Joined At the Hips

April 17, 2012 by Cassidy Frazee | 4 Comments

I feel much better today; no aliens trying to bore their way out of me today.  Staying up late also helped, because I slipped between the sheets and got a solid . . . well, maybe four and a half hours of sleep, which is normal for me.  Anyway you look at it, I’m already ahead of the curve.

Last night was somewhat surrealistic.  I intended to do some editing, and I managed that very well.  Can’t say for sure how many words fell to me last night as I burned through Chapter 8 of Couples Dance, but it was over three thousand, and probably closer to four.  It’s not just adding words to get things nice and neat, but I’m back to rewriting things that need it–and there were a few places that needed it badly.

I know there are a lot of writers who, when they get into editing, they’re going, “Oh, man!  This is killing me!  I hate editing!”  I don’t very much dig it myself, but . . . I’m starting to enjoy it.  For one, I’m having to reread everything, and when I do I begin to see and feel the narrative.  This is where I’m learning how to tighten things up, or just rewrite the damn thing when it makes less than some sense.  Now, true, I haven’t gotten into anything truly huge yet and done that, but with Couples, it has a good length for one to go through, read it, edit, and not feel like you’re stuck waist deep in the Big Muddy the whole time.

I did not look for places to sell my story.  I know: bad writer.  I will.  I will start this week.  I will, I will, I will.  I do not wish to be mocked by people whom I consider friends, so I will get to it.

But . . . part of the reason I didn’t get to it last night is because I was talking with Annie.  She showed up, and we chatted.  She wasn’t online Sunday, so I gave her the link to my Sunday post, which spoke of her.  I was a little worried, because I was chatting about Annie in the post–both her and her lovely alter ego, and didn’t know how she’d react to my little scene with her character.  Like it?  Hate it?  What to disembowel me and leave me for fire ants to devour?

There wasn’t any need to work; she told me I put a big smile on her face, which is the same as saying I got the Annie Seal of Approval.

So we chatted.  We talked writing.  We talked characters.  There are the notes I have to give her for my new world, and I have to do that this week.  (This part should be easy; there aren’t a lot of them.)  We have to start working on new notes.  We already have one, are first real collaboration for this story, and I set it up in a secure spot for us to find.

I would appear to be, as they say, on.  Our collaboration, that is.  We’re not ready to beginning writing yet; as I told Annie I need to get into her character more, find that which makes her work so well, and make that a part of me.  Because one thing we both agreed upon, this is Annie and Kerry’s story, about how they grow together, both in their magical endeavors, and as individuals.  Therefore, both characters have to be real.

So we are back, Annie and Kerry, more or less joined at the hip once more.  But where is the problem in that?

After all, if I gotta be stuck with someone, who better than Annie to find myself stuck to?