The "other stuff" is about writing and killing a character I didn't like. It was a bloody, nasty scene even to the point of getting rid of the body. I went to bed. I thought about the scene in the morning and decided it didn't fit my book.
My novel is a mystery. There are difficult characters involved in illegal activities, drugs, dealing drugs and maybe, dealing in illegal diamonds from the Congo. So I cut out the murder scene and felt better. There is an accidental death to work around.
Living with my characters makes them very real to me. I am glad for them. I worry when there's trouble on the horizon. I like it when one of my characters makes tea properly, in a warmed pot. I like the German shepherd, the guard dog/pet for my tea drinking character.
It's easy to write a bloody murder and figure out how to get rid of a body. Not pleasant. That's why I cut it out and re-wrote the scene.
I have come across a Canadian poet, James Pollock, who is short listed for the Griffin Poetry Prize to be awarded in June. Pollock was interviewed in the National Post. I loved the poem presented in the article. It begins, "I sailed a boat to Babylon,
and rowed home lonely in the rain,
Look it up on the Internet and enjoy the whole poem. I'm reluctant to print it here because of copyright restrictions.
One of the things I liked about the poem is how the words feel in my mouth as I say them. I do say them out loud! To myself. I have memorized the poem. A good test for an ancient woman trying to dodge the dotage.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
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