So, as I posted here a while ago, the premise of my story is: A guy that was the prodigy of his class at school gets an invitation for his 10 year class reunion, but he didn't realize his potential and is a lonely, unemployed loser who is in debt, so he wants to turn things around in order to arrive at the party as a big shot, whatever it takes, and that would involve blackmail, cheating, and probably a couple of crimes. However, as I wrote the first chapter...it sort of snowballed into a robbery plot that will take maybe half the novel to be planned and executed. I'm kinda worried that it'll steal away the plot, but in a way it fits well as the overarching plot arc that binds it all together. I have some ideas on what to do AFTER it happens, shifting the focus back into the premise: the party. So, if it was you, would you go with it or scrap everything and roll back?
If you avidly hated the idea, you wouldn't be posting here, Velt, so that should tell you something. The fact you're undecided and struggling with this means (imo) you should write it and see where it goes. If you get to the end and think "Meh, this didn't turn out exactly how I felt it would," then you have your answer and are 100% certain. If you don't do it, you will be second-guessing yourself until the end. This is the good thing about writing, you can always press the reset button back to the point you went down this route and re-write it if it doesn't work out. Plan A - "I wrote the Heist idea and it didn't work out, so I re-wrote it to what I love." - Guarantee of success of you liking the final outcome 100% chance Plan B - "I didn't write the Heist idea, and although I like my current ending, I'm wondering if the other way might've been better?" - Guarantee of success of you liking the final outcome 50% chance Sure, it might take longer, but if you strike gold by doing it, then you'll be happier you pursued that avenue. You might not even have to write all of it to discover you don't like it, or it brings up another idea that you like better.
I don't know. I tend to get tunnel vision very easily and then a block that prevents from me with coming up with something else, like a proper blank page would.
I haven't completed any stories so I cannot advise based on personal experience. But this largely depends on what kind of writer you are. A chapter by chapter writer with a plan will scrap the idea you are talking about unless you already planned for a heist to happen. A writer who likes to follow the natural course of the story will just go along with it until they realise it sucks and they scrap half a book and go again. I think GRRM described this process as being an architect or gardener. So it's really upto you. I think the best way to find out could be to begin writing that whole scenario as you go along and check the equilibrium with your major plot. Are your characters forgetting about the main plot? Are they reasonably keeping in line with previous tone? Is the plot still relevant? It's going to sound stupid, but I think a good archetype you could maybe study is Superbad or similar quality bro style movies. The story in there is about an objective, but most of the scenes tend to be irrelevant to the over arching plot. How do they keep it together so that's not lost? Well first of all, they keep getting reminders why they are doing what they are doing. Usually a call from their love interest. Another way is that there is usually a motivational dip, conflict between characters arise because the side plot tests the characters more than they bargained for and they question whether it's even worth it. So watching that movie may help in deconstructing how to keep your side plot from derailing the importance of your main plot. Hope this helps
Mark Twain remarked that once you have invented characters, they take a life of their own and do whatever they damn well please, so the key to good writing is to go ahead and let them, and see where it goes.
I agree with JLT. The best thing a writer can do is allow his characters the freedom to do as they please.
I mean I originally had this 'BIG' idea for a story, and you know what happened? I got stupid writers block three chapters in and dropped it. Years later I revisited the concept, except instead of one story, it's two different ones. I'm having much more fun writing/planning the stories as separate stories. Though my main problem now is I'm side tracked by another random story idea haha. The thing won't leave me alone so I'm writing it! I guess what I'm saying is, just go with the flow. Not every plan has to be set in stone.
Obviously what wants to be written is not what you thought it was. If it were me, I'd go with it. I have strong faith in the power of what the subconscious mind can do.
Take a moment to refer back to your original idea. If the story continues on, does the character accomplish his mission? Take a second to think of the smaller ideas and desires he has. If the way the story is going accomplished what you had planned for the character, then go with it and see where it takes your character. You wrote that your character did not realize his potential and now he is stuck, well if a robbery is what he needs to realize he still has potential then let it be so! There is a lot you can go off of in that department. Like maybe he pulls off the heist which leads him to become a con-man savant. He begins to use his prodigy skills (which I am going to assume is knowledge-based) and learns the ins and out of law and creates plan after plan to become affluent by finding loopholes in the law. The robbery is just the beginning! Maybe a constricting factor is the time frame of your story. It seems that he receives the invitation and then begins to has out this plan however I can't imagine that there is much time to actually enact his plan. What if you introduce the ten-year reunion angle a few years prior? That way the character had time to build himself.
