Updates

Today, riding from Ft. William to Edinburgh, I dictated the last 5 scenes of the novel. It didn’t end just exactly the way I thought it was going to–nice surprise at the end. Once I transcribe these last 5 scenes, I can start on revision–and this novel will need lots because about 60% of it was dictated, so there are gaps in the story, changes in character backstory, place-holder names, etc. that I would normally have changed with ongoing revisions as I wrote, but are now still raw. I have a month to get it in shape for my beta readers.

Scotland, like Ireland, is varried, but the highlands in the north west are, again, wild, windy and beautiful, but in a much different way because they are mountainous. Also, riding the ferry to get here–the rise and fall of the sea. I am signing up for sailing lessons this summer. You can research all you like through books or the internet, but there’s nothing like being here.

Ireland has amazing scenery, especially the west coast, south of Galway–The Burren. Wild, windy and beautiful. We stayed in a 200-year-old cottage and drove past several that still had thatched roofs. Also went to the Ulster American Folk Museum, an open-air museum with ancient stone cottages, women in costume cooking bread on the turf fire, and so forth. This will give me incredible grounding for my fantasy series.

Dictated on the motorcycle today as we rode from Ypres to Amsterdam–superhighway. Am setting up the characters for the conflict in the climax scene. I still don’t know how it will play out: but I know where I want the climax and who I want to be in it, and I have found ways to get them all there. Not quite sure (though of course, I have a vague idea) what will happen when I bring them all together. Fun!

In most ways, the process is still the same, but I have such a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes I get hung up on a detail: how can I get “X” to happen–where is the character motivation, or where is the drama to drive the scene? But an analysis: what does each character want? Whose POV can have the most impact? Who is in most conflict with each other? and I seem to be able to unerringly come up with a solution, often an elegant one that re-uses previous conflicts or characters or incidents, and that ties the whole more firmly together.

At one point, I thought: I can make this happen through coincidence or through magic, but I wanted something more organic. I was able to analyse what everyone wanted and find a character to drive the action because it was real/important to him that events be pushed that way. Felt good.