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December 20, 2005 | Writing
Well, my countdown continues. Could someone explain to me, why my writing muse strikes at 11pm? My characters don’t sleep during the day, they bug me then also. It’s not so bad, except when I’m practicing my backhand, and all of a sudden, here comes Elizabeth, my heroine, wanting to know if I’m making her appear weak where her father is concerned. Of course I miss my shot, not enough shoulder rotation or follow through on my swing. I mentally remind her that she’s a ‘Daddy’s girl’. She’d rather face the Supreme Court in her underwear singing Tupac than confront her father. She loves Stephen and is caught in the middle trying to negotiate a family truce. My tag line for my novel, Romeo and Juliet but they don’t die. As for Stephen, he’s just happy to have five hot sex scenes in the book with Elizabeth. Men. In my original novel, I killed the father to create more conflict. Now, he’s still alive causing trouble. He’s not an evil man, just one who has seen what the world has to offer interracial couples, Elizabeth is black and Stephen is white, and doesn’t want it for his daughter. Of course, he has a secret, but that isn’t revealed until the sequel. Yes, I took a BIG chunk of the book out to keep the story focused on Elizabeth and Stephen, and have a second book. Provided of course, book one is published. I line edited two more chapters last night, before I decided to go to bed at 2am. I almost stayed up and watched Star Trek’s The Wrath of Khan, but decided not to. It’s bad when you start reciting dialogue and can identify the main plot, subplots, and dark moments. Tomorrow, I’ll explain how I was ‘recruited’ into tennis, when all I was looking for was a way out of aerobics.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched the Trek movies over and over — but just the even numbered ones. 🙂
Muses strike when they want to. Mine usually waits until I’m deeply asleep and then slides an idea–or an opening line–into my brain and poof! I am wide awake at 3:00 in the morning.
If it gets me published, I won’t complain too much.
I don’t have muses or characters who talk at odd hours, so I can’t help you or understand what you’re going through.
What I do know is you have a fine novel with excitement, a good plot line, and two secondary characters who deserve books of their own.