Threes a charm

I have started novel number 3. Just the opening scene at this point but I am happy to say I haven't started one yet that I didn't finish. At the moment, the working title is Cat People but I can see that changing.

The theme: What does it take to be a good friend? What is friendship dependent on?

The setting is present day.

The characters I will introduce as I start writing about them so the first two are:

Katarina (Kat) - she's our protagonist and the novel is in her point of view (first person)
Greg - Kat's husband

The plot (roughly): Katrina hears the news that her best friend from High School's husband has died from complications related to sleep apnea. She also finds out her friend (who's name is Dawn) is being investigated for possible neglect or even intentional malice related to his death.

Kat's own marriage is on shaky grounds when she decides to go South Carolina to support her friend in need. While there she runs into yet another old friend from High School who is also there to support their mutual friend but is less than happy to see Kat show up because of a past dispute.

Dawn is living with her ailing mother and ornery father both of whom are also hostile to Kat's arrival.While trying to comfort Dawn, Kat is also determined to get down to the truth. This leads her into all sorts of trouble and even danger.  

A story about friendships in the varying forms they take, Cat People is my exploration into what it means to be a friend as we get older and move on with our lives. Some of the questions I hope to explore are when do you let a friend go? when is a friend worth the sacrifice and how much does one side give compared to the other or should there even be a comparison?

My goal is for it to be an exciting, humorous, dramatic and intriguing journey.

I'll post the 1st draft of the opening scene when I have it all hammered out then my plan is to create the storyline and commit myself to 3,000 words a week. I am hoping to have it finished by October of this year and then take a few months to rewrite/edit.

So . . . here we go again!

Why I write

 I don’t give myself a lot of credit but I will say that I am a storyteller and that is a good thing. A frequent childhood memory I have is of riding in the backseat of one of our family cars at any given time, on any given day, at any given place. I am looking out the window, feeling a cool circle develop where my forehead presses against the vibrating glass. The wind sings around me, rushing in from the front seat where my Mom sits driving. Her arm hangs out the driver side window. That arm is always 5 to 6 shades darker than the other. It’s freckled with brown spots of varying sizes making no specific pattern on her skin.

As we travel along, I imagine myself as the protagonist in all the stories running through my head. Every story involves feats of impressive acts such as impromptu Olympic gymnastics or heroic rescues of small animals or even large political statements taken notice of by none other than the President of the United States at the time. I was definitely the character to watch.

Now, I’m 44 years old and I still make up stories where I am the hero – though I’ve given up on politics and in reality, saving small animals usually never ends well (I can’t tell you how many baby birds I have found dead in shoe boxes in the morning after an evening of worry). Instead, my stories involve relationships – relationships between lovers, siblings, families and even strangers.

My stories always have one thing in common – in one way or the other, they make me laugh (and yes, sometimes cry). Laughing is the ultimate in entertainment for me (and crying just comes naturally). Many times, I write these stories down and I’ll laugh again after I read them. I have to pull deep to be brave enough to commit the words to a permanent record but I love how I feel when I entertain myself. If I can entertain someone else and even make them laugh – I feel a type of pride and accomplishment that is unmatched. It is a feeling that can keep me going for a long time. It is something I need.

I am a storyteller. It is the one thing about myself that I truly like. Many people have tried to change me but that is one thing I can hold on to.

Marathon vs writing

I wish writing a novel was as easy as running a marathon.

With a marathon - you train and train and train. You try shorter races then keep increasing until you are almost there and then on the day - it's just you and a long way to go.

With writing a novel - you practice and practice at your craft. You try shorter pieces then keep writing until you are almost there and then one day - it's just you and a lot of rewriting to go:)

Oh! So, maybe writing a novel is a bit like running a marathon?

I still thinking running a marathon is a bit easier!

The 8 stages of REVISION

Stage 1 - Elated to be done with story/article/whatever and ready to clean it up so you can move on to the next piece.

Stage 2 - First run through - still feeling pretty good. Made some notes and now checking to make sure the piece follows a logical structure or story arc.

Stage 3 - Alarm is growing! You see major holes in not only your plot but your entire existence is starting to look like a huge mistake!

Stage 4 - Ok - calmed yourself down. re-structured and rewrote piece following the classical story arc and despite what you initially thought, most of it was there. Some rewriting, added a few scenes - you've wiped the sweat from your brow and are basically happy with the story.

Stage 5 - The editing begins. Did you really use the word "smile" - 5 million times? Why does that character sound like he's a robot?! OMG! Look at all the adverbs! Cliches! Cliches! The Horror! The Horror!

Stage 6 - Got through editing with the help of 10 red pens and a bottle of Merlot now it is time for proof reading. Yeah for spell checkers!

Stage 7 - Ok - spell checker didn't quite catch everything. In fact, might have missed a great deal - out comes the red pen again.

Stage 8 - Retyped - Saved - that old feeling is starting to return . . . the corners of your mouth are starting to point upward . . . yes, it's true! You are finally DONE!

To see my final draft of "The Yard Sale" click on the link to your left. Cheers and good luck in your revision adventures.