Friday, May 11, 2007

Help! I'm Falling for My Antagonist!

This week I've been stuck. Something in my story isn't working, and until I figure out what's wrong, I know writing will be a struggle.

So, as a way to take a break from my mystery without abandoning it, I decided to try an exercise. I wrote a short piece from the point of view of one of my suspects. Really got into her head to find out what makes her tick.

Come to find out, she's not such a bad chick. Sure, she's self-involved and kind of bitter, and she takes the who "emo" thing a little too far. But she's had a tough time of it. Her mother's a total stage mom, living vicariously through her, and she's suffered some serious disappointments in her life.

You have to cut a girl like that some slack. Plus, she's funny. And smart. And not afraid to be a little different. Heck, in some ways, she's even more interesting and likeable than some of the "good guys" in my story.

How did that happen? Sure does complicate things. Makes me wish I'd never tried that stupid exercise. Except I'm really glad I did.

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