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Is the progression of the plot in my story too blunt?
Basically, by chapter two, the main character has traveled 800 years into the future. This is good because at first the readers think the story is about this girl in BC discovering she has supernatural powers (time travel/teleporting) and then having to adjust to this lifestyle, but the story is about her having to adjust to being a convicted mercenary in a futuristic/fantastical setting.
I'm struggling on how the protagonist should react. She goes from her mother's death to time travelling centuries into the future within mere days. I know this probably isn't enough time to recover from the death of her mother, but at the same time, I can't bore the readers with her grieving, and I can't break the flow of action with occasional bursts of depression.
So, how might I make the pace of progression realistic? How could I demonstrate her emotional distress without upsetting the course of things? Is this too blunt?
2 Answers
- jopefaceLv 46 years ago
"I can't break the flow of action with occasional bursts of depression."
Why not? Even breakneck thrillers need to give the reader a breath now and then. If timing can't be helped--say, if there's a major earthquake right during the funeral--people have to deal with surviving the quake AND their grief. That's what makes the characters real. It's a challenge to pull it off, but that's part of what makes writing fun!