Political Novel: Missing Ingredient

I'm not a big fan of political novels or courtroom dramas. But I try to read widely, and so it happens that I just finished Richard North Patterson's "Eclipse."

I tend to be more interested in character development and change. Which – given the topic of this book – could have been served up in spades. However, I felt the dialogue was stilted and limited, and that the reader was never allowed to get too deep into the characters (the main character was referred to by his last name throughout the book, adding to my general sense of standoffishness). If it hadn't been for the attraction between the two main characters (the lawyer and the activist's wife) I may not have finished it.

I will say that the ending was, in my opinion, compelling (though certainly not happy) and memorable. But my reaction to this novel was, overall, only lukewarm. If you like political novels and/or courtroom drama, you may enjoy this one.

Excerpt from Forthcoming Novel

"Aaron was not looking forward to her seeing him trussed up like the deer his uncle had hung in their garage one fall..."

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Essay Chosen for "A Daughter's Story"

An essay I wrote about my father and his influence on my life - using our shared passion for motorcycling as the central focus - has been accepted and will be published in an anthology due out in June 2010! More details soon...

January: Prime Writing Time?

Normally January is prime writing time here in Minnesota (the weather encourages indoor activities!) - in fact, it's usually kind of boring - but I am startled (pleasantly, in some ways) by the fact that it's February already. The only writing I got done in January was a pitch letter for a major contest (less than 300 words - but it's GOOD).

We had a bout with the flu (everyone in my house, one after the other, except my son) that lasted 10 days. I finally hired help at work and have been spending a lot of time training him (which I don't particularly enjoy). And since he needed a computer, he got mine and we got a new one for ME - and it took all weekend to get the software reloaded and straighten out my email program, etc. (There's still a laundry list of smaller issues to clean up.)

I managed to read one book ("Eclipse" by Richard North Patterson) but only 72 pages into my marriage mentoring studies.

But I HAVE been enjoying time with my kids (especially swimming at the Y and making chocolate-chip cookies) ... and I'm working on another tough but really compelling scene in novel #2!

Tough Scene, Novel #2 (Dealing with Guilt)

Took me all afternoon to get it outlined. That's about two pages of actual writing! Sometimes I wonder why in the world I would want to write another book...

Reading Instead of Writing

I did a little of both over the holidays. I usually prefer books over movies, but I loved the movie "Dancing With Wolves." So I finally picked up the sequel, titled "The Holy Road" by Michael Blake.

First off, I think it would be challenging (make that daunting) to write a sequel to a novel that was made into such a popular movie.

Second, this is pretty different: Unlike Dances with Wolves, there is no ‘main character’ in this book. That is both a plus and a minus.

On the plus side, it allows Blake to share several very distinct points of view (from staunch resistance to resigned acquiescence) – which is probably a very accurate depiction of the internal struggles of the Native Americans (considering the history in play here). I was impressed by Blake's ability to do this.

On the minus side, it is difficult to empathize with any one character when you're jumping from one head to another every chapter. For me, the minus over-rode the plus – in the first story I cheered for Dances with Wolves as I got to know him and his deep struggles. Although I could feel respect toward the various characters in this novel, that strong bond between reader and character did not have a chance to form.

(I also thought the book needed a better title - there was very little to do with the railroad ("Holy Road") in this book.)

One Small Interview for (Wo)man ... One Giant Step Forward for Book

I just had a really enjoyable - and hugely productive - meeting with what I call a "SME" (Subject Matter Expert). This SME is an ex Air Force physician, and when I first met him back in July, I had put this novel (the one I'm working on now) on the backburner - even though the plot line was more than half done.

Much of that had to do with time constraints. But also, I think, I was stagnating in certain aspects of the plot. I don't feel my fiction needs to be 100% percent literal and accurate - it IS fiction, after all, and needs some room to breathe - but I do like believable settings, and understanding the settings enough to use them for character development (like flying with medevac before I wrote "Last Chance Rescue").

Meeting this particular SME really jump-started the novel. It was like a message from above: 'YES, I want you to write this story now, and I'm sending you the tools to do it.' I know it will be a better story because of this person's experience, insight - and willingness to share those with me. So thanks, SME (you'll know who you are)!