Stuck in the Middle With You

Since last post, I've decided to turn more attention to contemporary novels than historicals. That's not to say I won't finish PEACEWEAVER; since that tale's in my head, I most likely will finish it. Just not right away.

So I went back to a story I started 2-3 years ago, called A ROSE IN LATE OCTOBER. I like this story...

So why is it STUCK? Man alive, if I knew that I'd tell ya. I got it to 35K words and it's just sitting there, glaring at me, daring me to find a path for it to travel.

So far that path hasn't revealed itself to me. I told my crit partner I need to glare back, and drink another pot of coffee, before I get an inkling where it should go.

External disaster? No, just did that. Internal gut-gnawing? Did that, too. Up the conflict? I'm thinking yes, though I can't tell which of the Main Characters needs to have his/her anguish-level intensified at this point in the story.

Gaargh! Did I mention I hate when a story sticks somewhere and won't budge?

Clicking Along

And happy about it. See, long ago I wrote a time travel story. No, don't ask--it should never have seen daylight, but at the time I didn't know how bad it was. It went to Simon & Schuster, presented to them by a contact I still treasure. I got a very kind rejection letter, which I suppose motivated me to keep writing. I wince now to think I presented such a piece to a pro, but that's water under the bridge now...

I've decided to re-tell the story. Not edit--start from scratch. This is a story I KNOW, with the characters and plot already full-formed in my head.

And wonder of wonders. It's perking along like it's writing itself. I was in some anxiety over whether a story would ever work so well again. I thought maybe I'd lost the spark.

The fire is on. It's alive. God still has work for me to do, apparently. I'm having such fun writing this, and it's coming so easily.

And even my closest writer-friend likes it! She rarely likes my drafts, but on this one she all but made me cry in joy with her commentary.

Bye for now--I need to go tell some more of this story.

And, as ya know, it's all about STORY, after all....