To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.
~ Lao Tzu
Try this map game from Judy...
I got 84% right, 40 miles average error, 483 seconds. I drove cross-country one summer, which is probably the only reason I sort of remembered where all those Midwestern states are. But come on! They’re all square! Give me a break! (Sorry, Marianne…I know Colorado must have its own unique qualities, square or not)
So last night I was working on the final chapters of Paradise, USA (why are endings so hard for me? Are they hard for you?). My hero is in the hospital, on death’s door, and he’s supposed to be (according to my outline) thinking about how the heroine is giving him a reason to live.
Guess what he ended up doing?
No, not dying.
He ended up talking to his dead younger brother. I didn’t even know the brother was going to make an appearance in the novel! How weird. And yet it does make sense, because my hero has to move on from his brother’s death before he can really commit to falling in love again.
Why did my characters know that better than I did? Gosh, I hate when they do that. (OK, not really.)
What have your characters done for you lately?
4 comments:
A,
LOL on the square states! When I was in fourth grade, each student did a needlepoint outline of a state. I chose New Mexico for just that reason (Colorado was already taken, dang it... it was way easier).
RE: Characters. Man, they always seem to know best. Mine are always doing something that I hadn't planned that makes great sense once it's written. Pretty weird, huh?
So, is Paradise done now? And when the heck is it going to be available??? I hate the lag time between acceptance and publication.
Hi, Allie. My characters are always surprising me. I guess that's one reason I enjoy writing so much. I need to find out what's going to happen next ;-) And... once I KNOW (or think I know) what's going to happen, I have to force myself to finish the story. Weird, huh?
Oh please, the lag time is killing me too. I just want it available NOW, I want the cover art done NOW, I want the editing done NOW and I don't understand why all these people who have other jobs don't just put my work to the top of their pile...
Believe me, when Paradise is available, you'll definitely know!
82%, 32 miles, 333 seconds. 41 right on the first try, though!
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