I have a conundrum.
There’s a lovely scene in a current work in progress which takes place at a Marriage Equality rally which actually took place during the 90s. Me and my husband were there, never believing for a minute this proposal would be even seriously considered in our lifetime.
In this chapter, a former lover catches up with one of the main characters, seeing how each other’s lives have moved on. A few political statements are made as the former lover is older and has concern about our conservative party turning mean. My problem is this scene no longer fits with my rewrites, slowing down the pace of the novel.
A beta reader told me to ditch it long ago.
He said there is a real interest in Sydney’s gay scene from the 90s and this scene highlighting changes in Australian politics seems out of place. But I kept it because it showed marriage equality was starting to be discussed way back then.
After eight drafts, I had the manuscript professionally assessed. I was told I concentrated too much on nostalgia rather than plot. She was right. The current version is full of well developed scenes and first draft chapters, all keeping the plot moving, until…
…you get to the marriage equality scene.
I know I need to kill it as it pauses the plot. This reconnection between two characters doesn’t matter in the context of my revamped story. It can be easily cut.
But I’m also considering whether to use the rally as part of a new scene. Many of the fresh first draft chapters lack a strong sense of time and place, which is normal with scenes just written. This Marriage Equality rally could be the backdrop for a new scene as the passages already exist which bring this event to life.
Now, imagine it’s a day after I began writing this blog…
Because overnight I came up with a way to repurpose that scene.
There’s a newer scene where one character confronts another in a restaurant. This pre-empts an argument they have in the next chapter. One of these characters often criticises gay life, making her the villain of this story.
It makes perfect sense to take this scene out of the restaurant and in to the rally. Her disapproval will have more resonance.
These rewrites have been a balancing act.
On one hand I’m being mindful of keeping the reader invested while on the other, I don’t want to lose scenes which bring this decade to life. I’ve gone through a lot of work researching that decade, as my own recollections in the first draft failed to reflect the period authentically.
However I tackle this, it’s the reader I need to keep in mind. The plot needs to keep moving forward, without detours.
Read about my research for this novel HERE.
kevin klehr 
Wonderful ♥️