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Saturday, September 17, 2005

Thematic Breakthrough

What's worse than having a story that charms you at first but you want to un-write a day later?

Having a sub-plot you fell in love with and have nurtured for years that doesn't really fit thematically.

The sub-plot in this case is probably the nucleus of a whole other story. Might sound weird, to work on a novel for years and only now know what it's really 'about,' but I think I found the right lens, and it means I have to excise a bunch of backstory I really like.

Which is okay, if I can ever get 'Wealth Effects' finished, that material will go along with a dozen other ideas for novel #2.

And hey, Don DeLillo, one of my heroes, was only a year or two younger than me when 'Americana' came out.

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