Leta Blake's Blog, page 54
May 25, 2014
Yes, I’m Insane! That’s How I Do It! – My Writing Process Blog Hop by Leta Blake #amwriting
1) What am I working on?
Currently I’m working on another contemporary m/m romance titled Smoky Mountain Dreams. I started this one about four years ago and when I needed to take (yet another) break from the four book series I’ve been working on for nearly ten years (omg it will never end! probably because I keep taking breaks from it!), I planned to finish up the prequel to Stalking Dreams, but when I opened that file none of the characters felt like talking to me.
Around that same time, a friend said, “Hey, whatever happened to that book you were writing about the theme park performer and the jeweler with the angsty past? I’ve never read another m/m book like that one and I’ve always wanted you to finish it.” Assuming, as I always do, that the unfinished book was crap, I opened it up to see just why my friend thought it was special, and lo and behold…well, IT DID NOT SUCKETH.
(Confession: I have a problem with thinking everything I’ve left unfinished actually sucks. Luckily, my friends tend to remind me that I should look at those books again just to make sure. Then I realized I might be wrong after all. Training Season and The River Leith were both books with this unfinished-so-must-suck history.)
So! I had the epiphany that if I managed to get Smoky Mountain Dreams done by July and hold it to release in November, then I will have almost a full year before I’d need to put out the first book in the four book series. Then, since I’m (hopefully) 2/3 done with Book 3 of that series, I’d have nearly a year and a half to have Book 4 finished, and hooray! The twice yearly timeline works out for me! Though I plan to put the series out one book every two or three months, so it will be more than twice annually in that year.
Holy crap, no one wanted to know that! This must be the most boring blog post I’ve ever written so far!
To sum up: I’m working on a book about a theme park employee and his jeweler love interest and it’s a lot more complicated than that makes it sound.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hmm. You know, the only way I can answer this is to say, simply, they are written by me and I don’t think anyone else writes just exactly the same way that I do? There’s no value on this reality, just that I’m pretty sure I have a voice that is my own. I will say that I think I’m unapologetic. I write what the characters want and that’s that. If that makes someone unhappy then I can’t really be sorry about that because characters are who they are and I don’t always approve of their behavior either.
3) Why do I write what I do?
This is a big topic. I write romance because I have always loved the joy of them, the happy endings, the trials on the way to them. They’ve always made my heart beat faster. I write m/m romance for a ton of reasons, one of the biggest being that if I ever write a m/f book, then I want to make sure I’ve broken my mind free enough of the traps society has instilled in my mind about women, heroines, and what that looks like. Quite frankly, writing m/m helps with that. What is that saying? You can’t imagine freedom if you don’t know what it looks like? Well, m/m helps me imagine a m/f reality that doesn’t fall back on the rules and regulations that society has drilled into me.
4) How does your writing process work?
It’s a process made up of three prongs:
1) Inspiration
First, I need to be inspired. Where that inspiration comes from is always a mystery and it can hit at any time. Music, poetry, taking a walk in the park, getting dinner in a restaurant, a random comment from a friend. Boom! Characters show up in my head and start talking to me and I’m all, “Wait, wait, let me get this down. Hold up!” (Or sometimes I say, “Wait, wait, I can’t with you right now. I’m swamped with another book, you see. Come back later.”) I can never tell what’s going to inspire me, but there’s no doubt that inspiration is required and part of the process.
2) Work
Second, I put in the time. I make the time. I have to make time because there are only so many hours in a day, a week, a year. And writing’s in my blood. It makes me go. I have to do it and I have to work at it. So, I am a writer. What am I not? Let’s make a list:
a) I’m not the perfect mom! Why? Because, oh, sometimes I tell my kid to make her own dinner (PB&J and some applesauce) because Mommy is writing. Or I hire a babysitter so I can write. Or I set her up on her iPad and say, “Play on this and when you’re bored watch tv or read a book, but don’t come talk to me because I’m writing.” Now, am I a good mom? Hell yeah. I’m a damn good mom. I’m at the important things and by writing I teach her that moms have reasons to be on this earth that don’t consist of “being focused on the kid 100% of the time”.
b) I am NOT a good housekeeper. In fact, my house is a disaster. I should take pics. Okay, fine, I actually will! Here is what my sink looks like RIGHT THIS SECOND. This is reality. I work a job, do a ton for my kid, spend time with my husband and write books. Something’s gotta give.
Yep! That’s what being a writing mom looks like! Aren’t you glad you don’t write? Yep, yep.
*
3) Dogged Determination
My process involves ignoring new inspiration in the interest of finishing an older work that is no longer making my blood pump with joy. My process involves ignoring the very loud chorus of voices in my head saying, “You can’t do this. This books can’t be finished. It’s stupid. Everyone will hate it. You’re going to make an ass of yourself. Who do you think you are writing this book???”
Luckily for me, I’m a bit of a contrarian. If you tell me I can’t do something? God, that just makes me want to do it so much more. Even if it’s me telling myself that. Sure, I’ll whine about it–(sorry friends who have had to endure a lot of this!)–and take to my bed for a day or so and feel like I suck and want to give up. BUT I DON’T. I eventually say, “Can’t do it, huh? SHUT UP. WE’RE DOING THIS.” And I do it.
So, the last part of my process is simply NOT STOPPING.
May 24, 2014
Are You Even In A Relationship If The Person Can’t Remember Who You Are? #amnesia #morality
I am finding myself absolutely fascinated by the reaction some readers have to certain things in The River Leith. I decided I’d blog about it, but I wanted to state upfront that I’m not arguing that these readers are wrong or that they shouldn’t feel as they do, I’m just explaining my own thinking and my own surprise.
BEYOND THIS POINT ARE SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!! Read only if you are okay with being SPOILED!!
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So, quite a number of people are calling Zach’s one night stand “cheating” and that’s absolutely fascinating to me. First, I should state that one of my biggest squicks in reading is adultery–which I generally think of as emotional and physical affairs. I can’t promise to never write adultery because characters do what they do, and yadda, but just know that for me adultery is really gross and heinous behavior that I struggle to have empathy for.
So, you might be surprised to hear that, in my mind, Zach didn’t cheat or commit adultery. From my point of view, how could he have? He wasn’t even in a relationship anymore!
I mean, as I see it, you’re no longer in a relationship if either person doesn’t consider themselves in a relationship with you. Now, if they’d been married, there would have still been a legal relationship there, and vows Zach had made, but they weren’t married, and as far as Leith was concerned they weren’t in a relationship either. To repeat: it’s my perspective that if the other person no longer considers themselves in a relationship with you (because they don’t remember who you are! and have no recollection of your existence! or for any other reason!) then you’re not in a relationship anymore. If you insist that you are in a relationship with someone who doesn’t think they are in a relationship with you then that’s, well, disturbing at best, imho.
To me, it would be much more creepy and even emotionally nonconsensual to insist to a person that doesn’t remember you that he is in fact in a relationship with you and that you owe each other fidelity in some way. Like, imagine waking up tomorrow and a complete stranger is there saying, “I love you! We’re together! You’re my boo!” *shudders* Personally, I’d be all, “STEP OFF, MOTHERFUCKER!”
So, Zach’s choice to not push that onto Leith, to not force him into some kind of defacto commitment based on something that no longer existed for him was a lot more respectful in my opinion than insisting that Leith (and Zach) accept a relationship that he didn’t remember being in. (Should he have made that choice on his own? That’s a question the book brings up, and I feel like it’s a question that has many possible answers, though, I think Leith makes his opinion clear in the book itself. Strangely enough, I’m not sure I even agree with Leith all the time! But I often don’t agree with my characters.)
So, from my point of view, why should Zach hold himself to a higher standard of commitment than he’s holding Leith to? Why would he consider himself in a relationship with Leith when, as far as he’s concerned, Leith might very well take up with one of the cute nurses? And, yet, he does hold himself to that commitment anyway–a little too late. He does what he does and hates himself for it.
I’m okay with other people seeing what happened in the book differently. That’s not the point of this post. I guess the point is…well, I admit it never even occurred to me that people would interpret Zach’s actions as cheating or adultery or hold them against him. I felt like his actions were entirely understandable. I was actually more worried that people would find Leith’s reaction to discovering Zach’s one-night-stand to be abusive! LOL! Ha! Well, I couldn’t have been more off-base!
Anyway, obviously I’m not trying to police anyone’s mind. Everyone is welcome to react how they react, and feel how they feel. I’m just surprised and a little flabbergasted, but that’s okay! I suppose it’s good that people at least seem to feel strongly about the characters, even if some of those folks feel somewhat negatively about Zach.
Most importantly, as always, I’m so touched and pleased that there are readers out there who even want to give the books a try. So thank you to ALL OF YOU who have read the book. No matter your feelings or interpretations YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST! I adore you!!! :)
May 23, 2014
Deleted Scene: The River Leith’s Alternate Ending #spoilers #extras
So, when I wrote The River Leith, it originally had an epilogue after the last vlog post, but my editor said, “Nope. Nope, nope, nope. It ends nicely with the vlog. No need to clutter the book up with what amounts to two endings!” So, with a heavy heart, I deleted the scene.
But! That gives me an opportunity to share it with you now! Let me say in advance IT HAS MASSIVE, MASSIVE, MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE BOOK!!!! If you have not read the book, then you may want to take a pass on reading beyond the cut.
If you have read the book, then you know what happens, so let’s just cut to the chase! Click on through to see the deleted epilogue to The River Leith. There’s more texting, more Thakur, more Zach, and more Leith! *twirls and throws confetti*
Epilogue
Zach’s birthday was in three days, and Leith was ready. Almost.
He’d dodged him earlier in the day and managed to make it to the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket to get the last thing he needed to complete Zach’s gift. He approached Daggi with a swagger and smile, and waited for her to notice him.
Zach always teased him for flirting with old ladies, but he had a certain fondness for them, and especially for Daggi, who reminded him of his mother’s mother. It was something about her smile and the way she pinched his cheeks if she managed to catch him bent over low enough for her to reach them.
The last time she’d managed to grab his face, Zach had whispered, “At least she’s not going after the cheeks she can reach. If she did I might have to defend your honor, and I’d hate to hit a sweet little old lady.”
“I bet she could take you. She’s a tough old bird.”
Daggi took several dollars from the man she was helping and turned to Leith. “Ah, darling boy, you look charming today in that blue shirt. Brings out your eyes, schätzchen.”
“Uh, thank you.” His attention was focused on Daggi’s other customer. “Dr. Thakur?”
“Leith?” Dr. Thakur smiled. “It’s been a while. How are you?”
Leith rocked on his heels and stuck his hands deep in his pockets, smiling broadly. “Things are great. Is this your wife?”
Dr. Thakur nodded, turning to the plump and pretty woman beside him. “Darling, this is Leith Wenz. Leith this is my wife, Bhavanha.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Thakur. I’m a former patient of your husband’s.” Leith tapped his forehead. “Amnesiac,” he said, proudly. He’d come to enjoy the reaction it got from most people. It was like a party trick no one else could top.
She shook Leith’s hand. “A delight to meet you!”
“Thank you. Mrs. Thakur, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m glad to have a face to go with the stories.”
Mrs. Thakur shot her husband a knowing glance and chuckled. “Has he been feeding you baloney about my wise Indian grandmother?”
Leith lifted his brows. “Yes?”
Dr. Thakur rolled his eyes. “Now, now, Bhavanha, don’t disabuse my former patient of the romantic notions I’ve instilled in him about your grandmother. He has a fragile mind.” Dr. Thakur winked at Leith, and then smiled at Daggi, who looked on with interest.
“Oh please,” Mrs. Thakur said, laughing. “It’s easy to see this boy is right as rain. He can handle it.”
“And if he can’t?” Dr. Thakur asked.
Mrs. Thakur scoffed. She took Leith’s arm and stage whispered, “I’ll have you know, Mr. Wenz, my grandmother lived her entire life in England and never set foot in India.”
“But…her funeral with the monsoon flooded river?” Leith asked.
“I may have read about something like it in a book,” Dr. Thakur said, scratching at his face.
“And Krishna?” Leith asked. “A thousand suns? The taste of pure water? The divinity of human courage? Your grandmother never said any of that?”
Mrs. Thakur laughed, patting his arm. “Oh no. She was a Christian. I, however, have been learning about Hinduism, and I’ve been sharing my insights with my husband. I don’t know why he likes to embellish the stories but he clearly does.”
“And my wife clearly likes to undermine my authority with my patients.”
“Former patients,” Mrs. Thakur corrected.
Leith was flabbergasted. “You made it all up? Why would you do that?”
“Of course I didn’t make it up, Leith. Well, perhaps a little. But everything I told you had some important truth in it, and you were able to choose for yourself which ones spoke to you and which ones didn’t. The most important lessons in life can be discovered in fictions…especially if one regards them as though they are true.”
Leith blinked. “I…don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’re doing well.”
“I am. Very well. I’m happy.”
“Good. That’s what I like to hear from my amnesiacs.” Dr. Thakur put out his hand and Leith shook it. “Keep exploring the universe, Leith.”
Leith stood next to Daggi and watched them amble away, Mrs. Thakur laughing at something Dr. Thakur was saying and shaking her head in indulgent amusement.
“Did you hear all of that?” Leith asked.
“Yes,” Daggi said. “He’s a strange one.”
“I’m not sure that’s ethical,” Leith muttered.
“But he helped you?”
Leith considered it. “I don’t know. Maybe? Well, yes.”
“Okay then, take your cheese and the treat I set aside for Zach, just as you asked, and give old Daggi a kiss for the holidays.”
Leith smiled, kissed her tissue-paper cheek, and paid her. He pulled out his cell phone as he walked toward home.
I just ran into Dr. Thakur. Turns out everything he told me was a lie!
~
In that case, when will you be getting your memories back?
~
Ha ha! Very funny! I meant everything else he told me, jerk.
~
And this surprises you, Leith?
~
No. Yes. Maybe. No. Yes!!!!
~
When you’ve made up your mind let me know.
Leith put his phone into his pocket. He stopped at a bench and sat down, enjoying the cold air and the morning sun on his face. Unwrapping the cheese, he pulled off a hunk and gnawed on it. He turned the last few months over in his mind, thinking about memory and the nature of it. A smile broke over his face as a truth born of Dr. Thakur’s fictions came to mind.
Leith pulled out his cell phone and texted Zach again.
I’ve made up my mind. I’m not surprised. Also, I think that memory is like Krishna: the everything and the nothing.
~
Hit me with more of this cheesy poetry, babe. Tell me about Christmas lights shining through time and space, or the truth of stars behind dark cloud, or sumpin’ like that.
~
Memory and no-memory is the River of Life and the River Lethe. All and nothing.
He took another bit of cheese as he waited for a reply, watching the clot of holiday shoppers pass by. He hummed a song under his breath, and waved at a little girl on her bike.
His phone pinged.
Well, then, my River Leith, when will you be home?
Leith grinned and chewed the last of his hunk of cheese, wrapping the rest to share with Zach later. Watching a man and a woman walk past on their way toward the entrance to Prospect Park, he closed his eyes and wondered what he’d done last year for Zach’s birthday. Unbidden, several lines from an old John Wayne western surfaced in his mind.
Can you swim, boy? Best swimmer in the world, sir. Swam the whole English Channel with an anvil on my chest.
Yes, an old western. Was it called She Wore A Yellow Ribbon? Yes. He was sure it was. And he’d watched it with Zach. There’d been a dozen red roses on the table in the room of a hotel? Was it the Casablanca Hotel? Was it for their anniversary? His mind chased after the images. Was that last year? Last year?
He paused, astonished, and found that there was nothing more. Just the roses and the hotel room, and the vague knowledge that Zach had been there too. He stood up, juggling his purchases, and texted as he hurried toward Blue Flight.
I’m flowing your way now. And guess what? No anvil on my chest. Not anymore.
~
Okay? Good? I’m glad? Your brain damage makes you weird, by the way. Also, a n entire hockey team just walked into the bar.
~
What’s the punch line?
~
Flow faster.
~
Okay, but Zach, I think you should know something first…
~
I’m slammed. Can’t text.
~
With every molecule in the whole river of me, I love you.
~
Dear poetic, romantic, adorable amnesiac of my heart, I love you too. Now get your ass to this bar and HELP ME, dammit.
~
So bossy! Be there in five.
THE END
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
May 22, 2014
Author Spotlight – Leta Blake | Queer Town Abbey #free #ebook #mmromance
Today I’m over at Queer Town Abbey helping them celebrate their birthday! In addition to an interview, there’s an opportunity to win The River Leith via Rafflecopter!
A taste of the interview is below:
What does your writing process look like?
My writing process is made up of three prongs: inspiration, work, and dogged determination. It all starts with inspiration, but work is what gets 90% of the book done, and dogged determination is the last 10% needed to keep from throwing myself down in a heap and giving up.
What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing process?
The part about 2/3 of the way through when I become convinced that this book is not possible, that it will never be done, that I’ve wasted so much time and effort on something that just can’t even possibly ever be finished. That part sucks.
Read more at: Author Spotlight – Leta Blake | Queer Town Abbey.
May 21, 2014
Now For Something A Little Personal #life #parenthood #me
In two days my daughter will come to the end of second grade. Had she remained at her public school, she would be moving on to the “big kids” Intermediate School along with her pals. Instead, we switched her mid-year to a private school and so she will only be changing sides of the building.
I’m eager to see this year go. I feel a bit sad saying that, especially when I see the other moms who still have their kids in the public school feeling nostalgic for the loss of their child’s Primary School years. Still, this year has been a tough one. I imagine it probably isn’t the toughest year we’ll face as parents, not by far, but it’s just been a struggle all the way through.
First we had a challenging situation in public school where Kid was bored and losing interest by the day. The teacher was not doing what she could to keep her challenged and there was a sense that we would just have to suck it up. That was less than ideal. However, she had a great social situation with little girl friends who were…well, little girls. They liked to play superheroes on the playground and their friendships were very innocent, pure, fresh things. Even their arguments were childlike and without subtleties.
So, we changed her mid-year, taking advantage of an empty place in the classroom of a local private school.
Suddenly we had school work that was, if not exactly challenging, at least different and given with some depth. Poetry, for example, was explored at length and culminated in a poetry jam where every kid had memorized at least one poem for recitation. In addition, they’d learned about different types of poetry in some depth, written many poems, and read over fifty poems at home for homework. We had Spanish as a class and opportunities like Robotics Club and other specialized learning opportunities.
But the social situation…argh. These little girls were not little girls at all. At least not in the innocent way that her old friends had been. There were conversations like, “Janice said that Marilyn said that Natalie said she didn’t like me.” It was exhausting. Issues of class and income could not be ignored. Cliques were full-on and impossible to figure out. Everything about the social life has been 180 degrees from the social life she enjoyed before the change.
Then there was the entire thing of just getting used to an entirely different school culture. And, whoa, was it different, in both good and bad ways! I just never felt like we really got a grip on things. What was expected? And what was unreasonable? And what was just the way things are?
Add to that book releases, fears, travels, and the longest, coldest winter ever in my memory and UGH.
After everything, I’m looking forward to summer. At least when we go back next fall, she won’t be the new girl anymore and she’ll be starting the third grade with the rest of her class. Hopefully, we won’t have another year of struggling and trying to figure out how to get by every day.
So, yeah, second grade? Adios. We won’t be seeing you again. (Until Kid has a kid, anyway.) And while parts of you were fantastic other parts were just endlessly stressful. I’m happy to see you go. Bring on summer!
Fan Favorite The River Leith is on iTunes Now! #gay #mmromance #amnesia
Click on the pic to go to iTunes!
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
May 20, 2014
Opportunities to get The River Leith for free! #mmromance #gay
I’ve been sick with a fever and tummy issues, so I’m a little behind! Sorry!
First, there are opportunities to win a copy of The River Leith at the following blogs:
3) Smut Book Club Raffelcopter at end of the lovely review post.
Second, I also did a guest blog at The Novel Approach.
And, lastly, The River Leith became an ARe Bestseller!!
Thanks to Chris, Lisa, and Solange for the wonderful help getting The River Leith out there!
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
May 19, 2014
Whoot! Free Copy of The River Leith at Stumbling Over Chaos! #free #ebook #mmromance
Just click on over using THIS LINK to comment for a free copy of The River Leith!
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
May 18, 2014
Editing Woes: Leith & Zach’s Deleted Texts #mmromance #extras
Whenever I pay to have something edited, the rule I set for myself is to always take the editor’s advice on what to cut, even if it makes me sad. In The River Leith there were a few lines that got cut that I liked a lot, and an entire scene that I’ll post at another date, but there was a specific text interaction that I’d really loved and it was especially hard to cut that one.
It was short. It was sweet. And it probably only makes sense in the context of the book. But here it is. The first text is from Leith, the second from Zach.
***
Today, my psychiatrist compared my mind to a map of the universe.
The reply from Zach took only a few moments.
My God! It’s full of stars!!!!
***
Yep, that took me about thirty minutes of fretting to finally cut. It was the right choice, though. That’s what we pay editors for, my friends!
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
Pantsing My Way to the Fun Parts #amwriting
I’ve reached the part of my next book that is always my favorite. I’ve set it up and spent some time angsting on what to do next, ultimately concluding that I should do what I’ve always done–Pants It!
For those not in the writing community, pantsing isn’t about pulling someone’s pants down and displaying their undies to the world, but about writing by the seat of your pants. Sure, I have a vague idea of where these guys are headed, and several scenes I know I have to hit, but just how they get there is still up for grabs.
Right now I’m at my favorite stage of the game, though. It’s the part where characters, both main and secondary, have started to just take over scenes and shoulder their way through them without any concern for me. They say and do what they want, often surprising me and making me laugh, and even better often showing me very important things about their background and motivations.
It’s my favorite part because the thrill of discovering them can’t be denied, but the terror that maybe I don’t know what I’m doing and the chore of making all the bits fit into a whole hasn’t come up yet. Give me another 40k words and I’ll be biting my nails with stomach churning anxiety and fear that I’ve written something unfinishable and unsalvagable and wasted months of my life.
But for now I’m happy and having fun and hopeful. My favorite part!
