Can you all just stop talking over each other?
My characters are uninterested in letting anyone finish their story. Bitches.
I hate leaving things unfinished, which sucks large, since I am a writer. Ask anyone who writes and they will tell you they have multiple unfinished manuscripts and stories. It’s not that we can’t get to the finish line, it’s that the voices in our heads drift from narrator to narrator.
Let me tell you how this happens for me.
A couple of years ago, a window wandered into my brain. She was deep in grief, having lost her husband of 18 years. It wasn’t a long marriage, but it was her third and she finally got it right. At 74, she was facing the prospect of never having such a deep love again. Part of her grieving involved berating herself for wasting so much time with husbands number one and two.
As she is packing up her husband’s things, she finds a list the two of them made. A bucket list of things to experience before they die. She decides to not go on a clichéd mission to do all those things. Instead, she sits with her grief, reflecting on the seasons of their love. The working title of this book: Seasons of Love.
I nailed winter and summer. I was ruminating on spring when another voice started whispering in my ear. Katya, a 63-year-old retired assassin was telling me to tell her story. I ignored her, which was a mistake. I know better than to turn my back on strong-willed Russian women. I grew up with women like Katya all around me. They demand to be heard.
Katya became a louder and louder voice. I acquiesced, and started writing a short story about her. I added three more women to her circle, and put them into a book club. Just past the halfway mark of writing, I knew this was going to evolve into a novel. I finished the story and submitted it to a few publications. Two rejections, one response pending. In the meantime, I started working on character arcs for these four women.
I had to leave Katya and Company alone for a bit while I worked on meeting my publisher’s deadline for my middle grade novel (still on track for an August 2023 release!). But the whole time, these women were nattering and arguing and cajoling in my head. Yelling at me to get busy. Allowing me to eavesdrop on their conversations. It sounds like I’m off my rocker, right? But this is how it is for me at the start of a new book. I hear the distinct voices in my head.
Here’s a peek into a conversation between two characters, Farzana, a 60-year-old from Afghanistan and Annalise, a 52-year-old real housewife type.
Annalise: I’ve already planned out my funeral. Every single detail is taken care of.
Farzana: Why would you do that?
Annalise: It’ll make it easier for my grieving husband.
Farzana: Marco is okay with this?
Annalise: Who said it was going to be Marco? Might be husband number four or five.
Farzana: How much does a funeral cost?
Annalise: I may have gone over the top with mine. It would be cheaper to be buried in a Tesla.
Farzana: Ay yi. If I’m going to spend an eternity in a pewter box, at least get it on sale.
It’s rough and unpolished. It might not even make it into the manuscript. My notes app is full of snippets of conversation and ideas that popped into my head.
I’m still working on the outline, with the hope that I can begin writing the novel in March. Assuming of course, someone new doesn’t park themselves in my brain and start shouting over the others.
What I’m Reading
I am deliberately reading this since I need a break from the literary fiction and grit lit I’ve been diving into of late. Quirky characters and impossible romance always do the trick.
Have you read my books? I’d really appreciate a rating or review on Goodreads or Amazon.