The reasons for this blog: 1. To provide basic author information for students, teachers, librarians, etc. (Please see sidebar) 2. I think out loud a lot as I work through writing projects, and I'm trying to dump most of those thoughts here rather than on my friends.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Beware: spoilers re. The Wreckers

Decent writing day, hooray. This chapter (the one with the dead body) is more in my usual line because it's all about one thing already, and there's lots to do as far as pacing and word choice to make the moments work. I felt like I was writing The Wreckers, only not as good, and nothing to do with ships, and more character-driven, and not as well researched, and anachronistic in language and tone. Actually, I don't know why I was reminded of The Wreckers at all. All I know is my favorite part of that is all the dead bodies in the surf and the guy gets killed and you're like, "OMG, did they just kill that guy???" That is one of the most grabby scenes I've ever read in any book. I've read it out loud to groups before, and the groups have been all bored, but when I read that they zero in like lasers, if lasers could listen to somebody reading. You can see it in their faces: "OMG, did they just kill that guy???"

Yeah, now that I think about it, my dead body chapter isn't anything like that.

I wonder if I still have my copy of The Wreckers or if I lent it to somebody. If I do have it, I'd better not reread it, because it might mess with my voice, which I'm only now starting to get comfortable with.

I've been tempted lately to reread Johnny Tremain, though. I don't think that would mess with anything. I know Johnny Tremain is downstairs. But I'm still slowly working my way through Jane Austen's Letters, The Climax of Rome, and Alexander the Great. I really shouldn't start another book. It takes months and months to finish anything, and the book lies around with the others, cluttering things up.

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