Some pirates and a labyrinth.

[RK-Summers]

Now, before you groan and skip to the next thread, hear me out.

Thing is, in my novel, I have a troupe of pirates who play a bit of a minor role. They quite literally show up, do something flashy, then vanish off the face of the earth, maybe mentioned once in passing later in the novel. (Oh, and one of them shows up at the end to save the hero's sweet patootie, which always felt like a bit of a deus ex machina, but I was young and foolish, so it will be changed.)

Midway through the pirate chapter, there is a major point for a minor villain and the main hero who come to a pre-climax, er, fisticuffs, if you will.

There's also a labyrinth chapter or two which occurs EXACTLY after the pirate chapter. Another utterly pointless divergence from the main plot that appears from nowhere, vanishes immediately afterwards, and is never mentioned again.

Now, my issue is that I'm sick of them. Sick of reading them, writing them, generally just having to put up with their stupid presence in the novel. So I want to be rid of them. The thing is, they leave a rather large gap. I'm talking a gap of about six chapters here. So, my question is, do I cut out both the pirates and the labyrinth? Or one or the other? Should I cut them and splice the two bits together? Should I replace pirates with something else?

The genre is fantasy, by the way, and the rest of the novel is based heavily in English and Celtic legend. Then, suddenly, BOOM, pirates. Stupid pirates.

 

[Saigonnus]

Mercenaries and pirates have been around for centuries; even in the times of the ancient greeks, so including them isn't in itself a bad thing. I think that it will be just a matter of finding a different way to incorporate them into the story so the narrative flows better from one event into the next. Maybe the heroes overhear that the pirates have thier treasure stashed in the labyrinth and they need it to buy supplies or something like that. That gives the pirates a reason for being included, and for the presence of the labyrinth and with a little creativity and some small amount of rewriting it could be brand new again.

You could simply change the "look" of the pirates to be more "in period". The most commom depictions of pirates (like pirates of the caribbean) are from the 1800-1900s. They would certainly have to be skilled sailors, and likely handy in a fight; but who's to say they couldn't be river brigands; attacking merchant ships carrying cargo between one city and another. It was actually fairly typical during the middle ages and before since ships capable of trekking out into the vast oceans were'nt that common and very expensive. Any brigand with a schooner or fast moving sloop could easily sail up beside a ship while they are anchored at night and sneak aboard to raid the vessel.

Perhaps these pirates (though not mentioned in the story) get taken out by the "authorities" of the kingdom after they first make an appearance; except of course for the one that survives to help the heroes at the end. Maybe he mentions it in passing and had decided that after his brush with death, he would become something more legitimate.

As a matter of principal, I don't tend to get rid of that much of my work. Six chapters is alot to simply remove if you don't have any ideas on how to replace it. I would make the attempt certainly; but cut and paste the work you don't like into a seperate file so if it comes down to it; you can replace it in the original text again.

Another option would be to remove it and instead of replacing that big of a section, run the sections you have together and add a little here and there to adjust the flow.

 

[Saigonnus]

There's also a labyrinth chapter or two which occurs EXACTLY after the pirate chapter. Another utterly pointless divergence from the main plot that appears from nowhere, vanishes immediately afterwards, and is never mentioned again.

Just because something is there in the story and disappears soon after doesn't mean anything at all; except as a setting for whatever happens there. It would be the same thing if the scene were set a tavern or tannery;just something else. I guess what truly matters is what happens there and whether it serves some purpose in the story or not. If not, then perhaps like with the pirates, find a reason for it's existance or change it enough to suit the story.

For example, many cultures buried their dead in underground catacombs (not much different than a labyrinth really) and entering such a place could be considered bad luck to superstitious cultures; perfect for hiding things you don't want people to find or having occult meetings you don't want people to know about. Also; natural cave networks (also not unlike labyrinths) are likewise fairly common around the world and perhaps (depending on the terrain) it could simply be a way of passing through an otherwise inhospitable terrain. "If we cannot climb over the mountain, then perhaps we shall go under it."

 

[ThinkerX]

There have been pirates ever since the second caveman launched the second dugout canoe into the surf and took the fish away from the first caveman in the first dugout canoe.

I've read transcripts of ancient egyptian records complaining bitterly about pirate attacks. They were a significant menance in the days of Rome. Pirates get mentioned all through the middle ages as well.

As to Labyrinths...well, you say your novel comes from celtic myth in part. Labyrinths, if memory serves - and it might not - were of import to the celts.

 

[Devor]

It depends on more than you can say in a blog post, but it sounds like you should cut them. Loosely speaking, you should keep a tight focus on advancing the plot and the major subplots. I suggest you look for a way to fill the "pirates" gap while advancing your story forward.

This isn't a technical research question, so I'm moving this thread to the Writing Questions forum.

 

[Helen]

Now, my issue is that I'm sick of them. Sick of reading them, writing them, generally just having to put up with their stupid presence in the novel. So I want to be rid of them. The thing is, they leave a rather large gap. I'm talking a gap of about six chapters here. So, my question is, do I cut out both the pirates and the labyrinth? Or one or the other? Should I cut them and splice the two bits together? Should I replace pirates with something else?

I reckon you should learn to love those pirates again.