I’m finding it useful as I outline the next draft of Let No Man Put Asunder. Holmes makes the observation to reassure his client that getting answers about his wife’s strange behavior will be preferable to wondering and not knowing.
As in the earlier post, I think it applies slightly differently to writing: sitting and thinking and debating about how to rewrite the book is “indefinite doubt.” Making a decision and putting it down in the outline is “truth.” It’s a truth that may not hold up; when I review the outline or when I sit down and write the story out, what I outlined may not work. Nevertheless, it’s more productive than worrying whether moving a couple of big reveals up to halfway through the book will work or maybe I should leave it as they are. If I don’t put something down on paper, the next draft will never get written. Neither will the book.
The outline changes a lot of things from Draft #2. Perhaps most significantly, I trim my overcrowded cast. Mostly by having some of the supporting cast only appear for a couple of chapters, then fade away. Maybe it’ll feel odd to have them wander in and wander out and I’ll have to revise back or come up with something new. I can’t revise the manuscript until it exists so this is an improvement. I’ve also eliminated an encounter with my vampire mastermind and made her front person, Yuki do all the adversary work. The way the book is shaping up, Yuki will make a more interesting foe.
Another improvement (I hope) is moving those reveals. Placed early enough in the story, a partial reveal should make readers curious about what they’ve learned — what does it mean, how does it affect Paul and Mandy? That’ll accomplish more than holding them in reserve until the end. And ultimately, as with Southern Discomfort, my lead characters and the change in their lives will hopefully matter more and be more compelling.
If not, more revisions ahead. I can live with that. But if I’ve made serious progress on the problems in D2, maybe there will be fewer of them.
“Yellow Face” image by Sidney Paget, Southern Discomfort cover by Sam Collins, rights to it are mine.
