I've been working on Underground Guy while waiting for responses from my readers on OT, and I've started to wonder if I'm avoiding letting the story really follow its own path. The more I work on it, the more I think the whole serial killer aspect of what happens in it is a way of me not digging deeper into the characters and how they're interacting with each other. I've wondered what would happen if I cut that out and just made UG about a man finally beginning to grow up and take on true adult responsibilities.
I don't mean simple responsibilities like a job and marriage and taxes and such, but accepting your own reality. Acknowledging that you've hurt people by your actions and need to make amends, and learn from what you've done. Allow that you've done right by other people, even to the extent it hurts you, in some ways. What would that mean for a guy like Devlin, who thinks he's in complete control but doesn't see how out of control he is? Especially since his interaction with Reg is what causes the reflection to begin?
I halfway think I want to drop Reg being a cop. Drop the whole aspect of him helping in an undercover operation...except that ties in so well with the title. But comes the realization that here I am trying to figure out what I want to do with the story and already trying to talk myself out of changing it...even as I think it would be for the better of the two main characters.
It would mean shifting Tavi and Sir Monte to another story, completely. I like them both so can't let them just die off. But it would become a lot simpler if Tavi's suspected of being a serial killer and has to find the real killer on his own. Toss in another character like Reg, maybe.
So could I make the entire story about Dev and Reg? A long conversation between them as they try to understand themselves and each other? Dev thrown off-guard by how he connects with Reg, who's not the kind of guy he usually goes for. And Reg deeply confused by how he's able to get off with another man, when he's married and has kids and has never even thought about being with a man before. Make it a love story, of a sort?
Or am I practicing avoidance by trying to see if I'm practicing avoidance?
I don't mean simple responsibilities like a job and marriage and taxes and such, but accepting your own reality. Acknowledging that you've hurt people by your actions and need to make amends, and learn from what you've done. Allow that you've done right by other people, even to the extent it hurts you, in some ways. What would that mean for a guy like Devlin, who thinks he's in complete control but doesn't see how out of control he is? Especially since his interaction with Reg is what causes the reflection to begin?
I halfway think I want to drop Reg being a cop. Drop the whole aspect of him helping in an undercover operation...except that ties in so well with the title. But comes the realization that here I am trying to figure out what I want to do with the story and already trying to talk myself out of changing it...even as I think it would be for the better of the two main characters.
It would mean shifting Tavi and Sir Monte to another story, completely. I like them both so can't let them just die off. But it would become a lot simpler if Tavi's suspected of being a serial killer and has to find the real killer on his own. Toss in another character like Reg, maybe.
Or am I practicing avoidance by trying to see if I'm practicing avoidance?
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