The Second Beginning
Originally posted April 28, 2011.
A piece of music, an offhand comment and an enthusiastic response; that's all it took to begin the process of deconstructing a novel for recycling. There were many elements of the Chick-Lit that were worth saving. Emily, the protagonist, was one.
I've spent many years developing the character of Emily O'Shea. She's had many names. Her appearance has changed several times. She's been a peripheral character in a few short stories. She was a secondary character in a Fantasy-Fiction novelette. Emily was the focus of at least two pieces of prose and one short story. Somehow, Emily has always risen from my pencil, pen, typewriter, word-processor and keyboard to grace the many plots and subplots of my imagination. She has grown and developed over time into a complex entity, impossible to ignore. When the novel became a mystery, she demanded to retain her hard-earned place in the spotlight. Who am I to deny her?
She must bring her entourage; Marcus, Charmindy, Alisa and Alex. They too, in various guises, have allowed me to put them through countless delights and disasters. A host of others were left behind, waiting impatiently for another story. "The Pink Minx" and "The Durham Herald" had been raised by their foundations, moved to new cities and renamed, from previous stories and weren't about to be abandoned now.
I tried to salvage more. I clung desperately to the security of my original prologue, written over eight years ago and edited repeatedly since. I tweaked it here and added to it there. As proud as any mother of her newborn babe, I posted it in a writer's forum, only to be informed that it was misshapen and out of place. It wasn't easy to admit that my critics were completely right. The old prologue fit a mystery novel the way I fit my jeans from 1989; which is to say, not at all. I reluctantly tucked it away with my suspended characters and moved on.
Once I had the tone, I began the outline. The plots and sub-plots fell into place easily. The characters, flexible as always, adjusted without a whimper; the timeline followed. All that remained was to fill in the details and allow the characters to introduce me to their peers...and tell me the story. Oh, did I neglect to mention I'm not really in control here? This novel has a life and personality all its own. My position is one of a mere translator/stenographer. I have no other explanation for completing five and a half chapters in six weeks; a feat I never would have believed myself capable of. I hope I can maintain the pace.
I owe a lot of my enthusiasm to several other writers, writer's groups and forums. With any luck, I'll be able to thank them all properly in the credits of a published novel one day. For now, I would like to mention a few of those writers who have been the most kind and helpful, since the second beginning; Randy Peyser, author of "Crappy to Happy", Denise Byers , author of the upcoming "Princess Olivia and the Fire Breathing Dragon", Thomas Pryce author of the upcoming "Unnatural Selection" & Emily Gossett author of the upcoming "Awaken Me". Perhaps you will help me thank them by looking for them on Facebook or taking a peek at their books.
The video-trailer and teasers have been instrumental to maintaining my enthusiasm, as well as a welcome break between chapters. The biggest morale boost, however, had to be seeing my book cover for the first time. Dave Ford has been a driving force behind the creation of the novel itself and the presentation of it to all of you. Thank you, Dave.
In the interim, I've had a few small U.S. publishers send me encouragement. I'm excited that two, (though I won't reveal the companies without permission), have stated that they would welcome a query when I've completed the manuscript! I'm hoping to find an agent before then, but I'm honoured and flattered to be considered by anyone at this early stage!
For now, it's all about the story and the words. Fate controls my chances of publication, and I'm more than content with that. I'm enjoying the simple act of putting the words together and discovering that they've become sentences, paragraphs and chapters. To the readers: Happy reading. To the writers: Happy writing. I have a chapter that won't let me rest until it's completed.
A piece of music, an offhand comment and an enthusiastic response; that's all it took to begin the process of deconstructing a novel for recycling. There were many elements of the Chick-Lit that were worth saving. Emily, the protagonist, was one.
I've spent many years developing the character of Emily O'Shea. She's had many names. Her appearance has changed several times. She's been a peripheral character in a few short stories. She was a secondary character in a Fantasy-Fiction novelette. Emily was the focus of at least two pieces of prose and one short story. Somehow, Emily has always risen from my pencil, pen, typewriter, word-processor and keyboard to grace the many plots and subplots of my imagination. She has grown and developed over time into a complex entity, impossible to ignore. When the novel became a mystery, she demanded to retain her hard-earned place in the spotlight. Who am I to deny her?
She must bring her entourage; Marcus, Charmindy, Alisa and Alex. They too, in various guises, have allowed me to put them through countless delights and disasters. A host of others were left behind, waiting impatiently for another story. "The Pink Minx" and "The Durham Herald" had been raised by their foundations, moved to new cities and renamed, from previous stories and weren't about to be abandoned now.
I tried to salvage more. I clung desperately to the security of my original prologue, written over eight years ago and edited repeatedly since. I tweaked it here and added to it there. As proud as any mother of her newborn babe, I posted it in a writer's forum, only to be informed that it was misshapen and out of place. It wasn't easy to admit that my critics were completely right. The old prologue fit a mystery novel the way I fit my jeans from 1989; which is to say, not at all. I reluctantly tucked it away with my suspended characters and moved on.
Once I had the tone, I began the outline. The plots and sub-plots fell into place easily. The characters, flexible as always, adjusted without a whimper; the timeline followed. All that remained was to fill in the details and allow the characters to introduce me to their peers...and tell me the story. Oh, did I neglect to mention I'm not really in control here? This novel has a life and personality all its own. My position is one of a mere translator/stenographer. I have no other explanation for completing five and a half chapters in six weeks; a feat I never would have believed myself capable of. I hope I can maintain the pace.
I owe a lot of my enthusiasm to several other writers, writer's groups and forums. With any luck, I'll be able to thank them all properly in the credits of a published novel one day. For now, I would like to mention a few of those writers who have been the most kind and helpful, since the second beginning; Randy Peyser, author of "Crappy to Happy", Denise Byers , author of the upcoming "Princess Olivia and the Fire Breathing Dragon", Thomas Pryce author of the upcoming "Unnatural Selection" & Emily Gossett author of the upcoming "Awaken Me". Perhaps you will help me thank them by looking for them on Facebook or taking a peek at their books.
The video-trailer and teasers have been instrumental to maintaining my enthusiasm, as well as a welcome break between chapters. The biggest morale boost, however, had to be seeing my book cover for the first time. Dave Ford has been a driving force behind the creation of the novel itself and the presentation of it to all of you. Thank you, Dave.
In the interim, I've had a few small U.S. publishers send me encouragement. I'm excited that two, (though I won't reveal the companies without permission), have stated that they would welcome a query when I've completed the manuscript! I'm hoping to find an agent before then, but I'm honoured and flattered to be considered by anyone at this early stage!
For now, it's all about the story and the words. Fate controls my chances of publication, and I'm more than content with that. I'm enjoying the simple act of putting the words together and discovering that they've become sentences, paragraphs and chapters. To the readers: Happy reading. To the writers: Happy writing. I have a chapter that won't let me rest until it's completed.
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