It has been a busy summer,
and I can’t believe it has been three months since I posted a blog. I
have been posting a few blogs and Caitlyn Jamison news on my website: memaki.com
The third Caitlyn Jamison
mystery, set in Virginia’s beautiful Northern Neck region has given me some
challenges. I’ve been back and forth with the plot line (s). Basically, I
had too many plot lines, too many characters, and the story was not
working. I’ve had to cut back on plot and characters, making all the tweaks, and simplifying the story so
that it is more powerful and now moving along.
To make matters worse, I
recently added a new first chapter, a prologue of sorts, which prompted another
round of chapter shifts. As in my first two books, I am dealing with my
characters' personalities and their desire to run the show.
I recently read 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias and
he describes what authors experience as they develop their stories. My favorite
quote from the book is: “Once characters take on lives of their own, they
become difficult to control. They may not share your sense of plot. They may
have their own agenda and leave you astounded by their imprudence. They defy
you. They taunt you.” Boy, did he hit the nail on the head.
While I’ve been working on
the next Caitlyn Jamison mystery, another book idea emerged. The protagonist is
named Emilie, and she has been quite persistent. She does not want to wait to
have her voice and opinions heard. So last weekend I started her story that
will be set in Savannah, Georgia, one of our favorite places to visit. I won’t
say any more about the story line now, because knowing character development,
she might change everything that I had in mind. I hope in a month or so I can
report on how Emilie is progressing.
In the meantime, I’m getting
ready for NANOWRIMO - my way - again this year. What will you be writing?
