I know, it's been months since my last post. Things have been a little crazy - my brother got married, I quit one job, got another, and got promoted, and have been doing lots of training in the new position. Writing (of any kind) kind of got shoved to the side for a while.
However, I'm back working on my novel (RH) again, and it's beginning to take actual shape now, which is encouraging! I was thinking about it on the way home from work the other day, and realized that one of the problems I've had in structuring this thing is that I'm trying to write it like music.
I know, that doesn't make a lot of sense.
Think of a musical score. Something choral (because I'm more used to that than anything but solo piano). Handel's Messiah or Brahm's Ein Deutches Requiem are good examples - Bach's Magnificat is also brilliant for this. You have multiple vocal lines (anywhere from 4 to 8), one line for each voice part - soprano, alto, tenor, bass, etc. Then you have the accompaniment below it. Each staff is expressed in multiple dimensions (I'm ADHD, try to keep up) - say vertical (where notes appear on the staff) and horizontal (timing - the value of each note) - a dual-axis system. But you have multiple dual-axis lines here, all layered on one another, with all of the notes fitting perfectly together and complimenting one another.
I see stories the same way. You have the main plot (call it the melody) layered with multiple subplots (the harmonies), which sounds a lot simpler than the above explanation. They are each moving along the horizontal (temporal) axis, but each has different timing, and they are all layered together vertically (the notes themselves, or developments in the story), but shift around on that axis so different plot points are emphasized at different times, like notes or chords in music.
My problem is arranging all the "notes" and "chords" in the story so they harmonize well and make sense, so that the music of the story is something that flows well.
I have no idea if understanding this is going to be helpful in writing. I'll keep you posted.
