Need Some Guidance

[cadbrowser]

I was writing a chapter on my web-series to tie in to the first chapter I posted here several weeks ago, but it started feeling like I was infodumping again. So, I thought I'd come here and get some suggestions. Basically the end of chapter one insinuated that the next part of the story pick up with a large conference meeting with the anitheroine of the book and her various department heads so that they could all clue in everyone on what projects they are working on.

So I started working on it, got about half way done (~2,500 words) and decided to scrap the idea and then wrote a different chapter alltogether. So now I'm stuck with still trying to figure out what to do with continuing the current plotline. However, I don't want to simply make a whole chapter about a "board" meeting if that makes sense. As i was writing it I found that each piece in the meeting as it related to the departments themselves could be a chapter or two by themselves. But then again, I don't feel it "right" to simply handwave it away like it wasn't an important transition point in the story itself.

Any ideas or pointers would be very greatefull, and if I need to post what I had with that chapter, I have no problems doing that.

I do have to say though that I am very proud of myself for sticking with this. I've already got 3 chapters done and I feel this sense of accomplishment. Anyway, again; thanks in advance for any ideas, I sincerely appreciate it.

Jeremiah

[VX-145]

Not entirely sure what you mean, but if you want to break up a block of story like that you could work in stuff from other characters. Hell, you could do an opposite-alignment meeting (if you've got a group of characters against the group you've written with) and intersperse that between segments.

Not knowing much about the story in question (I skimmed it a few minutes ago to get the general gist), that's all I can offer right now. I'll post more if I can thing of anything.

Hope this helps.

[cadbrowser]

Hmmm, sorry; let me see if I can better relay my issue here.

And what exactly did you skim? I didn't post any links to the story cause I didn't want it to appear like I was spamming the community.

I wrote the first chapter (and posted it here for feedback earlier). The second chapter covered a underlying linked plotline that wasn't part of the major plotline. When I began writing the third chapter, I was looking to continue that major plotline from the first chapter, continuing the story.

The first chapter left off where the next suggested "scene" would take place in a conference room. As I began writing it, I felt like I was infodumping and about half-way through it, I set it aside and decided to write a different chapter in it's place all together. I wasn't sure if someone would sit and read a whole chapter (of about 5,000 words) on a "meeting".

The problem is I can't (at least in my head) just ignore the meeting...it needs to take place. I am having a hard time finding a way to downplay it while I further the main plot in a different way.

Does that make better sense?

[VX-145]

I skimmed the first chapter you posted here. I have to echo the other comments - there was a lot of stuff to read. I did have the same problem myself a while ago; it's a habit that's possible to break.

Anyway, as to the problem at hand; have a section away from the characters in the meeting (i.e. go to another character's viewpoint), then have the next available character (your main or any of the others from the meeting) give the reader a short mental summary of the meeting in the next section. Cut out anything not immediately plot-relevant and bring up anything else when it does become relevant. If you don't have that many characters, and don't feel like adding more in, simply have a timeskip and then the summary. I'd recommend the first option, though, to make it feel less jarring to the reader.

Does that help any?

[cadbrowser]

Oh, duh...sorry; been sick since last week and I think it is affecting my comprehension. I did rewrite Chapter 1 - Alive based on the advice I'd received from others here in the forum. It is a litte more than half of what you saw in that previous post. (I'm still not sure I'm 100% happy with it yet. )

I see what you are saying. I just have to get over this mental block and push forward. I do have (as it is written now) a nice break point where she is getting ready to go to the meeting. I guess I could cut out the next part that actually has the meeting information in it and then break away to another character or whatever like you are suggesting. Then come back or whatever. Bah... I'm introducing eleven other minor characters just in the conference room; which all help to tie the plot together.

This is frustrating...

What if, hmmm; what if I divided that chapter up into segments towhere a timeskip happens and I pick the story back up after the meeting in each department that was going to be covered and instead come up with their reactions or whatever and then give the reader a glimpse into what they are doing so they can begin to contemplate how it is going to tie into the story?

Thank you though for your input; I appreciate you taking the time out to look at it.