Chew and Let Go!

We bought a puppy six days after we got married, and a day after Valentine’s Day. His name is Shakespeare. When we first brought him home, we weren’t sure if he’d take to us, but he had no problem owning his bed, and now after a month, is part of our family.

 

Shakespeare chews on anything he can get a hold of and refuses to let it go. There were several toys we bought him that we took away because he chewed them apart. He also stumbles over his own feet and is awkward when it comes to new things.

Watching him reminds me much of my writing. When I wrote my first unpublished romance novel, I spent hours chewing on words until I finally came up with what I thought was the perfect sentence and then I refused to let them go. I stumbled over tenses and show vs. tell, which I struggle with to this day, but I continued to write and improve my writing.

Markus Zusak, author of the Book Thief said, “The only other thing I’d say is that I’m always trying to write a better book than the last one. I want to grow with every book." This is exactly what I want.

I remember reading my first novel and noticing that the writing was cheap. It was forced. I told the story instead of showing it, and my sentence structures were awkward and choppy. I’m so glad I didn’t publish it because there was so much I needed to learn ... and still…

But I grew with that book, just like my characters do. I like my characters in my first book, somewhat flawed, but they grow as the story progresses. My published novel, Net Switch, deals with a damaged soul. The character growth doesn’t have the same progression as the first story—more of a challenge. The main character needs to gradually become unhinged, fight inner demons and those who put her safety at risk. In comparison to the first book, I see how much I’ve developed as a writer. 

One thing I’ve noticed though is I haven’t written in one genre. My first book would probably be categorized as romance; Net Switch is a dark, psychological suspense; and my current novel is a cross genre of women's fiction and chick-lit. I don’t know if this makes me a confused writer or one wanting to be diverse. What I do know is that I’ve learned to stumble during writing, chew on sentences and then let them go, if needed.

I think it’s interesting to take a look at the opening lines of books to get a sense of the story and its strengths. Here are mine:

Romance novel - “Death came to relieve the pain and carry me to a place with no beginning or end.”

Net Switch - “Mental institutions don’t relieve the mind of misery, they only create more chaos where overcrowding exists.”

Current Manuscript - “They all sat around, eyes on me, watching for signs of ... what? I felt like a substance in a petri dish.”

Do you care to share your opening lines or maybe the first line of one of your favorite books?

Puppies and Writing,

Bea