More Frustration

For a couple of months now, I've been stuck on the first few chapters of The Witch of November, and I think I've finally figured out my problem: I feel like the story's getting bogged down with the drama.

Unfortunately the drama is kind of necessary. See, what happens is this: Charlie hides in the Witch's house to annoy Allie. By the time Allie finds him, he's unconscious and the Witch herself is standing over him. Allie then has to call for an ambulance because she can't wake Charlie up and it goes from there. I also have the police questioning Allie about what happened (because he'd been strangled) and then her parents questioning her as well.

I suppose I could take out the stuff with the police but I truly believe that the police would be involved. I figure Allie's 911 call would have alerted the police and they would certainly want to question a little girl if they found that a young boy had been beaten up and strangled and she was the only witness.

I also suppose I could change it so that Charlie isn't quite so hurt, thereby taking out the ambulance and police entirely, but Charlie's attack is Allie's big motivator. It's because she's trying to save Charlie that she gathers the courage to explore the Witch's house.

See, Allie is kind of a scaredy-cat. She's the kind of kid who slept with a nightlight until the fourth grade. She's that kid who hears the other kids say, "Hey, let's go to the climbing rock!" and thinks of all the broken bones they could get if they fell off the climbing rock. Allie would never go into a haunted building where her best friend had been attacked unless she had a really good reason. My reason right now: trying to find a way to bring Charlie out of his coma.

So where do I go from here? I'm not quite sure. I suppose I could think of something else that could get Allie to face her fears but really, the Charlie-in-the-hospital drama is kind of essential to the conceit of my story, here.

I think I'll try to trim down the calling-for-the-ambulance, getting-to-the-hospital chapter (it's by far my longest so I'm sure I can find ways to cut it) and then go from there.

Cross your fingers for me, please? Because I really don't feel like rewriting the whole first like, ten chapters of my novel.