When stories are over-burdened with too many ideas, they become both confusing and slow. Plus, dividing your wordcount between, for example, ten important characters means that each character will get fewer words and less development than if you had only four. That’s why stories that aren’t over-burdened still benefit from simplifying where they can.
The most obvious solution to excess complexity is to cut unnecessary characters, plot threads, and world elements. But cutting is only part of the solution. The other big part is consolidation.
Consolidation is the process of reusing story elements and keeping all of your story elements closely linked. This converts new things your audience would have to learn into things they’re already familiar with, thereby simplifying it.
Something to consider for The Second Rebellion.
- Merging characters
- Unify geography / storylines
- Single POV
- Involve everyone in the plot
- Focus world building where needed for plot and theme
