Book Done Yet: Sometimes You Have to Close Your Eyes . . .

Yesterday, I looked at Nita’s first scene, and thought, Well, this sucks.

This is a thought I often have in the discovery draft, and it’s never depressing because it’s discovery draft so it’s all going to change anyway. But it was something that needed to be fixed now because it’s Nita’s first appearance on the page, and she is My Girl, and I want her to be the reader’s Girl, and that means I have to absolutely get her vivid and right on the first page, absolutely establish her as the One Who Owns This Story. The question was, how?

I think the first problem with Nita was that I didn’t have a clear idea of her when I started. If you remember, way back at the beginning, I wasn’t writing a book at all, I was talking about how I’d fix the mess that was the Lucifer pilot, a show that has gone on to good ratings and a renewal, so that shows what I know about TV writing. And then while I was making that argument, I got caught up in it, and a lot of what followed was moving that story from “Here’s how I’d write Lucifer” to “Here’s what a Crusie with the Devil as a hero is.” That is a lousy way for me to start a book because my books are heroine-centered. I had the same problem with Faking It when I started with Davy Dempsey and then had to find Tilda. It’s like starting with a supporting character and then trying to find what the book is about based on that, and then trying to construct a protagonist based on that. It’s nuts.

So I sat there yesterday, thinking about the shape of the book, which I like, and the cast of the book, which I like, and the protagonist of the book, whom I don’t know. And I thought, All of this stuff is getting in the way. I was trying to fit Nita into the plot instead of being Nita in the plot, seeing it through her world view, reacting as she’d react.

So I closed my eyes and thought, Okay, I’m Nita. My brother has called me to a crime scene that’s being investigated by my ex-partner and ex-lover and I have a new partner in tow. Plus I’m sick and I’ve had three hot toddies, I know my brother is up to something, I know my ex-partner is going to be angry that I’m there, and my new partner is anxious and a little bit annoying. How am I going to not just react to all of that, but handle it?

What kind of person am I?

Well, I wouldn’t just stand there, whining and reacting. I’m efficient, and I’m not run by emotion and I never get angry. I’m not a whiner, either, I’m a fixer. That’s why I became a cop, to fix things on my island. This is my corner of the world, and it’s my job to keep people safe, to fix the problems/crimes that occur, to make sure my world runs smoothly and justly. It’s my responsibility.

So I know Mort has an ulterior motive, but he’s my twin and he wouldn’t have called me out if there wasn’t something that needed fixed, even if there is something else he’s not telling me. And I know Clint is going to be annoyed, he has boundary issues, but if something needs fixed and I’m the one to do it, then he’s just going to have to step back. And I know Button is anxious, but she has to get over it because we have work to do, so I’ll make a plan to talk to her on the way home. I’m going to find out what’s going on, do whatever I have to do to get the information I need and keep things moving in the right direction, then I’ll go home and get some sleep and tomorrow, I will kick butt and take names until I’ve solved the problem/crime. With any luck, I won’t throw up while I’m doing any of that.

That means Mort is my antagonist in this scene and Clint and Button are complications. And that works because Mort is one of the few people I trust in the world, so even though I’m sick and annoyed with him, I’m stuck with him, I can’t walk away and dismiss him. He’s Mort. He’s my twin. I am always going to be there for Mort. So any conflict with him is a crucible because I can’t walk away.

Which means this scene is me trying to fix what Mort insists is wrong while dealing with Clint and Button and not throwing up, and ends with me going into the bar to sort out all the conflicting info I’m getting plus settling the hash of this absurd and annoying idiot who thinks telling cops he’s the Devil is an amusing way to spend the time.

Also, I’m upset about Joey. He’s a good guy. He deserved better. I owe it to Joey to bring his killer to justice.

Okay, I can write that. I’ll have to start over, but once the basic shape of the scene is down, I can go back to previous drafts and plug in the parts I’ve missed or that are better than the parts I’ve just written.

But that’s after I’ve closed my eyes and followed Nita (rapidly) through the rest of the book. People Who Don’t Understand the Writing Process will probably think I’m asleep, which is why I never hang out with them while I’m writing. And then I can find some crochet and do that muscle memory thing with rhythmic movement as I think about her whole story in more detail, who she is, how she changes, who she becomes.

And then I’ll rewrite the first scene, and Nick’s second scene, and then the third scene of the revised characters together.

I think I’ve got it.

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