When I began serializing Stepmothers Anonymous, I created a list of details I wanted to update the story with:
- The mirror revelation
- Abbey’s friendship with Terry
- Unpacking from the honeymoon
- More Grace
- The cat talks!!
- Why Abbey really loses her job
- More aye-aye
- The lizard infestation by Election Day
- The beauty shop gossip
Some of these were originally in the story but taken out, while others were part of the story I wanted to expound on but never got to.
I was able to coast with minimal editing up until Chapter 14, when I had to start writing new chapters. I am up to Chapter 17 now and I have to say that slipping back into the character’s voice was easy.
I say easy cautiously, because this last chapter was a doozy for me—I had to rewrite it several times until it “felt right.” I had to consider that what I was adding now would impact the story later, but also, that while the characters did, in fact, respond certain ways, as human beings, we tend to be reserved around other people until we learn to trust them. To this point, Abbey and Bradley are more comfortable with each other, but that trust isn’t there yet. To reveal more now would work against the flow of the story.
It is important to allow the characters to lead. Once you know them, once you understand their development, their beginning from their end, they are able to direct you (the writer) in telling their story.
I know one author who will often express surprise at what her characters do. She is the type of writer who doesn’t outline first, so she has to listen as she writes.
I am the opposite—I have to outline the story. I have to plot and plan, so there are no surprises. But I have learned to listen as well.
As I wrote Chapter 16, I kept trying to go one way during Abbey’s conversation with Bradley about the first point, but she would not settle there. She kept trying to steer me in a certain direction until I finally gave up and listened. The process added four extra hours to my writing, but it was time well-spent because the story flowed the way it needed to.
And not just that, the longer I write, the more I see how well the process of serializing a story works with my brain. Most authors write at their own pace to complete their novels. Some have deadlines with their publishers, others have personal goals they’re trying to reach. Because I was often working on my own time, I struggled with getting the books written. Serializing Stepmothers Anonymous allows me to publish a chapter per week in 1,500-word chunks and share it with my audience as I go along. That, to me, is the best part about this process.
If you haven’t started reading yet, you can go here to begin. I’ve begun cross posting it across several sites, pick the one you prefer and start reading. Subscribe and new chapters will be sent to your email inbox. It is free and will remain free for the duration of the serialization.
As always, thanks for following me along my writing journey.
Ruth E. Griffin 