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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Introducing Miss Max

So I'm thinking of making Max a girl.

If you haven't been able to tell already, this story has put me through HELL. It started as a distant future post-apoc with a male MC in France and is now an alternate history steampunk with a female MC in England.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

No. Seriously. How did this happen? If you were expecting an inspiring and awe-inducing post about how stories always turn out how they're meant to and characters will always come through for you and how writing is the bestest, greatest profession EVER, well, you won't find that here. Because I am TOTALLY STRUNG OUT.

I mean, REALLY, Max. Who the expletive are you? And WHERE are you? And who is around you? And what are they wearing? And why can't you stop being a stubborn little momma's boy (girl?) and freakin' let me write your story already?! It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to stop CHANGING as often as American Idol gets new judges. Psh.

I think part of my problem might be that Max is conspiring with Puppy. As long as Max keeps me confused and not writing, Puppy gets my undivided attention. But when I do get infrequent bursts of "Hey-I-think-I-have-a-breakthrough," Puppy gets hours of me sitting at my laptop, absently telling her I'll be done in a minute. Then she looks at me like this:

Get off your freakin' computer and PLAY WITH ME.

And it turns out my "breakthrough" isn't so much a breakthrough as a revelation that my MC might've been the wrong gender all along. Which leaves me confused, perplexed, and puzzled, and all of those things result in me not writing and playing with Puppy.

Coincidence? I think not.

4 comments:

Hayley Lovell said...

Playing with Pippa can't be so bad, look at that face? How can you say no to that face? Also I can't believe how big she's gotten! It feels like just yesterday you were sending me her baby pics and now look she's all growed up! I feel old. A seventeen year old shouldn't feel old. Also did I send our email thread back to you, I can't seem to find evidence of it if I did...

Jill Wheeler said...

Ha ha, substitute that cute little puppy face with a baby face, and that's what I see when I write. But usually she's trying to hit the delete button.

I totally get the strung out feeling... but it sounds like you're cooking up a fabulous story!

K. M. Walton said...

Well, I know this may sound cliche but, go with your gut. How did you picture Max when you first wrote your book? I would stick with that because it was how you felt at the birth of the story...in its most pristine form.

However, if you are feeling an overwhelming urge to snip Max then go for it. Just be sure your intentions and motivations feel 100% true to YOU. It's your story after all!

Dara said...

It's frustrating when characters don't cooperate. I completely understand that one.

My pup looks at me like that too, only he's more insistent and will jump on me and bark at me if I'm not giving him attention. And then there's the cats, who both insist on taking my lap--right as I have the laptop on it--so then I have a to write on the arm of the couch. So not comfortable or ideal but sometimes you do what you have to do :P