Amelia Rider in 23 Songs or Less

Music. It's a beautiful thing. I use it constantly when I write. I think creativity begets creativity. I often listen to certain songs when I am writing scenes that require emotion that I may not be feeling at that time. I may be deliriously happy and yet I need to write a tremendously sad scene. Or vice versa. The point is that we can create an emotional summary of a story through music.

Duke Special has been my special duke friend this time around. His songs are so beautiful and so layered that they add a lot to my writing experience. Other favorites are Chris Isaak, Kate Rusby, Travis, Johnny Boyd (Indigo Swing), Muse, and She & Him.

In the original version of this story (The Mysteries of Udolpho) the heroine, would-be hero, and the heroine's father all break out in prose, reciting poetry at every leaf, flower, and sunrise. It's...unusual. So if I were to update that theory in my adaptation, the following songs would be what the character's inner thoughts would reveal if they were just to break out into song the way Radcliffe's characters recite prose with abandon. However I don't plan to have them sing in my story so they can do it here and I won't mock them for it.

I usually do this in my head or I utilize my sidebars but I was feeling ambitious today. So here is a cliff notes version of Amelia Rider in 23 songs or less.

Edward sees Amelia sitting on the plane. They meet on the way to Italy where Amelia and her father are traveling and Edward is doing a study abroad. They make plans to meet up again but forget to exchange contact information.

Duke Special
Slip of a Girl


A short response from innocent Amelia.

Johnny Boyd
I Like the Likes of You



Edward is smitten.

Muse
Can't Take My Eyes Off You



Amelia's father, Adrian, dies while on vacation and only six months after Amelia's mother. Her grief is acute and overwhelming.

Kate Rusby
Bold Riley



Since Amelia is now parentless and still legally a minor, her Aunt Cristabelle comes to take possession of the girl. Cristabelle's adventurer friend turned husband, Victor, takes Cristabelle and Amelia to Botswana for a business opportunity. Amelia will be eighteen in two weeks and plans to return to the U.S. the first flight back after her birthday. Edward and Amelia miss each other but plan to see each other soon.

Jason Mraz and Colbie Calliat
Lucky



Edward hears nothing from Amelia but he still plans to see her just after her eighteenth birthday.

Kate Rusby
You Belong to Me



Her birthday comes and goes and there is still no word from Amelia. Edward is starting to feel the distance. Confusion from lack of communication sets in.

BJ (Your Call Cover)
Secondhand Serenade



Edward has come to the conclusion that Amelia has found new adventures in Botswana and that she has left him behind. He is mostly convinced but not entirely.

My favorite line:
To keep her caged would just delay the spring.

Travis
Cage



In truth, Amelia is no longer in Botswana. They were only there for a few days before Victor hires a guide, Donovan Grey, to take them to the lawless country of Zimbabwe. Victor confiscates Amelia's passport and cell phone and imprisons her and Cristabelle at a compound where he sets up a business plundering the natural resources of the country.

I don't have any songs to describe Victor's motivations toward Amelia. Essentially he wants Cristabelle's money. After six months she dies, never having changed her will, so Amelia is still her heiress, which makes her very desirable to Victor...in all ways.

If Amelia experienced an awakening of the world around her on her trip to Italy, she is now being clubbed over the head with it.

This next song is twisted. It almost starts out like a lullaby and then descends to such depths of depravity that it is hard to believe it is all in one song. This describes Finley's feelings toward Amelia. He is Victor's nephew and much closer in age to our heroine. However, his tastes are not what they ought to be. Unfortunately for our heroine she has a very complicated relationship with Finley as he spares her from injury almost as many times as he tries to inflict it himself.

Elvis Costello
I Want You



This is Finley's admission of who he is himself. He knows he is on a collision course but he enjoys it enough to keep going.

Duke Special
Diggin' an Early Grave



Amelia knows he is not good but she has no one else to rely on to keep Victor at bay. Thus Finley is a devil in disguise.

Chris Isaak and LeAnn Rimes
Devil in Disguise



After Amelia fends off the advances of Victor one too many times he throws in her a cell at the compound. Her neighbor is singing and she and he make a friendship. Eventually she discovers that it is Donovan Grey. He's been there for a year and half since they first came to Zimbabwe. They spend three months in confinement where Finley can no longer protect her and Victor can do what he wants with Amelia - which Donovan can hear but not stop.

The compound comes under attack again and a cell wall is blown away.

After Amelia and Donovan escape, Finely catches up to them. Hijinks ensue. Amelia attacks him, Donovan knocks him out and they escape. Goodbye is for Finley. (I guess I could have used their other song about I don't want to be your friend again but I just love goodbye.)

Goodbye
Save Ferris



Amelia and Donovan eventually cross back into Botswana and go to the consulate. It's April 1st but it's not a joke.

Donovan, who is Australian, and Amelia are sent back to their respective countries.

When Amelia returns home she hears that Edward has been around looking for her. She spent so much time over the last year and a half trying to survive the assaults of two villians that she never thought about Edward's heartbreak. She just thought about her own. This is Amelia's thoughts toward Edward. This video is a story in and of itself but I couldn't resist.

Duke Special
Portrait



Early in the original story St. Aubert (Adrian) remarks that Valancourt (Edward) is a nice young man but he has never seen Paris. It's like saying Edward has never seen the temptations of Vegas. Well, while Amelia is gone Edward takes some of her last words to care for Grace (who is like her grandmother) literally which leads him into financial straits. He falls into a gambling ring and runs up debts which cause him to quit school and get two jobs. Here is Edward's take on himself and what that choice cost him.

Sanford Clark
The Fool



Amelia is broken-hearted to hear that he has turned out so bad. Are there no good, worthy, honorable men, she wonders. This next song is a great representation of a broken heart.

She & Him
Sentimental Heart



At home, she sees things from her travels to Italy that reminds her of Edward and how innocent their first connection was. The reminders are painful. Take it away Ben!

Ben E. King
Don't Play That Song



Adrian was a botanist who had greenhouses on his property which have since fallen into a mass of weeds and dead plants. Amelia is distressed as she looks at yet another thing that was robbed from her by her imprisonment. This next song comes as Amelia takes out her anger and frustration in one of the green houses. Amidst the destruction she finds a bulb that has survived two years of neglect and nature. Amelia's hope is reflected here and she is able to turn a corner.

Travis
Safe



This is the beginning of Edward's path to repentance toward Amelia.

EdVedd (Hoobastank Cover)
The Reason



Edward leaves the issue to Amelia.

Travis
Only Molly Knows



He comes back to Caledonia (which is the town where Amelia lives and both opens and closes the book) to reassert his repentance.

Paolo Nutini
Caledonia



Amelia's response mirrors that of the woman in Duke Special's next song. "No, our love goes deeper than this."

Duke Special
Our Love Goes Deeper Than This



I love the beauty of this song and it highlights the scene where Edward and Amelia can lay it all out.

Duke Special
Love is a Series of Scars



Kate's song, Radio Sweethearts, sums the story up nicely. It takes the vantage point of several years later. (Technically in the song they are dead but...)

Kate Rusby
Radio Sweethearts



One of the main points of the original story is that Amelia's sensibility gets away from her and she envisions all kinds of crazy spectral extras. As you may have noticed from the songs, taking out all of the mysteries in my adaptation allows me to interpret the story in a more literal way. I'm off to write.

Feeling the itch? Create your own story through music and then send me the link.

Time and Writing

My mother-in-law, and fellow writer, just sent me a link to an article about writing while mothering (and "working" - but really what do you think being a stay-at-home-mother entails? I guarantee I'm not eating bonbons all day.)

Anyway, so I felt that the woman's advice applied to me, made a ton of sense, and was very familiar. So familiar, in fact, that I had been thinking about writing on this very topic myself in the near future. I suppose the future is now.

Over the past few months I have had several women say:

"Oh, I just would never be able to find the time to write."

"Oh, I am trying to enjoy my children's childhood while it is still here." (As if to inflict guilt upon me. My children are already growing up too fast but ignoring my basic need to have a hobby doesn't slow that process down.)

"I'm far too busy to do anything like that for myself." (As if having a beloved hobby is selfish.)

"What does your husband think about the time you spend writing?" (This is usually after I tell them that I write for enjoyment and not for revenue. Most people are shocked at the sheer time waste of such a hobby.)

I've made my snarky comments about the last few so I will address the first point which is the main point of the article. Time. Where do you get it? How do you use it?

First off, contrary to popular belief, time and writing are not like oil and water. They really can go together.

I can honestly say that I frequently follow the advice in the article about writing on the go. I have written paragraphs while waiting for my child after school. I have edited in the dentist's office while waiting for my Novocaine to hit. I work through character issues and plot lines in my head while I wash the dishes or make dinner.

It is very rare that I can just sit down for several hours at a time and write. Life usually needs me elsewhere and that is okay. However, I have learned to take advantage of the quiet times, or the cleaning times, or the driving times to work on my book in my head and then I can sit down and let it all gush out to the computer in about a half hour spurt.

And occasionally my spouse does surprise me with an afternoon or a night off to write (especially lately - thanks dear!). Having a supportive spouse is great. Just like I support him on his five hour bike rides - which make him a happier person.

So I do write almost everyday. And I don't feel guilty about it. I am less cranky when I get to feed the creative side of myself. I sleep better when I don't have characters running through my head shouting at me to remember to write this or that scene for them. Writing, or a personal, fulfilling hobby, can be a wonderful addition to any woman.

Ten Days

It's been about ten days since I last checked in here.

Since then I worked on another editing project for a friend. It was short and easy. Very enjoyable.

Then I worked on Amelia Rider.

In the comments, Elizabeth brought up nanowrimo, which is a writing exercise where writers attempt to write a novel in a month. I think it's insane. But, some people do it and they love it.

I neither have the time nor the inclination for that kind of dedication, however, I thought I would mark my writing progress on Amelia Rider as I go. Then I can look back and see when I was able to go full throttle and when the writing slowed a little.

I probably should explain Amelia Rider and then talk about where I've been and where I plan to go.

First, Amelia Rider is a work of fiction. It is a modern adaptation of The Mysteries of Udolpho, sans the mysteries. What's left you ask? Udolpho. Essentially, I am updating this classic as sort of Radcliffe-lite.

Why?

Well, several reasons. One is that the original has incredible twists and turns but the rampant sexism and ridiculous fainting every third page is distracting to read. I can only overlook so much craziness (and poor nutrition?). So I took about ten major plot points from the original and I am writing a new, modern story around them.

Another reason is that I simply want to do this. So there. Since I write for enjoyment I might as well immerse myself in something enjoyable.

The third reason is that Radcliffe's story is about 300,000 words long so if I don't have two months to dedicate to reading it then I can't enjoy it very often. My "lite" version will come in around 100,000 words give or take 20,000 words so it will be considerably shorter. (I know in your head it may make more sense to take two months to read the original rather than many months to write a modern adaptation but I promise you it makes sense in my mind.)

So where have I been and where am I going?

I started this project on October first on a whim and I banged out research, a summary, and 10,000 words in about a week. In the last ten days I've added another 10,000 words so right now I am at 20, 375 words. I have anywhere from 60,000 words to 100,000 words left to go so I have quite a way to travel yet. I just finished the seventh full chapter (there are a few partial chapters) and I just ended Amelia's vacation with her father. I don't think I will continue to work at this pace but marking it as I go will tell me how I progress.

What are some similarities and differences?

Similarities:

1) Well, first I am adapting the story (sans the mysteries) because I fell in love with the twists and turns that Radcliffe created. I like the original story. So I am keeping some of her creations, like her treatment of the would-be hero in the third volume. It is very unusual (almost as unusual as Charlotte Smith's treatment of her would-be hero in Emmeline - another story that is ripe for a modern adaptation).

2) I am keeping the basic path that Ann wrote. The first section is given to a father-daughter vacation, the second to the treatment of the heroine at the hands of the villain, Montoni, and the third will be a rebirth.

3) And I have managed to plot in three (only three!) plausible fainting episodes by the heroine. It is in honor to Radcliffe. However, any more than three and I might have to quit working on my own project.

Now for the differences:

1) My heroine has been recast from Emily St. Aubert, a shy, sheltered French girl to Amelia Rider, a shy, sheltered American girl.

2) Amelia and her father don't tour the countryside on their ramblings but instead I send Amelia to Italy for an awakening to the world around her that will affect how she deals with her trials in section two. (I loved writing these scenes. She sees the Rape of Proserpina, the Gardens of Ninfa, and Lake Bracciano - all of which are important to her understanding the world she is about to enter.)

3) Amelia is a little feistier than Emily. Emily just stands there and faints. I couldn't deal with that. Amelia learns to fight back.

4) When Amelia is kidnapped she is not taken to Italy and the castle of Udolpho like Emily but rather she taken to lawless Zimbabwe where her evil uncle plunders the natural resources of the nation rather than the neighboring kingdoms.

5) Speaking of her evil uncle, Montoni has been recast as Victor Lantini. In the original he is...uh...asexual in many ways toward Emily. It's strange. Especially considering the amount of time she is held captive. I change that in my story. This is the one section where my story will probably go darker than Radcliffe's. In this way, mine will be Radcliffe dark, but Montoni, and consequently Lantini, just don't make sense otherwise. They come out flat if this is not addressed.

6) A few other major recasts: Valancourt is Edward Tennelin. Amelia and her father meet him on a plane to Italy. Madame Cheron/Madame Montoni is recast as Aunt Cristabelle Montgomery/Lantini, and she is just as selfish as Radcliffe intended her to be. Monsieur Du Pont has been recast a Donovan Grey of Australia.

7) I also enhanced the role of Montoni's right hand man, Count Morano and others, in the form of Finley Abrielle, his much younger cousin on his mother's side. Finley will have a lot of contact with Amelia while she is imprisoned in Zimbabwe.

8) And, as I indicated above, I dropped all of the mysteries for various reasons, all of which, in my opinion, are very good reasons but I don't feel the need to spell them out here. Suffice it to say, my adaptation will be much shorter because of it and while a few of the mysteries will be missed they will always exist (and be unbelievable) in the original.

Other than some of the general time lines and a few major plot points that I lifted out, much of Amelia Rider is going to be invented just for her by me. So, it is an adaptation but not necessarily a dead-on faithful one. Think Clueless to Emma.

I'm off to write the next section in which Amelia returns to the United States and falls under the custody of her selfish Aunt Cristabelle.

Five Weeks

It's been five weeks since I last checked in.

I thought I would note my latest writing activities.

1) I finished the editing project I was working on for someone else.

2) Every year, my boys and I celebrate fall by writing short children's stories. This year I wrote Naughty Neville with my boys for Halloween. It is based on Jane Austen's Cassandra, a short story that Jane wrote and dedicated to her sister Cassandra about a little girl who is naughty all day long and at the end of the day she is perfectly pleased with her exploits.

3) I updated A Novel Existence as a young adult Halloweeen story about ghost love.

4) I got a first draft of Fenton and Belina written. Fenton and Belina is a short story inspired by the folk song by Kate Rusby called Radio Sweethearts. It needs work but I like where the story is right now in the first draft stage.

5) On October first I decided to write a new story. Since then I wrote an outline, made character cards, did research, planned two Italian vacations, and wrote the first 10,000 words of Amelia Rider.

I can't wait to see what I do in the next five weeks.

Oh wait...I just remembered...I have to do all the things I put off and delayed over the last five weeks while I focused on my writing projects. Dang it....

New Sidebar Feature

I finally updated some links on the sidebar. I added a ton of writer sites that I am checking out - everything from agent information to writer communities. I linked them publicly just in case any other writers out there want to check out some sites. I'll leave them at the top until I miss my music links too much - then it will move down a little on the side.

Writing: A Grand Adventure - Step Four

Step Four: Editing, Rewriting, and Massaging Your Story

A few things to think about when you are working through this step:

1) All writers need editors. Even the best writers need editors.

2) Ask others to read your work. This is what I like to call 'content editing'.

Does the story make sense?
Are there continuity issues?
Are there areas that drag and have to be read repeatedly?
Does the reader want more or less explanation or description of something?
Would the reader ever recommend this story to a friend?

If the content isn't right, there is no reason to correct the grammar. Get the content right and then focus on the technical aspects of the work.

3) Have a grammar editor. This person will help with grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

4) It is okay to pull out whole sections and start over. In fact, sometimes it is best.

I like to think of the Manuscript Chapters of Persuasion when I think of this part of writing. Jane Austen wrote Persuasion. She got all the way to the end and then decided to remove the last several chapters of the story and rewrite them. The original chapters are known as the Manuscript Chapters of Persuasion and the rewritten ending is the ending we all know and love from the published book.

The original chapters do make sense and lead the hero and heroine together. However, the way that the hero and heroine come together in the original chapters is through a lot of arranging and maneuvering by the supporting characters.

In the published version it is the incredible letter that Captain Wentworth writes to Anne (following her private conversation on love) that sets the ending in motion. The changed scenes put the choice in the hero and heroine's hands and thus makes the ending stronger. (I think.)

I actually think this is one of the few flaws of the new book Mockingjay. Suzanne should have rewritten the ending - first off to actually write the ending - not summarize it - and to put the fate of the characters in the characters hands for them to decide.

But, I have digressed again. Next point.

5) It is okay to write something that doesn't turn out right. Sometimes the best lessons are learned from practicing the writing process rather than the result.

I like to use the example of Louisa May Alcott's first story The Inheritance, which was written in 1849 but not published until 1997. I eagerly sought a copy and finally found one in a used book store. Upon reading it, I learned this valuable lesson because, well, to be frank, The Inheritance is not written very well. The characters all exist on the surface, the writing is merely readable, and the ending is predictable.

But, for the writer who would write an American classic, Little Women, writing The Inheritance was more about the practice of writing and improving rather than result. I have no idea how Miss Alcott saw it (certainly as she wrote that first story she didn't think of it as practice), but as a reader and fellow writer, I can see it no other way. If she hadn't tried and failed on her first stories she might not have learned how to improve.

Practice, practice, practice, to improve, improve, improve.

6) It is a well known edict among writers that writers never actually finish a story, they just abandon it.

Tools for Editing, Rewriting, and Massaging Your Story

1) New Perspective

2) Content Editors

3) Grammar Editor

As I mentioned in the first section, writing is like the instructions on the shampoo bottle. Lather, rinse, and repeat. So plan, write, let it sit, edit, abandon, plan, write, let it sit, edit, abandon, etc.

Happy Writing Everyone!

Writing: A Grand Adventure - Step Three

The third step in the writing process is what I like to refer to as 'letting it sit'.

Step Three - Letting it Sit

A little known, but important, step in the writing process is learning to let your writing sit for a few days, weeks, or even months. Time and distance will give you a different perspective. This is why it is imperative to start a writing assignment as soon as it is assigned. You need to let your first draft sit. (And let your second draft sit, and your third draft, etc, etc.)

Tools for Letting it Sit:

Patience

Next Step: Editing, Rewriting, and Massaging Your Story

Writing: A Grand Adventure - Step Two

Second Step: Writing

The second step in the writing process is the actual writing, where words become sentences and sentences become paragraphs which lead to chapters and eventually a story.

The following are some things to think about when you are writing:

1) When you are writing remember that we do not speak the way we ought to write and we should not write the way we speak.

English is a very messy, inconsistent language. We have exceptions to the rule in punctuation, grammar, spelling, and even movement of a story.

If you were to actually listen to a conversation and then type it in, the story would probably look like the person who had told it was incoherent, even if the story made sense when you were listening to it. We speak in incomplete sentences, we gesture to replace spoken words - in short, we do all kinds of things in spoken language that makes no sense in a written language. When you are writing the story you have to fill in the gaps that would exist if you were just telling the story verbally.

And the opposite is true for our written language. It tends to be formal and sounds strange when read aloud, if it were not written to be read aloud. I think the point that I am blathering on about is that you actually need to know two versions of the English language and you will use both of them when you are writing but you need to know when to use them.

Which leads to the next point to consider...

2) You can break almost any writing rule - if you can make it work. In creative writing two plus two does not always equal four.

One of the ways you can use the spoken version of the English language in a written story is in the dialogue. Formal writing does not fit well when the average character is speaking.

There are lots of ways to break the writing rules and in creative writing it is acceptable - but only if you, as the writer, can make it work.

3) Almost all writing is subjective because we have a vast array of word choices.
a) He robbed her. She hit him.
b) He took his stuff. She attacked him.

Pick your words carefully because the slightest variation can hint at a different outcome or understanding.

4) Writing from different perspectives requires different skills. Stretch your writing skills and try a variety.

Tools for Writing:

1) Set up a writing schedule. Try it out.

2) Setting and Scenery Books

These are especially good for the writer who struggles with visual details. I fall into this category. I frequently look at pictures of forests, houses, rooms, flowers, or animals in order to get a physical visual of something before I write it.

3) Thesaurus

If you keep using the word bold to describe a character you might lose your readers.

4) Spell Check and Grammar Check

Use these tools - but use them with caution. Dialogue is especially tricky because a writer breaks a lot of writing rules in character dialogue.

5) Music

Never underestimate the power of music to influence your writing. You may need to write a very happy scene when you are feeling normal or you may need to write a real tearjerker when you are outrageously happy. You can utilize music to dial into other emotions during the writing stage.

Next Step: Letting it Sit

Writing: A Grand Adventure

In case you haven't noticed - I love writing. I think it is fantastically fun and entertaining. I think it is one of the greatest adventures you can have...while sitting at a computer or with pen and paper in hand.

I recently did a writing workshop for a group of girls. I wasn't sure what they wanted to do or learn and I wasn't sure what their skill level was. Some of the things were way over their head. But some of the things I introduced they could have done. I think we could have storyboarded a story right then and there and it would have been awesome. The girls had great ideas and great imagination.

Anyway, I've digressed. I prepared some notes on the basic steps of the writing process for the workshop and I thought I might post it here. I've broken the process up into four general parts but it is kind of like the directions on the shampoo bottle. Lather, rinse, and repeat. So the parts are one, two, three, four, repeat, or some variation of that, until the product is where you want it.

Step One: Plotting and Preparing to Write

Things to consider when plotting and preparing to write...

1) Some people say, "Write what you know." I say, "Write what you want."

If J.K. Rowling didn't write about something that doesn't even exist we wouldn't have the wonder and adventure of the Harry Potter stories. If Stephenie Meyer didn't try to create a world in which vampires existed and could even love, we would have half the country with a hole in their hearts and not know why.

You don't have to be an expert to write creative fiction. You can be creative and create from scratch!

2) No single method of the writing process is absolutely and exclusively correct. There are lots of ways to write. There are lots of methods to plot a story. Try them all!

3) Study the different writing mediums. Study print, broadcast, blogs, journals, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, etc.

4) Decide on a perspective to tell the story. This will influence how you plan your writing.

You can find lots of ideas about perspectives on the web. Here are two critical limitations (using just the basic perspectives models) that will affect how you plot your scenes.

1st Person - You can only write what the one character sees or feels because you are showing the story through their eyes. This may be hard to do if you want to show a complete story with scenes that the main character may not be present for.

3rd Person - You can only write from an observer's point of view and it is harder to show internal depth of emotions and feelings because you have to show it physically or they have to say it aloud rather than just writing their thoughts. However, this is probably the easiest perspective (generally speaking) of the two to start writing in because it is easier to write a story where the main character doesn't always have to be present.

5) Reading is important when you are learning how to write. So read a variety of genres.

6) Immerse yourself in what you plan to write. If you want to write a biography, then read a lot of biographies to get a feel for what works and what doesn't.

Tools for Preparing and Plotting:

Keep a notebook of writing ideas.

Use a storyboard technique. (This is how I create the Halloween stories with my children. They'll give me about a million unconnected plot points. I write them on post-its and then we move them around and try to make a cohesive narrative. They almost killed me on The Horrible Halloween Heist but the storyboard technique saved the day!)

Research

Outline

Character Cards (These are like giant index cards that allow me to keep details of the characters straight. Anytime I write a physical or emotional quality about the character I add it to their card for continuity. I preprint the cards with the spaces for what will be most important for the story I am writing.)

Layouts of some of the locations that will be in the story. (Yes, I draw them and add color)

Mapping Thesis (This is really more suited for reports but...)



Next Section: Writing

Slogging Through and Enjoying the Old Hobby

Update:

After a few wonderful hours of immersion in my songs for the story that Sonny will narrate for me, I put him aside and took up an editing project for another writer. I've been working on it for a few weeks now and it will probably take another month or so.

I've received two of my reader's critiques back and I am waiting for the third. The first two gave great suggestions and thoughts. Thank you to those two readers! I have my work cut out for me. I won't be working on my story until the other editing project is done though.

Reflection on the Writing Process:

This week a few people asked how often I work on writing. I hesitated for a moment. Then I gave the true answer. I work on writing almost daily. The catch is that sometimes I am writing, sometimes I am outlining, sometimes I am researching, and sometimes I am editing (for myself or others). Writing is such a large and layered process that even if I am not literally creating chapters daily, I am still working on my writing.

A few years ago I sent out a few (and I mean few) queries to agents. I think it was three. I got the basic email back saying that they had received it and that was that. I have never tried since and I don't know if I will again. They say the average writer has to send out dozens, if not hundreds of queries to find the right agent...so I am not (and was not) particularly discouraged at the tepid response. I only really wanted one agent house to represent me anyway. They were one of the few that I felt matched what I wanted (and they were in L.A. not New York).

But, I truly don't know if I will seek out publishing in the future for other reasons. First, while I've been writing stories for almost ten years now, I still have much to learn. My writing may not be good enough yet.

Second, I have no idea how I would feel if more than a few close people ever read my stories. In some ways, it is akin to being naked in a crowded theater. Being a true introvert, I find the idea terrifying.

So sometimes I feel a little strange admitting that I work on my writing almost daily. It is a rather flagrant use of my precious personal time when I don't really plan to do much with it in the end. I am not sure that most people understand how a person could spend so much time on a hobby...and that is what writing is for me. But, I honestly cannot help it. I enjoy it too much to leave it alone.

Cheating

I'm not writing a story right now.

What's that? You want to know why I have post-its and a pen?

Well, if I did have said objects, it wouldn't be because of a writing project. Now leave me alone. I've got a to-do list a mile long. I'm just going to listen to some music while I work.

Okay, yes, you may have seen me write a few notes down on the post-its...but I am not writing. I am listening to music while working.

Yes, I may have stopped working every few minutes to add to the post-its. But, this isn't a writing project. I have no time for a writing project right now. Stop looking at me. I'm busy.

I'm busy doing what, you ask?

I'm busy...not writing.

Alright, I'm writing. But, just a few notes. Sonny came into my head yesterday morning and started throwing his introduction at me. I just needed to jot down his comments.

What's the music for then?

Boy, you sure are full of impertinent questions! Sheesh! Alright, I'm also going through the music for Sonny's story. I'm just organizing the songs a little. Get off my back.

You want to see my notes? What for?

Fine! Take my notes! See my secret!...............I wasn't planning to write. I have no time to write. I know that. But, I couldn't help myself. Writing is like a drug. I need it. Sonny wouldn't let me sleep without working on his musical a little. Have you ever tried to tell your characters to be quiet? It's impossible! Either they get real loud or they shut up completely and take all their ideas with them. I couldn't have that happen.

But, I really was just putting some organization into the project. I wasn't doing any actual story writing.

That file?

Uh...alright, I'm full-blown writing.

Please don't tell any of my other projects. They wouldn't understand.

In 24 Hours

In 24 hours, I wrote 4,688 words in seven teeny, tiny chapters. Today I get to go through it and see if any of the words in the chapters make any sense. I'm really hoping they do.

The bigger dilemma is the six working titles I can't seem to choose from. For pete's sake, my short story only has seven chapters. I should not have almost as many titles as I do chapters. That's just flagrant.

Maybe after I go through it this morning I can narrow the titles down a bit to say...one....

Julia, Finley, and I are going to go spend some time getting to know each other now. I sure hope I like them in the end.

Some Things Never Change...

I'm falling down the rabbit hole again.

I am supposed to be waiting for some editing projects to come back. Or, I am supposed to be working on Kindley's Sorrows.

But I am not doing either.

Instead, I am itching an itch that never seems to go away.

I am writing again. I'm writing my literal heartbreak story. I've wanted to write this for years - just a short, quick story - to see if I could make it work.

I'm jumping off the cliff and plunging headfirst into this story, not really knowing where the bottom is...and I love it.

Cue the music...prime the fingers...create and explore my new world....this is the life.

AHIP

After three long months, my beloved creation finally returned to me. AHIP had gone out to a willing reader several states away and I missed my baby extremely. Oh, what joy was in the reunion!

I am so grateful to those that are willing to sit down, read, and give meaningful feedback to a practicing writer.

For the last few weeks, I have been content to just live day by day, unencumbered by my literary indulgences. Editing work on Kindley's Sorrows had paused as I ponder how much I want to change - how deep I want to take Emmalina and crew. Sean and Susie from The Last Dance are happily sitting on the shelf and Abigail of The Uniqueness Within is fine sitting in a drawer, aware that she might never see the light of day.

But I missed AHIP. A part of my soul was gone and I did not know when or in what condition it might return. Upon arrival, it was as if my slumbering desire to create exploded, the creative juices flowing through me as I read and processed the reader's comments.

I have an insatiable craving to immerse myself in AHIP again. The changes and enhancements that I plan to make are far more than the reader suggested, but for me, it feels right. I hope I don't 'Radcliffe' my story (i.e. to include too much detail) but I have long suspected the need to add reflection and changes in some places.

I plan to embark on my journey this weekend. Yes, it may be fraught with challenges but I feel willing and anxious to shove off and begin.

In a few weeks I may need a new reader who is agreeable to help tackle my project from an editorial perspective. Said person would need to be able (to have the time and inclination) to read through the manuscript, even if it's rubbish, and offer honest reactions, even if it's hard, to help me see my baby's imperfections. I will never be able to pinpoint some of the flaws without this important step. If anyone is willing and local, please shoot me an email. It probably won't be easy but I would be very grateful.

A short synopsis to wet the appetite of any potential readers on the fence:

Emberlin Avery, bright, athletic and filled with all the potential of youth, looks upon her own empty body, a separation created by her recent, unfortunate, and untimely death and wonders, "Does anyone choose to die?" Understanding that she is dead, but not understanding what death is, Emberlin leaves her body and ascends to Paradise Holding, a place where, even in death, adventures may be had, sorrows may come, and surprises may delight. Learning to live, even if one is dead, may be the hardest thing she will have to do in her life.

The Last Dance Edited

Do you edit in your sleep? I do...sometimes...when I've got editing on the brain. It's terribly disruptive to a good night of sleep.

After working through the ms I stopped just short of perfect for now. There is one scene that would have to be pulled and stretched and refined in The Last Dance if I were ever to show it to anybody. But, since I don't plan to, I just edited and worked on several other scenes, fixing and rewriting some of them.

In a nutshell:

I was surprised by how slow the beginning is compared to what I remembered. And I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to pull off the end the way I did. It's not literary but I am happy with it.

For a story that I wrote while 'winging it' with no plan to write it at all until the day I just started pounding it out on my keyboard, I am satisfied. I had no character cards, no detailed outline, no layout and map of the town (seriously, I usually add color and everything), but it is done and I plan to read it again when I need a quiet little adult read.

I edited the story in the computer today and printed a fresh copy to sit on the bookshelf.

While I am satisfied with the project, I am less satisfied with some others that have been waiting for editing. I picked up Kindley's Sorrows again and started looking through the drastic changes I had been making before life made me set it aside a little while ago. I'd gotten about a fourth of the way through on my last attempt so I picked up from the beginning and began again.

The heroine of KS is my favorite that I have ever written. (Don't tell Abigail, Emberlin, Susie, or Katie. They might not understand.)

KS is lovely but my favorite story is AHIP - it was just an absolutely wonderful ride out in the world of possibilities.

But Emmalina Rivelly, the heroine of KS, has my heart and I feel an obligation to do my best to get her story right and to give her a nemesis worth having. I have to drastically rewrite several scenes and add several new ones.

I sure hope I am up to the task because Emmalina deserves to have her story told, if only to join Sean and Susie, and I really don't want her visiting me in my sleep regarding the edits I do. She can have a nasty streak if she feels like she is not being listened to. So, here's to Emmalina staying out of my dreams and me having the ability to write her story.

I'm off to edit and rewrite.

First Draft for The Last Dance

Done-du-done-du-done!

I just finished the first draft for "The Last Dance". (It's Sean and Susie's story). Now I get to print it out and read through it for the very first time. And I get to see if it makes any sense. Because, who knows, it could be rubbish.

Near the end, I honestly wasn't sure that I could bring them back around. I wasn't sure I could do it, but Sean just fell onto the page like a champ and I couldn't be prouder.

This is the first adult fiction novel I've ever attempted. All the rest fall into the young adult category and all touch on young adult themes like coming of age, etc.

I like young adult for several reasons. One is that I am older than my characters, which means I know more than them (ha!). Another is that the themes can be a little more chaste. I cannot tell you how many sex scenes I've unfortunately come across in adult fiction. Blech! I cannot imagine writing a graphic sex scene in a novel and then looking my friends and family in the eye over the turkey at the holidays. Can you say awkward?

That being said, this story is decidedly more adult with adult themes and conversations. It is probably not something I would recommend to my teenage daughter, if I had one. And since I just have sons and there is no way they will probably read any of my stories, least of all this one, I have no worries. I'm actually not sure I will ever show this one to anyone. But, that doesn't mean it wasn't important for me to write it.

The other novels are easier to show. This one would be hard because of the intimate nature of some of the conversations and feelings expressed by the characters.

This is the first time where I have really written from a man's point of view (the story is told third person through Sean and Susie - also something I have never tried before) but I think I might have gotten close. Men are so different to write then women. It is far easier to be in a woman's complicated mind than a man's...uh...uncomplicated mind.

The Last Dance is also shorter than my others, coming in at around 32,000 words. It's funny to me that it is so short when adult fiction tends to be longer than young adult fiction and my young adult fiction novels are quite overlong for the genre. I did it backwards but I don't care. Sean and Susie had a simple story to tell and I tried to tell it.

I can now go to bed and sleep without them interrupting my dreams with their stories. For one night anyway...and then who knows? I might hear from my Princess...

Unbelievable Day of Writing

Sean and Susie had to take a short break while I handled some business these last two weeks. But Chad took the boys to Disneyland today just so I could catch up and write. (And so they could have fun, I'm sure.)

Twelve hours later my carpets and rugs are all cleaned and I worked on six chapters today. I transcribed one chapter and wrote five. I grew my story by a total of fifteen single space pages. Now I am about to start chapter eighteen and I couldn't be happier.

Thanks Chad!

Sean and Susie

Sean and Susie are coming along well. Every time I think of their names I can't help but think of Brad and Suzy by Jude. Sean and Susie are nothing like Brad and Suzy but the song is catchy and I can't help but think of the chorus when I write my Sean and my Susie.

Sean and Susie are shaping up and they're falling onto the page, little scenes and interactions, on a daily basis. I'm on chapter ten and moving quickly. This morning I constructed the Christmas Eve/Day scenes and I've started the first few paragraphs of the writing. I'm enjoying seeing them in a happy place right now because there is a little (or will it be big?) heartache ahead.

Reading back through the first chapter it is amazing to me how light and easy Sean and Susie are. They come off completely unburdened by the world. As the chapter progresses I can feel the dramatic change that happens as their circumstances are revealed.

I sure hope those two crazy kids can make it.

Whatever the outcome, I am enjoying the writing tremendously. I love to write for the sake of writing and I love to create my characters and see their lives unfold. The process of writing makes me extremely happy. The world feels more alive, the blues more blue, the greens more green. At the end of my life, I will probably have bookshelves filled with my (mostly unread) creations but the picture won't be right. It won't show the joy I got from the journey.

Due to mother's day, I have the day off from mothering and I get to devote my time however I choose. So I am off to write. I am off to spend Christmas Eve with Sean and Susie.

Progress

I finished two short stories that I have been tinkering with the last few months. One is a ghost story. Not like the story I wrote that includes a heaven type place but an honest-to-goodness ghost story with haunting. But, instead of telling the story from the freaked out living person's point of view, I crafted it from the ghost's point of view. Truthfully it was the little story that I had in mind before I went nuts on AHIP and wrote a ridiculously long, very involved and complicated, three volume novel.

The other short story is very short. It is a conversation that had been pestering me to be written for many months now. I'm not entirely pleased with the final result but it was time to move on. It is probably the only story I have ever written where the characters have no names, not even secret ones. And it was probably the closest I will ever get to writing a tragedy. And it is not even really, wholly tragic.

But these little stories are good practice.

With those out of the way, I was fully intending to return to Princess Azalea who has been patiently waiting for several months. Instead, I went to sleep and woke up the next morning, needing to urgently write Sean and Susie's story. Before that morning I had never even known them before. (Yes, I am aware that that sounds crazy - to speak of my characters this way - but they are very definable and real to me so...) Sean and Susie skipped to the front of the line. Just a few days later I have a very good understanding of where they are going, what they need to do, and a very simple outline created. But I have no true ending point - linearly I know everything that will happen, I just don't know at what point I plan to let them go and have their privacy back...and I have no character cards. Will this come back to bite me? Probably. But, it is a much simpler story than my others and far fewer characters so maybe I can squeak by...? I guess time will tell. Four chapters in and I feel like I have known them all my life.

And a final progress note is that a writer friend of mine found me a reader for AHIP. She was going to do it but needs to get through her manuscript and it is taking longer than she anticipated. So she hooked me up with a reader (who is a voracious reader that has helped with another one of my stories) and AHIP will go out this week. By the time I get it back my writer friend hopes to be ready to give it a second read and I can give her ms a first read.

So, while I often feel like I am moving like molasses, in the end, I am glad to just keep moving at all.

Writing Again

You may have noticed that I am writing again. You may notice because I always listen to music when I write and I finally updated some of my music on the sidebar.

So what am I writing you ask? (Yes, I am pretending that you care...)

I am creating a short story, 4,000 words or less, liberally sprinkled with ghosts. We'll see how it comes out. I am at about 1500 words so far and I am going to expend at least 2,000 in this final scene and then I may spend the remaining 500 or so on detailing the story where necessary.

Short stories are quicker to write but they are actually much harder to construct than full novels. I prefer to write the lengthy stuff but sometimes you just need a quick start and finish.

Disappointed

My goal was to read 52 novels in 2009. I only read 31. I will have to do better next year.

My Own Book Club: Population One

I spend a lot of time reading what I like to call pre-Jane Austen literature. Some of the writers are actually contemporaries of Jane but there are drastic differences in the writing styles that make the stories harder to read in a modern setting. The themes and literary devices that are applied often feel dated, hysterical, and abhorrent to a modern sensibility. The reason I mark Jane Austen as a change of era is that her characters, particularly her female characters, are written in such a way that while they feel classic and traditional they don’t feel like doormats for all the other characters to stomp around on, being thrown from one ridiculous situation to another. Compare Lady Susan or Elizabeth Bennet to Emmeline Mowbray or Camilla Tyrold and the differences are so striking that one can hardly believe that the heroines were written within a very short time of each other.

After reading many, many of these stories over the years, I have a few critiques I would like to pass on to the writers of some of this pre-Jane Austen literature. Yes, I am aware that they are long dead. I am not a crazy person who talks to dead people...most of the time. But at the end of each story, I find myself thinking, “Wow that was a great story except for this, this, and this.” And the this, this, and this, have become common themes that can be found in most literature from this time and genre. And since most readers do not subject themselves to the often frustrating (but secretly enjoyable) task of reading this particular type of literature I have no one to discuss these themes with…except apparently the dead authors themselves who may take so much exception to my critiques that they band together to greet me upon my own death with critiques of their own. Being relatively young and healthy however, I have decided to put that worry on the back burner and plunge headfirst into my opinions of their work.

Open Letter to the Following Authors:

Dear Henry Fielding (Tom Jones, the History of the Foundling)-

I enjoyed Tom as the feckless, lovable hero who sleeps his way through the story. It was a little bawdy but it worked. But why, oh why, did you create such a double standard for Sophia at the end at the mere hint of a man entering the building where she was? I was so shocked and disappointed that I threw my very nice hardbound copy across the room as soon as you took that ridiculous course. My copy survived the hurl but unfortunately the story’s ending does not survive your conclusion. Badly done, Henry…and I had such high hopes after Shamela.

Dear Charlotte Smith (Emmeline)-

What is with the fainting and the hysterics? Considering your own strong character I am surprised that you left Emmeline Mowbray, your heroine, no other option other than fainting to keep herself from being carried off, dishonored, raped, and ruined. Instead of crying and passing out you should have had her screaming her lungs out, “I don’t want you!” Or, “You are a rotten uncle!” Those two simple phrases could have gone a long way.

And I was a little disappointed by the double standard of Godolphin being accepted as the child’s father rather than the true mother. I know you wrote this story in 1788, which was two hundred and twenty-one years ago, so I will not judge it too harshly but I still really feel like you could have pulled the true parentage out in a manner that wouldn’t have made that particular storyline sexist and dated in my day and time.

That being said Charlotte, I cannot believe the twists you gave to one of the heroes at the hands of Bellozane, the forward thinking story of Lady Adelina, the desirable Godolphin as a hero, and the worthy friend you provided to the heroine. Even with your faults, I suppose I will read your book several more times in my life…I mean after all, I’ve already read it a second time haven’t I?

Dear Ann Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho)-

What is with the immense detail on every page depicting every flower and every leaf that the heroine passes? I thought I might claw my own eyes out. One word: Editor. At 300,000 words, I think you over-specified and under-economized. I bet you could have done the story in 200,000 words without batting an eye at what was left on the editing room floor. And the heroine hardly seems fit for the time period you assigned to her. She would have blended better in 1794 than she does in 1584.

However, I loved the twists and turns of the story. The mystery of the black veil was satisfying and the twist with the hero near the end was truly a surprise that I did not see coming – and that, Miss Radcliffe, is saying a lot. Although I would have preferred it if Emily St. Aubert had stabbed Montoni with a dagger viciously and repeatedly and smothered his wife with one of her own dresses, I have to admit that after all the fainting and loyalty to evilness you did pull their respective demises out satisfactorily. Well done Ann. Your two hundred and fifteen year old story is still a keeper in my library.

Fanny Burney (Evelina and Camilla)-

Oh, Fanny…where do I begin. I really like the letter format for Evelina and I enjoy the twists and turns of your stories but I have a hard time loving them.

In Evelina, we know we are supposed to think of Lord Orville as the hero but at the end of the story I feel like he is a two-dimensional cardboard cutout of what a hero ought to be. I want to look behind him and nothing of substance is ever there. In some ways, Edgar Mandlebert is written better in that respect as the hero in Camilla, as he is drawn with more flavor and understanding. But somehow Sir Clement Willoughby of Evelina and Sir Sedley Clarendel of Camilla are drawn with so much more to interest a reader than the actual heroes. The transformation of Sir Sedley from a mere fop into a witty, thoughtful, engaged character was alluring and could have been carried much further. However, you chose to keep him static rather than letting his true underlying character run free. I was left wanting more with regard to him, but perhaps that is just the side of me that loves the Scarlet Pimpernel.

While on that note, it is interesting to skip to the new topic of the sheer and utter ridiculousness that your write into some of your characters. Madame Duval of Evelina may get a pass due to the fact that she is newly introduced to the heroine but the Captain who torments Madame (and you may say rightly so) and then passes for good society doesn’t pass the test. Another scene that comes to mind in Evelina is the sport that the ‘gentleman’ of the era choose to lay bets on, namely that of making little old ladies from the town race it out for the ‘gentleman’s’ pleasure. How could that ever be considered a part of good society in any society, excepting our own modern day morally empty society? In Camilla, you created Mr. Dubster, who says a lot of things of sense in a nonsensical way. I suppose he may stay as a quirky character but Lionel Tyrold is just plain irksome. His sisters love him and, in turn, he uses them in a way that they ought not to feel any wish to see him ever again. There is not a single scene written where Lionel appears as anything but cruel to his own family and yet we, as the readers, are meant to fervently believe that Camilla ought to relinquish Edgar and marry Sir Sedley as a way to settle her brother’s debts when he himself shows no remorse or redemption. Lionel comes out flat, Fanny. He ought to have been given some redeemable qualities so that we readers could understand why Camilla would even think of sacrificing Edgar for her brother. He is poorly written and bothersome to read.

So while I might (probably) read your stories again and again, I have a strong urge to skip the scenes involving Lionel, Madame Duval, The Captain, and Mr. Dubster.

In conclusion, dear authors, may I suggest that next time you write a book that is destined to be a classic, and therefore read by me, that you would skip fainting heroines as a means to avoid necessary communication, avoid the hint of outrageous double standards and sexism, and fully develop the heroes and heroines so that they may truly stand the test to be read several centuries later with much pleasure by the reader. Although, I suppose I ought to admit that even with these obvious and rampant literary defects, I have found enjoyment as a reader of all your works and will continue to do so in the future. Except you Henry Fielding…I am still smarting over your treatment of Sophia which was very, very badly done.

Projects

I've spent most of the last month working on edits for Heroine in Paradise and making little Halloween books with the boys.

Heroine in Paradise is now revised and ready for a first reading. I feel as if I am about to give my much flawed child to a modeling agency and ask, "Please, I want you to point out every single flaw in my new and darling creation to me."

Gut-wrenching but necessary. I truly want to fix my baby's flaws. I want my story to grow, to complete its potential. But first must come the wrenching - the pulling apart of every decision I made in my little one's formation and construction.

So what is this story? Well, for one it is obscenely long. It consists of three volumes and over 100,000 words. It's way too long for the target genre. And we all know that you can only break the unbreakable rules of writing if you can make it work. I'm not sure I can.

Heroine in Paradise is a heavenly adventure that takes place in...well...Heaven. I took the words of Benjamin Franklin literally when he said, "A man is not completely born until he is dead."

So I kill a lot of people. What? How else are they allowed to participate in the adventures if they are still living and breathing? I have to admit, I had a tremendous amount of fun with all the ways my beloved characters get to die. Death is always a major theme in my stories.

I should probably do a more traditional synopsis (something I am terrible at) instead of bouncing around. Here goes:

Emberlin Avery, bright, athletic and filled with all the potential of youth, looks upon her own empty body, a separation created by her recent, unfortunate, and untimely death and wonders, "Does anyone choose to die?" Understanding that she is dead, but not understanding what death is, Emberlin leaves her body and ascends to Paradise Holding, a place where, even in death, adventures may be had, sorrows may come, and surprises may delight. Learning to live, even if one is dead, may be the hardest thing she will have to do in her life.

So there it is. I hate writing synopsis'. I should really get a ghost writer for them.

Now that Emberlin is ready for a reading I was looking at my other writing projects and wondering, "What next?"

First, I have to address the changes I am making in Kindley's Sorrows. Some edits are done but several scenes have to be changed and while I feel good about the changes, I am a little weary of editing. I want to create!

I was looking at a couple of short story writing contests and while two look interesting I will probably only enter one right now. There is something to be said for knowing, that whether some people want to or not, they are forced to read something I've written. For whatever reason, it gives me a strange sense of satisfaction that I get to torture people other than my friends - who I guilt into helping me with my stories. So I am editing one of my short stories for this purpose.

Then, I will take my little story about Princess Azalea, which is currently only two pages of outline, and I will try to flesh out her story. She has been waiting patiently for about a year for me to work on her. Note to self: research troll-hunting.

My musical will have to wait a little longer. Outlined for almost four years now, I am still missing a few pieces, not of my own doing, I might add. I am waiting for some of the pieces to become available. And I really wish that the person I was waiting on would hurry up and oblige me. This work will probably be for my own pleasure only but the story has been bouncing around in my head so long, I feel bad that I am putting it off one more time.

So that is where my writing lies. Always somewhere in between.

Editing

For a month now, I have been editing my story AHIP. Almost every night, I would work on a chapter or two. My ridiculously long, three volume novel, is now ready to be altered in the computer.

I opened the notebook where all my changes are, and I noticed a little extra editing. Apparently Andrew, my darling two year old, saw fit to add a few edits of his own. Unfortunately for me, he used the same color editing pen as I did. There are all kinds of marks and lines and I am having a deal of a time deciphering his changes from my changes.

I suppose I should add this to the list of steps in the writing process - literary critiques from a two-year old.

Readers

I met with one of my readers last week to talk about writing. She's a writer too which makes the conversations a little easier than talking with a 'non-writer reader'. 'Writer-Readers' understand the process a little more - they tend to know how to help in a more constructive way.

And this reader in particular suggested some juicy ideas for K.S. Originally one character was intended to carry the evil load, but in the first draft the evilness merely came out flat and formulaic so I adjusted this character a bit and liked how she came out in the second draft. Unfortunately that meant that my evil load was left sitting on the editing floor.

My reader helped me figure out a good - and very plausible way - to add the evilness back in. She started throwing out a few ideas and my creative juices started gushing out. I had to grab a paper and pen before they spilled onto my friend's lovely white carpet. I dashed off the new changes to the storyline as quickly as my borrowed red sharpie could ink the words down.

Now I am left with a page filled with thick red lines and a writer who is chomping at the bit to fold the improvements into my beloved baby. Although, my baby has been through so many upgrades since the first draft that, at this point, I should probably refer to it as a toddler. As a writer I write in layers - I write and rewrite until I can get it right. So if K.S. is a toddler now then it might be a while until it is full grown. But I don't mind...because I truly love the writing process and if it takes me twenty years to get it right, then so be it.

The best part about my fabulous reader is that she is diligently working on her own work and when she is ready to swap I can send AHIP her way and I get her work to go through. While we were talking she was describing some of her scenes and characters to me and I swear I could feel the heat of Africa, the desolation of the orhpanage, and the clean red-tiled floor that ran the long hallway.

Readers are great and I am grateful to have some and to be one for others.

Dreams

In the midst of a move, AHIP is sitting...rather impatiently, I might add. While I spend my days packing boxes, my characters have been visiting me while I slumber, eagerly reminding me of this or that to add to their story.

I know that my creations are not really real but at what point do they become alive to us as writers? For me, it seems that they come to life as soon as they are named. Their characteristics start to form, creating their inner character...making them tangible.

I think there is something wonderfully magical about the ability to create delightful new worlds. So I will not complain about my fictional children's nightly visits where they criticize how I write them. Instead I will thank my lucky stars for such a colorful imagination. Even I could not imagine a more deliciously desirable gift to give myself.

AHIP Ready

I just finished adding new scenes, smoothing others, removing poor Ferris, and editing in general. AHIP is not ready for the world but AHIP is ready for it's first printing and to be seen by a few readers for what I like to call a content edit.

This is not the time to be checking that all the commas are in the right place. This stage of editing is for my readers to point out content issues to me, the writer. If I can't get the content right, there is no use fixing punctuation and grammar errors.

As I writer, I rely on content editors to read through my story and mark it up where the story doesn't make sense, needs work, or yes, even in some cases, where I have done a particularly good job with this scene or that. Because AHIP is almost like a baby to me, I, as the writer, have a hard time seeing all my baby's natural flaws. The content editing helps to point some of those flaws out to me.

Sometimes, the flaws become immediately apparent once a reader points a flashing neon sign at it. Other times, I don't necessarily agree but the reader's points may point to a flaw in my story in other ways.

Even after removing and smoothing some scenes, I added four additional pages to the story and I topped the 100,000 word mark. In total this first printing of AHIP will be 194 single space pages and 101,009 words.

I know that AHIP won't stay like this. I know that it needs further work. But, I am so excited to let my little story take a few small steps into the world to see how it stands up.

Goodbye

In the throes of editing my delicious heavenly adventure, I realized that I had to kill off a character. Alexander has too many people in his posse and one of them has to go. Which is rather harsh because all of my characters are dead already. Which means I have to do more than kill off a character. I have to completely obliterate him from the universe.

I narrowed the candidates down to two and I took my two character cards to my husband.

Me: I have to kill off a character.
Him: Kill Martha.
Me (waving the two cards in his face): Hello...these cards are yellow. Obviously that means a male character.
Him: Okay...
Me: So it's Benji or Ferris.
Him: Oh, get rid of Benji. Why would you name a character after a dog?
Me: No, I think it needs to be Ferris.
Him (passionately pumping his fist in the air): Save Ferris!

After I recovered from my fit of giggles, I took my cards and made my decision. In memory of the dear, departed Ferris, I decided to honor him with a song.

Save Ferris
Goodbye

That feels better. Now, 80 pages into a 190 page manuscript, I have to start over. I have to remove all traces of Ferris from the story and give any lines that he might have to other members of Alexander's posse. Sigh...it's a good thing I love my story or this could be a seriously painful re-edit.

Roaring Bellows

The soft, delicate whispers have become loud, frantic shouts. The post-its have piled high and spilled over into notebooks. I am chagrined...

And unable to continue losing myself in other novelist's works.

I have put off the day of first read-through for a myriad of reasons...but now it is here.

I will probably shiver in fright at all the mistakes that three months ago would have been invisible. I will probably shrink in embarrassment at how much work is actually required to get section three in line with the rest of the story.

But I am ready to begin my first read-through of my heavenly adventure. I'll start off with a quick bloody death and work my way through the mucky mud that needs to be shaped and smoothed into a piece of work that I could actually show to another human being.

A man is not completely born until he is dead.
-Benjamin Franklin

Kindley's Sorrows

I've finished my edits and it feels so good. I hadn't read my story for months and I loved reading through it, polishing a little here and there. It is now out for a read and we'll see what the reader thinks.

Now, I am free to address all the little yellow post-its that have been gathering for AHIP.

On to the next revision!

More Unplanned Editing

Instead of editing AHIP (formerly DIAC) I have been dreaming of edits for KS. One writer once said that you never actually finish a story, you just abandon it. I thought I had abandoned KS (at least until I could get it in the hands of an agent) but I suppose I haven't. Scenes and little layers and finishing touches have been bugging my subconscious for a few weeks. I kept dumping the ideas on little yellow post-its to get them out of my head but more just kept coming.

After a small stack had accumulated on my desk, I surrendered to the siren call. Yes it may dash me on the rocks or be all for naught but I cannot leave a scene untouched once the idea has made it on to a post-it. It would be unconscionable.

I hate to sound arrogant but I really love my story (as I am sure most writers do)as I read through it and do all my little edits. I haven't read it for a few months and I forgot about the little sparks of wit that I was able to write for my clever, sassy Emmalina.

Editing

I've spent the last two weeks working on an editing project for a new writer.

I am not a professional editor and there are clearly some editing and writing rules that I blatantly disregard in my own work. But, I read an awful lot, I have worked and reworked my own little babies for years, and I have seen what my editors (both soft and professional) have helped point out in my work that was helpful to me. So, I gave it the old college try.

I loved it. I found myself looking up AP Style rules on the internet. (I gave away my hard copy years ago - thinking I would never need it. Ha!) I, at first, was only going to comment on the content, but I was soon correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. I gave suggestions on scenes I wanted to see enhanced or created to help make the story smoother and gave praise when a scene or paragraph was particularly well done.

The writer was grateful and excited. But for me, I was able to get a broader perspective of the writing process which is particularly helpful for the revision process that I am currently in with my latest novel.

I often feel like I try to make a good sketch on the first pass through as I write. The revisions that follow add color and depth to my sketch, making it tangible and accessible to the reader.

Now that the editing project is complete, it is time for me to go back to my own story and revise, revise, revise. I'm excited and ready to tackle the problems, add detail to the scenes, and work it until it works.

A Little Twist

There has been a little surprise with regard to the contest I entered.

I was a finalist in the contest...but when I checked the postings they didn't print Rosaline - they printed Doris's Letter.

They emailed me back about Rosaline so I am not sure what happened. I am still happy...just a little surprised.

To see all the finalist entries and the winner you can go here. There is a booklet you can download. I am on page 22 and my little bio is at the end of the booklet.

Writing Contest Extras

In honor of Valetine's Day I decided to post my other two contest submissions.

Petunia's View is a letter from Petunia to her love, Chase. I was going for subtle.

Doris's letter is the opposite. Doris is, perhaps, the least subtle character I've written. She likes to tell it like it is.

Both of these were meant to be a little off-key and more light-hearted than the heart-breaking and dramatic Rosaline.

Petunia's View

Dear Chase,

I remember the day that I first saw you. It was a clear, crisp autumn day. I was bundled up like the Michelin man in my great white coat and you, man that you are, wore a light gray fleece that matched your sea gray eyes.

I know you didn’t immediately feel for me all that I did for you. You’re shy; a little reticent to open up. See? I know the man that I love.

You were shy when I called you and asked you to dinner but your heart was clear to me when you accepted my proposal. Later at dinner, you were a little introverted as we ate, unsure of yourself. Never mind that dear. I certainly don’t mind it. Whatever you may think, I feel that you are perfect just as you were made.

Your extreme bashfulness prevented you from asking me out again but I didn’t mind. I can do that work for the both of us. It doesn’t bother me in the least.

And just in case you were worried, I should tell you that I didn’t mind it when you had to change your phone number. I found your new number easily enough on anywho.

I am quite good with schedules. It is one of my finest qualities and is a quality I am sure you will come to appreciate in time. I took the liberty, my sweet reserved one, to match our class schedules up almost exactly. The vast university campus is now but a few feet at any given time of the day that you and I are there.

Your tremendous affection for me is enough of a surety that I was not troubled in the least when I saw you ask Marcie Simmons out to dinner on that special February night. Your kindness to a girl like Marcie only endears you to me more, my love.

What is one night, albeit a night usually reserved for sweethearts, when I can see you every other night of the month?

Yes, my darling, even though you are a bit inhibited, I still take the time to see you every night, as you pull into your driveway. I sit outside and watch you to make sure you make it inside safely. Sometimes, I stay for a few minutes and I play our song to myself in my car as I watch you walk through your home, turning on lights and closing the blinds.

Don’t worry dear. Your timid ways only spur me on; caring for our love for the both of us. And, please, do not concern yourself with me when you are out with Marcie. I will happily eat my heart-shaped pancakes alone. I could never replace you, my sweet. And when your time with her is through, never fear, I will be waiting and watching as always.

Love,
Petunia

Doris's Letter

Dear Gerald,

You’re not as handsome as the man I married. Yes, I know you are the same man, but today you are not as handsome as yesterday. And yesterday you were not as handsome as the day before. Add up all the yesterdays of the last thirty years and you will see what I saw this morning.

And while we are on the topic, may I remark that you are not as thin, except on top of your head. Speaking of your hair, it has migrated everywhere but where it ought to be.

Your once taut tummy has been replaced with a bowl of raspberry jello; the surface puckled from years of good eating. And what isn’t fatter, since the day we married, is now horribly wrinkled.

Gone are the days when you felt it necessary to open the door for me when we were out. Vague memories exist of you offering to pick up your own clothes or heat up soup for me when I was sick. I am not even truly sure of the memories as they are of such a fuzzy and indeterminate nature as to be unreliable.

But, this morning when I awoke to find a tender little lily on my bedside table, a new memory was formed; clear and wonderful in its innocence.

I love you Gerald and I want to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Love, your longtime sweetheart,
Doris

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Heart :: Black Heart Writing Contest

There were 650 submissions and 46 finalists. My love letter, Rosaline, was chosen as a finalist in the contest.

Click here if you want to see the complete list of finalists. My entry is listed as unititled.

The following is my letter to Romeo from Rosaline. Rosaline is the girl that Romeo is absolutely in love with at the beginning of Romeo and Juliet. He completely forgets all about his love for her when he sees Juliet. I've always felt bad about the way that Romeo treated her and so I wanted to give Rosaline her say.

I took a little bit of literary license but I had a ton of fun. My other two entries were more fun and light-hearted...and less dramatic than Rosaline. I may post them here as well.

My dearest Romeo,

From the very first, you were as beautiful as a God in Heaven; with features shaped from noble granite, eyes as black and fiery as smoldering coal. How could a girl, with a soul as pure as mine and a heart as willing as mine have resisted?

You kissed me and wept like an innocent baby in my embrace. The beauty of our union appeared flawlessly clear to me as I gazed in your burning wet eyes.

A dinner invitation for Mercutio brought you nearer to me at the home of Signior Capulet and when I felt you arrive, my ruby heart rejoiced, flooded with eagerness by your constancy.

Benvolio was the first to work against me. But you, my dear Romeo, stayed true; a claim of pure devout adoring worship dripping from your lovely red lips.

I saw you there across the room. You were looking for me through the wily dancers and gossiping mothers. I wanted to run to you; to have you seize me in your arms again. But your eyes were troubled. They looked elsewhere; they looked naught for me. And then I saw her. I saw your eyes lighting their fire toward her. Your religion showed to me a sham; your words false, your heart now endlessly barren toward me.

I wanted to kill you. I wished to push you in front of a stampeding cart or shoot you with my arrow as you climbed to her window to profess your heavenly love to your angel.

Even my revenge was stolen from me as your own murders and suicides have bound you together with her for eternity.

I loathe your memory and I loathe you for throwing my heart away at your first glance of her. Did my lips not welcome you? Did my body not satisfy?

My bright eyes and scarlet lips are dull and cracked now, Romeo. My heart is blistered and broken. Your son, your only child in all the worlds, now suckles at my empty soul.

Oh, Romeo…Romeo, how could your soul trespass so against mine?

With all the pieces of my broken heart,

Rosaline

Practice

I've never entered a writing contest before.

The other day I saw a contest that sounded like fun. I had seen others before on this particular site but the deadline is usually really quick and as this writer knows, I need to have time revise and rewrite many times before I can bring myself to allow others to see the piece.

Regardless of the short time frame and feeling inspired, I sat down and created three short possibilities for the Valentine's Day Contest (entries are accepted until Feb 6th in time for a final showdown on the 14th). The truth of it is that I don't care to win the contest. The prize isn't all that interesting to me and the odds will be long.

But writing little stories for contests gives me a great reason to practice. So I am revising and rewriting my little miniature babies and I hope to see one of them shape up enough to ship out. One of the themes is a letter from Rosaline's point of view. Rosaline is, of course, the girl that Romeo drops like a hot potato once he sees Juliet. So just for kicks, I put The Killers version of Romeo and Juliet up on the side.

After I choose which entry to make I will post any of my babies that are fit to be seen here.