Paksworld

The ideas continued into the evening (naturally, because I have house guests arriving.    Probably in less than two hours, now, and I’m still glued to the book.)

ANYway.   I’ve had to start re-writing because there are tricky things to convey.    This shouldn’t be too spoilerish, but if you’re highly concerned about spoilers, you might want to turn away.

The tricky thing is making it clear to readers who knows what about whom and what when.    Events at the end of Oath of Fealty make rumors fly (and malignant rumors were already flying.)    Characters A and B (living in Aarenis) and C and D (living in the north) are involved in this particular tangle.

Given the slower speed of communication,  A doesn’t hear the rumors until his spies show up.  What do his spies actually know?  When did they leave to carry those rumors?  Who else is following behind with updates?    Since his actions are informed by what he knows at each point, the timing of rumor is critical.    B is more a stay-at-home sort,  who finds out about the rumors only via A, and only partially.    B does not find out the rumors involve D (A wanted to keep that bit secret) until B goes to the north.   C heard the rumors, then more rumors, and is aware of more rumor content than anyone else, but has major internal conflicts about all this.   Meanwhile, D has left the source of the rumors and  is not aware of them for another quarter-year.  D has received rumors about A, believable but not proven….but receives direct communication from B shortly after the Autumn Court.   At Autumn Court, D is not aware of A’s knowledge, but is informed by B after that–only B’s information is less than complete.   Meanwhile C’s actions have generated newer rumors, which have also reached A in the south and rebounded to produce more rumors in the north.

Several drafts of all this now exist, and I’m picking through them to decide what is best, in terms of plot structure, for A, B, C, and D to know and when.    As written in first draft, I think A knows too much too soon,  unless A’s actions impact the others sooner than they now do, and D knows too little.  B, in second draft, is too much the handy bearer-of-news and needs more heft (or less.   B is at a balance point as far as character weight goes.   If B steps up to the next level, B needs more development, but if not, needs a demotion down a grade to “minor” with less viewpoint time.   And yet I have this really great scene where B finds out that “history” isn’t what B thought it was.

Yesterday’s burst of ideas not only added some good stuff (IMO) but clarified what needs to be done in this issue of who knew what when.

House guests.  Must quit this and work on the kitchen floor.