Epiphany

Epiphany

“a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.” (www.dictionary.com)

Don’t you just hate those?

If you have one, it usually means some simple truth escaped you, oh, say 500 times.

Yesterday, I had one.

Shit.

I’ve been saying to my writing group for months, “What’s the worst thing that could happen in your story? Figure that out and make it happen to your characters. Put that in your story.”

Wonderful words of wisdom.

How come I could say them just fine, but couldn’t hear them at all?

The epiphany occurred yesterday in the semi-dark of dusk as I listened to the increasing intensity in one of the books of genius Suzanne Brockmann.

What was this insight, you ask.

I need to take my characters and make the very worst things happen to them. Get them in such dire circumstance that I’m not even sure how they’ll get out.

Duh!?!

So, what will I do?

I unwrapped that corkboard that I’d been eagerly waiting to put up in my writing space at renovation hell (aka my beloved home). I printed the chart of plot stuff I had on the computer, and I began to cut it apart and pin it up. Over the next week, I want to add sticky notes everywhere with those “worst case scenario” ideas. Then, I want to figure out where the hell this story is going.

I’m not abandoning those well thought out goals I posted, but if I drive forward blindly, I won’t ever get to the destination. And, it is the destination, the dream, the objectives that are important. It’s finishing a marketable, saleable book (or at least as close to that as I can get) that’s important.

Talented writer and goal guru, Roxanne St. Claire said that, above all, goals have to be flexible and that you won’t reach all of them. She also said you need to have regular meetings with yourself to re-evaluate your goals.

Evaluation: I need story surgery. I need to add urgency in the beginning. I need to throw in dire situations. I need to show (not just tell) how smart, sexy, and fabulous my characters are. I need to put them in messes. BIG, HUGE messes and let them sweat and squirm and figure it out.

I was afraid to make it too intense, too stressful on them. I was afraid that it wouldn’t seem real life. But you know what? It isn’t real life. At least for me or most people I know. This book will hopefully provide an exciting escape with addicting characters that will take my readers (plural, I hope) on an adventure on which they could never otherwise go.

To get there, I need major surgery – tucks here, implants there, maybe move the nose around to the back of the head…..

I think a week off from the new-word count goals will help me to increase story productivity even more. By knowing where I’m going and what the hell this is about, by making the reconstructive edits, I will be able to write more and faster and better. The frustration won’t go away entirely. I will still have to figure out which POV is needed for each scene and how much to show and where the backstory should go, but the road signs will be visible and the headlights will be working.

Onward to the plot board. I can. I will.

Macy