I’m having trouble with my sequel to Do You Know the Monkey Man. I’m just not sure what the story’s about. Well, I sort of know what it’s about…I’m just not sure that what I have in mind is deep enough. I’m not seeing a whole lot of rising action and cause and effect in this plot (Ha! Who am I kidding? What plot???).

I’ve got a ton of character charts and plotting worksheets that I’ve been filling out, trying to figure things out. I also have a set of interview questions to help me get at what my story is really about. I’ve never actually interviewed one my characters before. But I was desperate.

It was an interesting exercise. I learned that T.J. wants something that I didn’t know she wanted before…It helped to learn that, but this story still isn’t quite “there.” There’s a big piece I’m missing. But I’m not sure what it is. I have a feeling it’s a secret T.J. is carrying around…but I don’t know what that secret is. She clammed up on me and isn’t talking anymore…

Interviewing characters helps…sometimes…

3 thoughts on “Interviewing characters helps…sometimes…

  • June 30, 2006 at 10:40 pm
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    just keep going forward Dori

    YOU CAN DO IT

    You are great you are creative you have fortitude and YOU CAN DO IT!

    Reply
  • July 3, 2006 at 3:14 am
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    idea

    I think thatyou should make T.J’s secret that she had seen her dad fake her death and she acts like she likes him and doesn’t want to tell anybody the secret.

    Reply

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