This article is not about plot twists. It is about a twisted plot, or perhaps a plot that needs a little twisting to make it right.
I am a big believer in critique partners and beta readers. In my world, critique partners go through a manuscript exchange chapter by chapter. Critique partners help “get a book in shape.”
I wrote computer software for teachers and had beta testers do a last check before releasing a new version. I use my writing beta readers the same way. These good folks help with the final review of work in progress, making sure everything works.
I like it when beta readers only notice a comma or spelling error. It is a stroke for my ego that I have written a solid book. I recently had my friend Mark beta read The Ship from Wolfskill. He noted that the last three chapters, an exciting event, occur after the “main battle” is won. I hoped it showed some vulnerability of the airship and created a backdrop for the next book. Mark suggested I move the scene.
I asked one of my Critique partners what she thought, and she said she agreed with Mark. My wife is on the fence about the matter. In the meantime, another beta reader is pondering the value of the move.
One of the rules of critique partners and beta readers is that the author must listen. If you don’t intend to pay attention to suggestions, then don’t seek critique partners and beta readers. So I listened.
I searched for the best place to move the scene. A major overhaul is the part of revising I loathe. However, after deciding where the scene would best fit, I wrote some “glue” lines to allow the passage to flow naturally. Afterward, my brain hurt, and I read a few chapters of a light novel.
Twenty-four hours later, I am uneasy with the change. It is hard to determine if I don’t like the scene moved because I “know” when it really happened or if the move causes too many problems with the plot flow. I remain a radical middle-of-the-roader and am in a “Deep Thought” stage, although I am pretty sure the answer is not 42.
Whether I move the event or leave it be, this part of writing is important. As writers, we must look at our work from all angles. Wrestling with a plot is what makes a book better. Most of all, this is a time when we must look deep into ourselves and wonder, “Could I be wrong?”
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