Tuesday, May 11, 2010

stacked up waiting to land

That urban fantasy I've been thinking about keeps distracting me from Adventures in Zoology. I'll be trying to figure out the next plot step (does Terry kill that one guy or just rob him? and how can I give her a compelling reason to basically turn around and retrace her steps after she just arrived in town twelve hours ago?) when I catch myself thinking about my new urban fantasy heroine. I've got her voice, that's the problem. Now she wants to talk to me.

Finding a character's voice is exciting, like hearing a baby's first words. This new character is very different from the others I've been writing lately. She's stolid and quiet, but inside she's full of amusing snark. How do I know before I've even given her a name or written a single word? Well, she's been telling me, of course.

I think Terry's going to have to kill that guy so she has to leave town fast. That'll jog the plot along just fine, and I've got a lot of writing to finish before I can start that urban fantasy. I would hate for Terry to have to lay the smackdown on my new character if she horns in too much on Adventures in Zoology.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

As if there wasn't enough things that stand in the way of writing stories. Most of all, MORE STORIES get in the way of writing stories!

Danielle Birch said...

I agree that finding a character's voice is exciting, especially when you've really struggled to find it and finally it comes to you.

K.C. Shaw said...

Jeremy--lol, when you put it that way, it's really bad! The new stories just need to wait their turn.

Danielle--I actually found this character's voice when I was mowing the lawn this weekend. Now she won't shut up.

Aaron Polson said...

For some reason, your post made me think American Gods. Maybe it was the idea of fictional characters laying the smack down on each other (from seperate books).

K.C. Shaw said...

I've never read that one, although I keep meaning to. Now I think I have to. :)

Cate Gardner said...

I love characters with snark.

Fox Lee said...

Can she kill him erotically? That's always fun : )

K.C. Shaw said...

Cate--They're sure fun to write.

Natalie--Not this particular guy (ick).

Anne Spollen said...

Snarky girls, my personal favorite character in life and in fiction.

K.C. Shaw said...

Some of my best friends are snarky girls. :)

Paula RC said...

I know just what you mean for me it's the short stories I have running around my head. All work on my novel has stopped while I finish these stories.

Maybe your new character and Terry can have a punch up and the winner gets you all to themselves. lol

Good luck with your writing, KC.

K.C. Shaw said...

Thanks! I almost wish I could be this way with short stories. Novels just take so long to write in comparison. Then again, I also have more fun writing novels, so I guess it's okay.