On returning to writing Constant (Patreon)

Starting up with Chapter 6, I realised it'd been over a year since last writing in David's voice.  The Interlude was in 3rd person (mostly) and the most recent bit of Silk and Shadows in 2nd person.  It took a few tries to get it right.  (I'm still not sure I'm there.)  It's a tricky thing - over a hundred thousand words in, you'd expect some change, right?  So finding that balance between OG David and current-story David/Cindy is taking some work.

You can decide for yourself when I share the next sneek peek.

At the moment though, I'm feeling the month taken out to work on Silk and Shadows was well spent.  I think I was hesitant to return to Constant, and the break gave my brain a little space to work through some ideas in the background.  It was a relief to start typing and to find the words flowing without too much difficulty, though it took several passes for it to start feeling "right."

I always intended the Interlude to be a pivot point in the narrative.  Before that, we've got 100K+ words of David bitterly fighting the role forced on him.  Conversely, he's also been sort of passive, doing his time with the expectation of popping out the other side, back to a male life.  So both those things need to change for the final arc of the story.

As I see it, the next part of the story has him far more accepting of being Cindy--whilst also taking a far more active role in trying to be rid of her.  I'm curious to see whether I can maintain that tension in a way that still feels credible.

The framework for Chapter 6 is pretty much laid out.  I'd originally intended for something very simple and straightforward, a direct chronological narrative of the next six months, but that idea didn't last long.  Chapter 6 starts with a funeral - as David puts his old identity to rest.  At the "wake", he explores--or flashbacks--to the four different threads that led to him "killing off" his old self.  Now, whether I can pull off four interleaved flashback scenes that doesn't just confuse and piss of the reader remains to be seen, but I like the idea of it.  It's a bit murder-mystery: was it the ex-girlfriend that killed him off?  The boyfriend?

However, this structure also means that, though plotted out in some detail, there's unusual room in the chapter to sneak in a couple of scenes of... I don't want to call it fan-service, but moments aimed at pleasing the readership.  I was going to put up a poll later this week, but what to include in it?  

With some plotting wiggle-room ahead, what sort of scenarios, experiences or predicaments would you like to see Cindy/David go through in their return to so-called "normal" life, over the next six months?  Let me know in the comments, or via a message!