The First 4 Chapters of Rubbed Out – Done!
Finally, after going through research, plotting, scene sequencing, and the Christmas season, I was able to get started on writing Rubbed Out this week! The first four chapters are done, and I'm halfway through the fifth.
The first four chapters introduce the primary plotline and the secondary plotline, both of which are related. Ae-Cha Kam is a South Korean woman of 22, who has agreed to take a job in California in an effort to earn a great deal of money quickly. She has been assured by her "boss" back in South Korea that the job merely consists of serving drinks in a club in Koreatown. Having very limited knowledge of anything outside of her home country, Ae-Cha thinks that this is a great opportunity and takes the job. In Chapter 1, she finds herself being smuggled across the border from Tijuana to the United States, which was not part of the original bargain.
Here is the opening paragraph from "Rubbed Out":
"Ae-Cha was awake before she heard the knock on the motel room door. Still, when it came her heart jumped. The bedside clock glowed 12:04 AM. She rolled over and looked at the twin bed next to hers. Her roommate was asleep. She envied her briefly, then remembered this was the third time she'd said she'd done this. Maybe it got easier. Ae-Cha didn't think it would ever get easier for her." – Rubbed Out, by Jon Say ©2011
The writing process has gone quickly for the first four chapters. I know what I want to say and the research is paying off. Chapter Five is tripping me up a bit right now. I know what has to happen in terms of action, i.e., what has to get done in the chapter, but I'm not feeling I know one of the characters well enough. I'm going to spend this weekend thinking about that and making notes, and pick up Chapter Five on Monday and start over.
Next week I want to finish Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8. If I can figure out the character I'm struggling with in Chapter 5, I'll be able to finish another four chapters.
In the meantime, this weekend will be spent taking down our Christmas decorations and watching the NFL playoffs. My favorite team, Green Bay, plays on Sunday and that will top off what promises to be an excellent weekend! Take some time for yourself this winter weekend and do something that renews you, so you can wake up Monday refreshed and ready to go! Thanks for reading. -Jon
