On Writing: when enough is enough is not enough?
In my current work in progress Troubleshooter novella (working title "Private Trouble", I have an interesting 5th act problem:
The story is over, the conflict is resolved and Paul Trouble rides into the sunset (well, to Somalia's war theatre of the early Nineties). However, I have another layer of resolution which I could add.
The regular resolution brings the bad guys behind bars. Paul manages to retrieve the McGuffin. All well. This is the "enough is enough" part.
But now comes another twist: one of the cops who brings the bad guys behind bars, is also a corrupt cop. Paul is the only one who knows. (So there is another conflict and another resolution to be had).
Not enough?
As a writer (God of the story) I have three options:
- I leave it out, to keep the original story mean and lean, like a good novella.
- I put the second ending in (as kind of Act 5.5) and bring another spice into the story
- I weave the storyline in earlier (which is tricky, as the story is a very quick one with around 40 print pages), so the estate is a bit crammed.
Let's find out which way I go! "Private Trouble" should come out somewhen in summer as a marketing vehicle. And that means for you: free for a period of time on Amazon. (Otherwise only a buck, equals for the price of a sip of Frappucino.)
The story is over, the conflict is resolved and Paul Trouble rides into the sunset (well, to Somalia's war theatre of the early Nineties). However, I have another layer of resolution which I could add.
The regular resolution brings the bad guys behind bars. Paul manages to retrieve the McGuffin. All well. This is the "enough is enough" part.
But now comes another twist: one of the cops who brings the bad guys behind bars, is also a corrupt cop. Paul is the only one who knows. (So there is another conflict and another resolution to be had).
Not enough?
As a writer (God of the story) I have three options:
- I leave it out, to keep the original story mean and lean, like a good novella.
- I put the second ending in (as kind of Act 5.5) and bring another spice into the story
- I weave the storyline in earlier (which is tricky, as the story is a very quick one with around 40 print pages), so the estate is a bit crammed.
Let's find out which way I go! "Private Trouble" should come out somewhen in summer as a marketing vehicle. And that means for you: free for a period of time on Amazon. (Otherwise only a buck, equals for the price of a sip of Frappucino.)