Every time I say that, I think of Ryan Reynolds (yummy, yummy!) saying “Lightbulb!” in the movie Just Friends.
But that’s neither here nor there. What I’m really writing about today are those wonderful, brilliant, and all-too rare lightbulb moments. I had one this morning on my way to work. I’ve been stuck on my current romantic comedy manuscript (not to be confused with the ms I was working on yesterday), and a song came up on my iPod that I’d considered adding to the soundtrack. Even though I’d ultimately decided to save the song (“She Moves in Her Own Way” by The Kooks) for yet another ms I’ve got on the back burner, it nevertheless tripped the mental wires and pow! I know why I’m stuck.
I’m making it too complicated.
And isn’t that one of the better problems to have? I’m trying to add too much into a story that’s supposed to be light-hearted and fun. I’m heaping conflict onto characters burdened with enough already. No wonder they’re getting angry and going on strike! They can’t handle it all. It means eliminating a character, but considering I’m 200+ pages in and she still hasn’t made an appearance, it should be easy enough to take her out of the equation.
Now the question is: how much do I simplify? Taking out too much conflict would be just as bad as putting in too much. It’s like that Emily Dickinson poem:
Surgeons must be very careful
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit–Life!
I certainly don’t want to take the life out of my ms, so I have to be careful with the scalpel. But at least I know now where to start the incision.
