Reusing old stuff 
by Wen Spencer

THere are times when things don't work right where you put them, so you need to yank them back out. I always save everything I write, because 1) it makes me fearless at yanking them back out and 2) often they fit somewhere else with a little tweaking.

If you look back a ways, you'll find the original ending of TINKER. You might want to see compare it to the following to see how I changed it to fit the second book.

I'm still not totally happy with Oilcan's section, but I think it will work out in the long run. Think.

Okay, I’m stuck.

Well, not really stuck as there’s too many options.

I want to keep the book focused on Turtle Creek and not repeat “build-a-gate” that more or less repeats book one. Lack of materials is going to seriously hamper Tinker, but I feel I need more…. I think.

My first reaction is to have someone stole all of Tinker’s stuff while Oilcan was out on a run. The problem is that Pony immediately goes into protective mode and insists that they call for backup and the scene immediately falls on its face. One quick solution is to have Tinker’s system call in the police and Nathan is there. It would be interesting, but at the same time, I’m not sure if there is a whole of room in this book for Nathan.

If I had Nathan back, I was planning a “set piece” which is like a party or something, where the main character can interact with lots of different individuals without needing to come up with an excuse of why they bump into one another. The movie, the Big Chill, is one long set piece.

I know who took the equipment and why – what I’m having trouble with is the far reaching implications. It reaches into the nebulous zone of the plot, where I know only the vague outlines of things.

However, the more I think about it, the more I like it, so I’m going to write it.

First thing I’m going to do is to track down the last chapter of Tinker and copy it for Nathan’s section.

And to deal with the “fall on its face” problem, I can have Nathan already responded so Pony/Tinker has backup without calling for help. Tinker’s concern for Oilcan becomes the next stumbling point, so Nathan can know where he is. So the deck is cleared for Tinker to react to the stolen equipment and then, Nathan.