I know I mentioned this before, but I second-guess myself about it a lot. Having read many very complicated books, I start to wonder, “Is My Plot Too Simple? Do I need to add some potential suspects or red herrings? Subplots?”
Honestly, the answer is probably, “Yes.” But in my saner moments, I realize that there are some decent reasons for that:
- It’s a romance novel. Most of their plots are very simple compared to other fiction. As long as the sex scenes and romance aspects are good, it’ll be fine. Probably.
- It’s a first draft. It’s not the finished product. I will have chances to add complications later.
- It’s my first book. A first draft of a first book. Baby steps, girlie. Completing the draft is a major accomplishment at this point. It’s not going to be the best writing of my career (unless I stop after this one). Plotting is something I can work on over time.
So whenever my brain starts second-guessing whether my plot is too simple, I tell it that simple or not, that’s the plot right now. Finish the book. Then, I can worry about the quality of the plot.
It doesn’t always make me feel better (stupid brain), but it has so far kept me from going back and making massive rewrites instead of forward progress. So I’m still counting it as a win.
Savannah Knightly 