Too Many Ideas This Late in the Game

The problem I'm having with Scurvy Dogs! is not that I can't write. I'm not stuck. I'm having too many ideas. I suppose that's the good kind of problem to have, but it's still a problem.

This is the third draft, and it's supposed to be the tweaking draft, just making sure everything is "just so." Instead, I keep getting these pictures in my head – Oh! That's a great image! I have to work that in! Oh, and this idea, wouldn't it be better if they thought he was dead? And then were surprised when ....? Do I even need the cave any more?

And the damnable thing is, these are really good ideas. They will make the story better. So I'm going for them, but they'll require changes all up and down the story for everything to fit together.

I'm sticking with my Aug. 20 deadline, but it's gonna take some concentration and a lot of hours sitting at the keyboard. But the image of the scarred visage of Itchy John staring through the window is too good. Gotta have it.

I guess if I finish writing and working in the new ideas this week (that's do-able) that'll give me two weeks to smooth out all the tangles and make sure all the parts of the story are swimming in the same direction. I can do this.

The kids who were my first audience for the story when I wrote this are going to be very surprised. The story has change A LOT since I said, "The End" last year.