Original NaNo thread
Looking back, I would say where the novel ended up is pretty in line with my original vision, only more developed, as these things often are.
Goals for draft two (and the things I'm struggling with in getting there)
- Lean into the epistolary nature of the novel, including more news headlines, script excerpts, etc
- Finish and complete the Ryan chapter and ending. I've realized, as soon as I introduced him, his presence is what the story was missing. He's one of the most important people in Olive's life and the story should reflect that.
- I've been working a lot on the Nate/Dawson Gold tour chapter when she's their opener, and it feels like the storyline has come to its conclusion yet I still want Olive and Kerry to interact somehow. She's 10 at the time of this tour and if Olive doesn't see her again until she's 17 I think it could make the passage of time hit that much more.
- Lean more into the relationships between Olive and Erik (her brother) and Isaac (her first love/ex boyfriend( to show not just their age difference but him being black and her being white affects their relationship and ultimate breakup
- Make Joan's bisexuality come up somehow during Rebecca and Kate and track their friendship from ~1999 to present day. Also, I say Joan and Olive go their separate ways after reconciling at the 1999 Oscars. But if Joan and Mia (her partner) move to Connecticut they'd be closer to Olive and Ryan in NYC.
I was also thinking that when Olive and Ryan get married it doesn't track that her family and Joan etc wouldn't be there, unless they end up eloping. Olive is definitely someone who always imagined the fairytale wedding in a church but she could decide she loves Ryan so much she just want to be married to him. That could further cause tension!
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Those are the main things. A part of me feels like I just need to show the novel to people and get torn to shreds, but even if I do what I need to I'll at least have a solid baseline to start getting feedback.
Also, I was listening to a podcast that was talking about narrative distance, and considering I'm writing it as a bio things are a bit zoomed out. That being said, I do think that distance works for this piece, it's just a matter of maximizing its impact.
*rolls up sleeves*
An excerpt:
Spoiler! :
Olive and Ryan's song:
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