I originally started planning/writing a short story that was more or less based on a few popular trends in YA/Sci-Fi writing (interstellar travel, superpowers, etc) just as an exercise to force myself out of a particularly nasty bout of writer's block - I was very much okay with it having common cliches or tropes. After working on it for a while though, I decided I wanted to try fleshing it out into a longer, more complex work for young adults, so I went back to the original outlines to do a bit of editing.
One thing I had spent some time developing was a system of superpowers exhibited by a portion of the populace within the text. On the lower end of the spectrum, things like telepathy were present and on the higher end there were more complex, dramatic powers, such as electrokinesis or something.
Although they do serve a narrative purpose, I could eliminate the high spectrum abilities and the plot would still be relatively intact, save for some details that would need to be rewritten; the only real value they have is being showy, or cool, abilities. If anything, big dramatic powers like that can remove some of the work's believability. Keeping them in would simply be for the sake of 'coolness,' and to appeal to the reader - which isn't an inherently bad thing.
So, if an aspect of the narrative is easily replaceable/removable, should I do so? Or is the value those details add, though somewhat superficial, worth retaining?
No comments:
Post a Comment