writing
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A Sneak Peek
As I write this post, my latest draft of Between The Beats is in the hands of my wonderful, amazing, developmental editor. This is her second round of reading and editing and I am anxiously awaiting her notes. I thought that while I wait for her to finish that it would be fun to share with you a peek at what the story looks like in my mind. These are all images I found while searching (i.e. procrastinating) for story and character inspiration. If you aren’t familiar with the story, it’s set in 1920’s New Orleans. Raymond is a serial killer, obsessed with two things; music and Simone. The rest I…
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Done!
At least with this latest round of edits and rewrites. My eyes are crossed and my brain is a jumble of words, images, and emotions. I’m afraid if I write one more word it will destroy the remaining 80,000+ words and that would be crushing, to say the least. This is what a draft of Between The Beats looks like. The little bumps at the bottom are paperclips marking spots that I need to come back to in the next round of rewrites. But for now, this is what has been sent off to the developmental editor for her to review and notes to show me what else needs to…
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A Letter To My Daughter’s Mother
You don’t know me, but because of you, I am a mom. Because you made the choice to leave her, your newborn baby, where someone was sure to find her, she has had a love filled life. I can’t begin to know or imagine the thoughts and hardships you faced when you made this decision. I don’t know if you wanted her and couldn’t keep her, or if you just couldn’t handle the prospect of being a mother at that time. I do know the policy of your country made boys more favored than girls. Maybe this is what influenced your decision. But whatever the reason, the question of why…
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Rediscovering Dreams
When I was little, okay, even now that I’m older, you could find me with my nose buried in a book. Friends would come over and ask if I wanted to come out to play and usually, I would. But there were those times when I didn’t. I couldn’t, because I was so engrossed in the story, that if I were to leave right then, the world in which I had been living would no longer exist. I wanted to stay there in that land of imagination that the author had created just for me. It was a magical place, full of adventures, challenges to be overcome, and in the end,…
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Naming Characters
Naming characters. It’s something that all writers struggle with. Well, at least writers I’ve talked to. Yes, there are times the name comes right away or you come up with a fully developed character before your fingers hit the keys and it fits perfectly. But then there are those times you start out with one in the story that you call name x or name y or even just name here until the story is finished. Then you start the process all over again. What am I going to name this character? Quick Google search for names leaves you feeling overwhelmed. Scroll through the list of Facebook friends. Maybe not. Someone…
