bird brain

Character Assassination?

/ Tracy Abell / 23 Comments

I’m working on a new project and am struggling to find the narrator’s voice.  I decided to have him write a letter to me.  Here’s an excerpt:

I can feel your thoughts pushing in on mine so I’m not really sure if I’m thinking stuff or if you’re exerting your authorial will upon me.  I’d highly recommend you backing off with that authorial will.  We aren’t going to have a good time doing this book together if you’re getting into my space.  You have to respect me and I’ll try to do the same even though I’m a real character and you’re just the person telling my story.  I think I should definitely be the one making decisions here.  I’m me and you can only guess what that means OR you can shut up and let me tell the story.  The thing is, Tracy, you’re letting me tell this story in first-person which means I’m telling the story.  You’re just the person I chose to help get the words down so other people can share in the story.  You’re nothing special here.  I am.  My story and I are the special ones.  You’re the hired help.  Sorry if this sounds blunt but it’s the truth, and the sooner you accept it the better off we’ll all be.

I guess I should be grateful he apologized.

 

Me and My Notebook

/ Tracy Abell / 18 Comments

I know it sounds crazy but I’ve never used a spiral notebook for a writing project.  Each book has come out differently: the first was handwritten with a fountain pen on legal pads without any outlining or character sketches that I can remember (which might account for the blithering, blathering, circuitous route I followed before finally calling it finished); the second was outlined in part on a dry erase board and then written longhand and via word processing; the third and fourth were born through notes jotted notes here and there, some in a composition book divided into sections for PLOT and CHARACTER and DIALOGUE, others on loose leaf paper clumped together on a clipboard before getting transferred to a computer file. 

Even though I haven’t finished revising the fourth book and even though I usually don’t move onto a new project until I’ve completed the old (at least a draft), this time I’m doing just that.  I hope it doesn’t mean the death of Book Four but regardless, I’ve been swept away by a new idea ALL of which I’m scribbling in my blue notebook.  Willy nilly.  I’m dating stuff as I write it and do have full pages set aside for character notes but mostly I’m just letting it rip.

Right now I’m having great fun.  And that’s my main concern these days.