In November of 2019, I laid aside my work on Rose’s story. The story that I want to tell is so different from the narrative that is appearing on the written page. And I have started this particular tale over countless times, trying to hone in on the right path, all to no avail. So, rather than tossing Rose on the scrapheap, I have set her aside. To work on a Shiny New Idea.
Continue reading “Shiny New Idea”
One thing I’ve learned while writing is that I have a terrible visual imagination. I can describe how something feels. Or smells. And I’m pretty good with emotion. But ask me to describe how something looks and if it’s not right there in front of me, I go totally blank.
Maybe I’m afraid I’ll get it wrong? Without looking at it first?
Take my mythical town of Henderson…
Continue reading “The mythical town of…”
If you’ve just joined us, Rose and I have been talking about how she and Harold first met, an exercise suggested by the editor to whom I pitched my story idea at the recent writers’ conference I attended. It’s turned out to be a rather long, drawn-out story. You can catch up with Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
ROSE: I’m afraid this is taking much longer than you had expected. Shall I go on?
AUTHOR: {nods} Please. You had just fainted…
Continue reading “First Meetings (part 3)”
If you recall, Rose and I have been talking about how she and Harold first met—an exercise suggested to me by the editor that heard my story pitch. When we left Rose last time, she had stopped mid-story for a glass of lemonade.
I don’t know about you, but the wait has been excruciating.
Finally, I’ve pinned her down for more…
After some coffee—strong, because that’s what Rose thought I meant when I said something “stronger”—we settle on the porch swing. The sun is low on the horizon and I’m wishing I’d brought a sweater with me. Evenings get chilly in a hurry this time of year.
ROSE: Now, where were we?
AUTHOR: You had just found yourself face to face with—
ROSE: Oh, yes! Well, I wasn’t sure what I was face to face with. This… thing… covered in muck and blood stood outside a dilapidated shed.
Continue reading “First Meetings (part 2)”
I recently attended my first writers’ conference. One of the many firsts I experienced while there was pitching my story idea to an editor, Brenda Copeland. In the midst of my rambling, often incoherent, story pitch, she asked me a question I couldn’t answer; “How did these two characters meet?”
It’s an important question, given the disparity in their social classes, Harold being from what some would call the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ and Rose being significantly higher up on the social ladder. So, I decided it was time that Rose clued me in. We sat down and had a little talk…
Author: Since we’re exploring your former life, do you mind if I ask how you and Harold met? You have to admit, you two aren’t the average farm couple.
ROSE: Hmmm… The day I met Harold… {smiles, nods her head} At the time, I thought it was the worst day of my life.
Continue reading “First Meetings”Perhaps you’re wondering why I’ve chosen rural Nebraska just on the outskirts of Omaha as the setting for my story. Well, apart from my obvious family connection to the area, it has a great bootlegging history, and that history is partially the cause for this WIP in the first place. Long before Rose or Harold insinuated their way into my brain, I was digging around … Continue reading Location, Location, Location
Let me introduce you to Rose! Or, to be more accurate, my vision of Rose, from a picture, sadly lost now, that I found while looking for 1929 fashion samples. The image doesn’t look much like a farmer’s wife, and I guess that’s the point. This woman is sophisticated without being haughty, and very much a product of an urban upbringing. I mean, can you … Continue reading A Rose by any other name…
