Rewriting Chronicles - Chapter 2

So I'm well on the way to re-writing chapter 2, and because for a long time I considered chapter 2 to be my longest chapter as well as a huge turning point for my ability to write, I've had to make an extensive plan about what do fix and what not to fix. The original definitely has some kind of charm to it that probably is only there because I wrote it so long ago, but there are still elements that I want to keep in the re-write that are relevant in the old version.

For one, the character interaction. When I originally wrote chapter 2, I remember specifically focusing on the questions between Twilight and Griffin simply because I've seen so many other fics skip the scene where Twilight asks a whole bunch of questions to the main character. Other authors think it's a waste of time and words and that they can spend their writing time on something much more useful, for example advancing the plot. However, there are two key ideas that are focused on when you actually show the scene of Twilight questioning the human in a HiE fic: The interaction between characters, and the chance to introduce the Mane 6 to the human. Because of the natural progression of a conversation, you will get to learn a person more and more just by simply talking to them. In stories this is true as well, because readers will be able to see two characters react to one another in a conversation, allowing them to see more depth into the character. In chapter 2, Griffin eventually has a mental breakdown. This is the point where I believe that the readers get a sense of who Griffin is and what kinds of strengths and weaknesses he has. This is why I'm leaving much of the questioning session in chapter 2 and why I'm not re-naming it to something other than "Interrogation" Also, it allows me a window of opportunity to introduce the other Elements of Harmony to Griffin, although with a little bit of a price. Suspension of disbelief comes into play because really, what are the chances that all 6 characters will arrive at the same time in one location without it being planned in advance?

One other thing that I want to add is the inclusion of Spike. When I originally wrote chapter 2, I completely forgot to put him in even though he was planned to appear at least once. I felt pretty stupid. I managed to fit him in briefly in chapter 3, but at that point the damage had already been done and the effort felt half-assed. What's more is that I felt even worse when one of the comments I received asked if Spike was going to appear in the story at all. Because I didn't put Spike in, I also missed the opportunity to explain better why he wasn't following Twilight in his journey. As the story progresses, I'm hoping that the reader forgets that Spike is still at the library even though Griffin and Twilight are on this grand adventure, but it's still a huge plot hole that's never rectified. Now, I feel a little bit better going into chapter 2 because I already managed to put him into chapter 1 in a pretty effective way that's meaningful to the reader.

One last thing I want to note here is that I'm aiming to finish chapter 2 in 5 parts unlike the original 11 parts I wrote the chapter in. There are simply too many parts and too much filler content that dodges the main plot. During the time I wrote chapter 2, I posted a part a week, with each part being at least 1 000 words long. This made Chronicles a bit of a weekly series of blog posts about a weak story with weak characters instead of an actual coherent story. This also de-railed known characters and made Twilight a bit OOC as she jumped from one plan to the other. As well, it became more difficult to plan out the chapter because I couldn't organize my thoughts because one part had to be written and published a week. I think this also contributed to my forgetfulness when I didn't add Spike in. Now, I have a lot more time to think about what I have to write, and therefore it'll make my writing a lot more efficient. I'll be cutting out parts like the introduction where Griffin is sneaking down the stairs (as it doesn't apply anymore) and the kitchen scene. I'm also booting out the scene where Twilight talks about who is responsible for Griffin's teleportation, as it leads to nowhere in the main story and is just left as a loose thread, never to be answered and not planned to be answered anytime soon.

Chronicles isn't about two people going against each other, it's about Griffin vs. the world he finds himself in.