Okay, this can only be 200 words, which brings me to my advice:
Cut. It. Out.
Yes, you.
Do not be afraid to cut stuff that you've written, if it isn't working for your story.
Think of your non-working scene or character as someone tall sitting in front of you at the movies. That person might be great, funny, hilarious even, or maybe not so much, actually, but so what. He or she is in your way! And you totally want to see the movie, not the back of someone’s head.
You can't ever be so in love with what you've written that you can't let it go for the benefit of your BIG story. Cutting is like setting your work free. You open up this big hole in your book, which is scary. The area needs to be roped off so your characters don't fall into it.
Leave it for a few days. See what happens. See what emerges to take its place. See what other scenes and characters can now breathe.
Now. How do you feel about your powers to create, destroy, and re-create? Kinda...goddess-like?
(Wait--should I cut that last part...?)
Catherine Clark
Author of Icing on the Lake
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