At the weekend, I analysed my novel and found that I had 18 subplots: which explains why I’ve had to do so many editing “passes.”
Even 250k epics don’t have 18 subplots in the first 100k – Which is why fitting them into my 100k novel was almost impossible to balance.
In short, I hit the wall – I cannot move forward until I solve these issues. I’ve continually cut and cut; knowing I have too many factors – but after yet another editing pass, there’s still too much here. Time to plan exactly what needs to be where so I can face this, and hopefully, leave it behind me.
So I’ve put the manuscript away, got out my coloured pens and begun applying the things I had to been using in my “edit” to a full re-plot. I should be able to salvage some of the prior draft – the characters and their motivations work; and I’ve a preliminary list of the five subplots I want to keep – it’s just a case of working out how they weave together without the other ones.