6. Jo's journey

Our favourite lag finally leaves her cell, but she isn't happy about it

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

We’re 12,000 words into the story now (a tenth of the way through) and Josephine still isn’t in the house. Do you see why this needs to happen soon? The story can’t really begin until they’re all at Urania Cottage, as that is the premise of the novel. She’s about to get there, so it’s fine, but we can’t delay much longer.

I’m sure many writers have been there, when you read back your first draft and realise the story actually starts 30,000 words in. This isn’t about “hooks” or having tonnes of action in the first few chapters – pyrotechnics aren’t necessarily story – but characters must be proactive and reactive. They can’t react against nothing. There are three protagonists in this novel and we have two of them interacting already, but it’s time to add the third one in so things can really get going.

(I should add - this is of course fine for a first draft. But it’s something to think about in the second and subsequent. Sometimes when the action opens on page one – the character arrives at their new job or is dumped or whatever – I’m ok with it. Sometimes I would like just a bit more lead-up. When Mrs England was in edits somebody suggested it begin with Ruby arriving in Yorkshire and I pushed back. I wanted to get to know her in her stasis – the situation that can’t continue. When a character has a dilemma or doesn’t know if they should take the job or whatever, it can be a bonding experience between character and writer and character and reader. But there is a fine line: there can be too much of this or not enough.)

Here is Josephine wondering where Annie is and pondering her options, even though she only really has one: