Discussion
Wanted: #Writing Advice
Have any of you *completed* a novel where there are multiple story lines that thread in and out of each other?
I started writing it in the order I imagined it: so switching when I'd expect the reader to switch, but this has become confusing.
I'm separating the story threads by character and I'm planning on working on them like individual stories for a bit.
Then I think I will weave them back together.
Does this sound like a good idea? Anything I might watch out for?
@futurebird Yes. And yes. Litany for a Broken World has 3 braided storylines with 9 POV characters. It was a bear to write. Ultimately, working the threads separately - at least until they naturally came together again - was the only way I finished it.
Where it got tricky was when the storylines started converging. Lots of flowcharts.
Why can't my muse come up with a simple story structure. 😭 I'm halfway through the sequel & it's definitely easier. Keep going!
@futurebird one more critical suggestion: a trusted crit reader or three who can tell you any places where they were confused or bored is incredibly valuable.
@futurebird I also found that reading each story thread separately, as it's own novelette helped me find where to weave the other story threads back in.
It also might help to tag each scene with which thread it belongs to, even if you strip it out later.
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