Ret-conning a story

[Djmac1031]

So I'm writing the next chapter in my series and realize I'd forgotten to include a small detail several chapters ago that needed to be included in a conversation that I am now trying to pay off.

My options at this point seem to be:

1: write another whole scene where they revisit this past conversation just to try and squeeze the missing piece in.

2: have them refer back to that conversation as if the missing info had been discussed there. Then explain in the Afterwards why.

3: infer this detail was discussed in a separate conversation not actually covered in the story, the literary equivalent of "itt happened off screen."

4: ditch the damn idea and come up with something else.

The hazards of writing a series I suppose. Even if I went back and edited the previous chapter and resubmitted it, past readers probably wouldn't see the change.

It's not super integral to the plot; just a reason why the male protagonist chooses a certain gift for the female lead.

I could just have him pick a different gift, as I haven't revealed it yet.

As a reader, how would you feel about a writer slipping in a little ret-con moment where characters discuss a piece of an earlier conversation and included new info not previously revealed?

Is it a cheap move? Or a decent work around?

 

[MrPixel]

Nothing wrong with a flashback scene. They do it in TV, movies and plays all the time. Just be sure to make the text blurry and ethereal.

 

[Djmac1031]

Nothing wrong with a flashback scene. They do it in TV, movies and plays all the time. Just be sure to make the text blurry and ethereal.

LOL. Good idea. Now if all my readers would just do me the favor of smoking a big fat one before reading the chapter, that'd be great.

 

[JGittes]

I suggest a combinaton of 2 and 3 without the explanation in an afterward. Essentially, assume you wrote the previous thing the way you wanted to and proceed. Six maybe seven readers will notice, feel superior and might comment and leave a point lower score. Probably not though.

In "The Big Sleep" with Bogart, who killed the Sternwood's chauffeur, drove the car off a pier into the ocean and why? No one knows, not even Raymond Chandler.

 

[Djmac1031]

I suggest a combinaton of 2 and 3 without the explanation in an afterward. Essentially, assume you wrote the previous thing the way you wanted to and proceed. Six maybe seven readers will notice, feel superior and might comment and leave a point lower score. Probably not though.

.

I'm kinda of the mind frame that it's better for me to simply own up to my mistake than to try and put one over on my readers and hope they don't catch it.

I'm an amateur writer posting sex stories for free on a mostly amateur author site. I'm gonna fuck things up. May as well own it

 

[yukonnights]

It sounds like a minor detail — but I have no context, so maybe this particular gift has more meaning than a casual gift, etc.

Again, with no context, I'd probably just use dialogue to move the original "gift" into the story. Something like; "You (probably?) already know that I've been wanting to give you this…. etc, etc."

If it's really important to the story perhaps you could do both; do the minor edit you want for new readers — and use some creative device to make it work for those who've already read the earlier part. Without more understanding of the story it's really hard to get a sense of it all.

 

[Djmac1031]

It sounds like a minor detail — but I have no context, so maybe this particular gift has more meaning than a casual gift, etc.

Again, with no context, I'd probably just use dialogue to move the original "gift" into the story. Something like; "You (probably?) already know that I've been wanting to give you this…. etc, etc."

If it's really important to the story perhaps you could do both; do the minor edit you want for new readers — and use some creative device to make it work for those who've already read the earlier part. Without more understanding of the story it's really hard to get a sense of it all.

Yeah I know I'm being a bit vague, trying to avoid spoilers in case any readers of the series also read this post. But fuck it.

Basically, I was supposed to provide a detail involving the female characters name that would become the impetus for the male lead to choose a particular gift for her. There was a lengthy conversation about her name and why her father chose it for her in a previous chapter, but I omitted the detail explaining the meaning behind it.

Without that detail, his gift doesn't have any real meaning.

So I'd basically have to do something to the effect of "remember that conversation we had about your name, and this specific detail (that wasn't actually in the conversation)? Well that's why I chose this gift."

 

[yukonnights]

Yeah I know I'm being a bit vague, trying to avoid spoilers in case any readers of the series also read this post. But fuck it.

Basically, I was supposed to provide a detail involving the female characters name that would become the impetus for the male lead to choose a particular gift for her. There was a lengthy conversation about her name and why her father chose it for her in a previous chapter, but I omitted the detail explaining the meaning behind it.

Without that detail, his gift doesn't have any real meaning.

So I'd basically have to do something to the effect of "remember that conversation we had about your name, and this specific detail (that wasn't actually in the conversation)? Well that's why I chose this gift."

It doesn't seem to me that this would bother too many readers. I'd probably go with the remembered conversation. You could just segue in with;

"Remember when you told me about why your father chose your name and the meaning of it?"

"Yeh, gosh that was so long ago ... blah, blah, blah. I'm surprised you even remember."

"Well, it found a place in my memory and that's why I want you to have this…."

Seems like you have a good grasp on your options, in the long run whatever you decide will probably not have a big impact on the enjoyment of the story.

 

[Djmac1031]

It doesn't seem to me that this would bother too many readers. I'd probably go with the remembered conversation. You could just segue in with;

"Remember when you told me about why your father chose your name and the meaning of it?"

"Yeh, gosh that was so long ago ... blah, blah, blah. I'm surprised you even remember."

"Well, it found a place in my memory and that's why I want you to have this…."

Seems like you have a good grasp on your options, in the long run whatever you decide will probably not have a big impact on the enjoyment of the story.

Yeah that's probably the way I'll go. Mainly because I like the gift idea enough that I don't want to have to change it, especially since it's supposed to be something thoughtful and meaningful and not just a random present.

I may even go with something like "Well I looked up the meaning of your name and now I know why your dad chose it." That might actually work very well, come to think of it.

 

[yukonnights]

Yeah that's probably the way I'll go. Mainly because I like the gift idea enough that I don't want to have to change it, especially since it's supposed to be something thoughtful and meaningful and not just a random present.

I may even go with something like "Well I looked up the meaning of your name and now I know why your dad chose it." That might actually work very well, come to think of it.

I agree and based on what you've said, I think it'll be all you need to do.

 

[Djmac1031]

I agree and based on what you've said, I think it'll be all you need to do.

I appreciate the advice/ feedback. Sometimes it really does help to bounce a problem or idea off of someone else.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Too late to be helpful to you on this specific issue, but this kind of thing is why I keep a one-chapter buffer when I'm working on a series: I don't post chapter 9 until I've finished the first draft of chapter 10, and so on. It makes it so much easier to do minor retcons when I realise the next chapter needs something set up in preparation.

(Of course, the other option is to write the whole series before posting anything, but I lack the patience for that.)

 

[Djmac1031]

Too late to be helpful to you on this specific issue, but this kind of thing is why I keep a one-chapter buffer when I'm working on a series: I don't post chapter 9 until I've finished the first draft of chapter 10, and so on. It makes it so much easier to do minor retcons when I realise the next chapter needs something set up in preparation.

(Of course, the other option is to write the whole series before posting anything, but I lack the patience for that.)

Lol. Well actually, the chapter with the missing info is actually two chapters back, so that still wouldn't have helped me.

I have started making notes now, and outline of sorts of things I want to happen as I think of them. Hopefully that helps me keep these kinds of details from slipping by again.

And yeah, no way I could write the whole damn thing first. At least not this series.

I have an idea for a long , pretty complex story I've only really just started, and whether I post it as one long story or break it into chapters, I'll definitely need to write the whole thing first because of the complexity level. I'd need to make sure continuity is maintained throughout before I publish one word of it.

But the series I'm talking about flows easily enough that I can usually just post a chapter before starting the next.