Plotlines are never perfect the first time around. Never. Never ever. So don't expect yours to be! That first beautiful idea you have is just a starting point, and will likely never make it to the page. Maybe the essence or something, but... The plot is going to change.
When creating a story, don't hesitate to change it. Why? Because just as you can't force characters to be something they aren't, you can't force a story to be what it isn't. For example: My very first story. The first one I ever tried to write. I had everything all figured out, down to currency exchange. But there was one itty bitty little problem.... I couldn't figure out why the secondary protagonist was even in the story. He had a purpose! Just.... I could find a justifiable reason for his actions. He sacrificed everything, time and time again, for the main protagonist. To the point of just being ridiculous.
How did I fix it? Reboot! Instead of him being her love interest, I made her his cousin. That brought in another character I had previously killed off, added a family element, removed a betrayal that had been necessary before, even changed some main points in the antagonist. It was a major overhaul. I'd been working on this story for nearly 4 years, and just recently went and redid it completely. Sometimes, when things just don't fit, a patch job won't fix it. Sometimes you need to reboot.
Don't be afraid to change things! Not only is it fun to alter storylines, but you will definitely appreciate it later on when that massive plot hole has been stitched up, and the overall design has been improved. Happy writings!
Comments