Mid-Week Check-In

It’s raining today.  All gray and dark and the LAST thing I wanted to do was leave my cozy cocoon in bed to actually get up and work out.  But I managed to drag myself out in time to do my weights at least.  It’s one of those rare days I’m wearing my glasses instead of contacts, owing to the dumptruck load of sand that has apparently taken up residence in my eyes (aka, the freak warm weather has everyone’s allergies acting up).  If I make it to lunch without hurling, I’ll be amazed.

The writing has been going well.  I’m currently doing something I NEVER do and jumping forward chronologically to write a scene from Act 2.  Usually I’m a very linear writer and I need to trace things in order how they happen to get the right feel for the characters as they change through the story.  But this scene came SO CLEAR in my head that I had to go ahead and start writing it.  Which has led to some clarity on following scenes.  And making me wish I was already through the FPP and properly into the middle.  Holy crap.  Yeah.  I’m actually looking forward to what I used to refer to as the Dreaded Valley of the Shadow of the Middle.

It’s always interesting to me to see how each book develops.  The idea for this one is a lot different from how the execution is going.  The characters are different than I expected as well.  Which is good.  I don’t want to write the same characters over and over.  Bree is not Elodie under another name, though she is damaged in her own way by the events of the story.  She must find her strength.  Which is very new for me, as I’m used to writing take no prisoners, kick ass heroines from page one.  And Jake…while he has the protective thing going on, as Sawyer did, it’s very different in expression and reasons.  Their relationship is really complicated in the way that all “I’ve known you for years” relationships can be, particularly when they start to change.  It’s such a delight seeing him go from this sort of two dimensional cowboy character (I admit, initial impressions were fab abs with a cowboy hat) to a real, flawed person.

Lachlan I’m still working on.  I know enough about him to know how Bree is going to respond to him and why, but his personality is still murky.  Need to give some thought to how their relationship is going to grow in contrast to the one with Jake (yeah I know, I’m actually doing a love triangle of sorts, though not one of the annoying wishy washy, I want to have both of them kinds).  I haven’t decided how this is going to work because Lachlan is immortal and of the Otherworld.  He’s…really freaking old.  Mentally and physically around 22 maybe, but he’s not a vampire, so it’s not like he got stuck in some form of arrested development.  Bree is 17.  Not a young 17 and not an emotionally ancient 17 like Elodie.  Just normal 17.  That’s one of those dynamics that can often come off as creepy or skeezy.  Her feelings for HIM make total sense, but I want to give some serious thought to the development of his own feelings.  Note, I said FEELINGS, not crazy, mysterious attraction (this is a peeve of mine in much YA fiction–yeah I get it that attraction is a thing and hormones and blah blah, but it means so much more if it’s BASED IN SOMETHING).

Anyway, that’s where I am.  Hope y’all are chugging right along with your WIPs.

4 thoughts on “Mid-Week Check-In

  1. It’s all rainy and dreary here, too, so it’s spawning a migraine. We got spoiled with a couple of days of sunshine, but I knew it couldn’t last.

    I’m like you, a very linear writer. I want to watch the story unfold just like the reader will. When I’ve had a scene stuck in my head, I’ve usually just kept it in my head until time to write it. You’ve kind of made me rethink that. Maybe if I write it then, it will be better.

    I can’t wait to read what you’re working on. Your characters sound like really interesting people.

  2. I wont depress you with a weather report from here, but I will say I always seem to write all over the story. If an idea comes to me I just start and then fill in the blanks. I promised myself that the next one I started would not do that–didn’t work out the way I planned.

  3. I think my favorite thing I read is the fact that you have real flawed characters. I admire that. I’m not certain I’m doing well in that respect and you’ve given me some real food for thought as to whether or not they have flaws or issues inherent in their characters. Keep up the great work!

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