Don’t Get Too Attached to the Work
As writers, we have to be willing to let some of the good stuff go. We work hard to accomplish our goals for each chapter. We make sure our word choices are appropriate and consider the tempo and rhythm of each sentence. And sometimes, no matter how good that chapter is, we just might have to deep-six it.
It took me a long time to get there.
My writing coach made a comment a while back. It concerned the fact that I didn’t have much in the way of character development for one of my major characters. She was right, but that character’s status raised to the front line, and to be truthful, I hadn’t caught up with her development.
I wrote a new chapter. I worked hard to get all the elements in I wanted without bloviating too much. After about a half-dozen iterations, I had a final chapter and looked at it. I considered its importance (it was), and something tugged at me. I think it was my writing coach’s words, “show don’t tell – show don’t tell.”
I let it ferment, read it several times, and coach won.
I incorporated all the basic elements into mostly dialog and voilà. Character development is more effective when it’s in context with the characters and with the situation.
I’m not going to post the entire 1,200 words here. I picked about 440 words from the middle as they are the most character-defining words.
My point is to not get overly attached to your work. Have confidence that the magic will continue.
Angelina prepared a proposal for him to consider.
He arrived on time, and they discussed the proposal over sangria and Jamón Iberico.
“Why do you want to give up the glamor and fame of a successful modeling career?”
Cisco watched Angelina’s eyes, dark brown afloat in white.
“It’s time,” she began. “I’m thirty-one and there are so many younger girls to compete with.” She pushed her long black hair behind her shoulders. “I want to do something important. Make a difference. You know all the clichés.”
“But this isn’t a cliché?”
“No, Cisco. You know me better than that.” Her response was pragmatic and direct.
“Did something happen in the last month? You were pretty high on your modeling career. Since the sessions with Ferrari you’ve gained some fame here in Barcelona and in Europe.”
“Sí. And there was a time when that was all I wanted.”
“There’s an element of danger in the investigation business, Angel. I don’t want to answer to Miguel and Laela if something were to happen.”
Angelina laced her fingers. “Mama and Papa are not a part of this. I’m not a child, Cisco. The modeling industry is crowded with predators.”
“A different kind of predator,” Cisco said.
“You’ll always protect me. There has never been anyone I trust as I trust you.”
Angelina poured more wine and watched him write notes in his journal.
“You need a woman to provide balance in your business. I’ve seen that many of your clients are women. You know me, Cisco. I can provide balance with a softer touch, and I can go places you can’t.”
“You’ve never made a habit of following wild ideas. I like your concept.”
“You have access to the best clientele as do I. Let’s be a team and do this.”
“I want to be certain it’s right for both of us. Are you sure there isn’t any pressure from your mother?”
“She doesn’t know about my decision.”
“And…” Cisco coaxed her for more.
Angelina exhaled a sigh. “It was something Mama said when we went to their house for dinner last week.”
“What did she say?” he asked.
Another sigh and hershoulders dropped. “When we were alone in the kitchen, she asked me: When are you going to make a difference Angelina? Being a model is a game for girls. You’re the oldest, and it is time. Time for you to represent the de Leòn Santos name and the legacy it brings.”
“I hear your father’s words from your mother’s mouth.” Cisco smiled at the woman who, as a girl, infatuated him, and today was the center of his affections.
