Wow! It’s Wednesday! My New Love Is Becoming a Demanding Nag
So this week’s current mood picture refers to the fact that I’ve sent my last pass of 32 CANDLES back to the publisher, and am now hankering down with a new women’s fiction novel called the The Awesome Girl’s Guide to Dating Extraordinary Men.
As I mentioned last week, I was all sorts of in love with this new novel … but that was before I actually started working on it — or if we want to stretch the romantic metaphor, before I moved in with it. Now, I’m finding out the weird — almost schizophrenic way — that these characters who seemed hot-to-go when I was with another novel, are actually demanding nags.
The novel has four main characters, but there’s one that I like particularly and she has been hinting that she wants to be a comedian. Yes, a comedian — even though I have little to no experience with performing comedy — only writing it. I tried offering her many other career options. I was even willing to let her be a writer, though I try to never, ever make my main characters writers — just because the actual act of writing is so boring that I know it’s not really of interest to anyone but other writers. But she stood her ground and insisted that she had to be a comedian, b/c that’s what she was.
Okay, so though, I’m a write-at-home mom with limited evening time to do research, I shot off emails to a couple of female comedians I know and asked to shadow them at their next performance. Fine. But that’s all! I tell my characters.
But how about the Spanish telenovellas? the guitarist-turned-singer asks.
Wait, what Spanish novellas?
You’ve got to watch some Spanish telenovellas, b/c that’s totally what I do at like four am in the morning to unwind.
How about anime? I say. I love anime.
No, it’s Spanish novellas, she assures me.
And don’t forget about Scotland! another character calls out. This book won’t be truly finished until you go to Scotland.
Mind you all of these characters are black, so in 2010 I have to learn what it’s like to be a struggling female comedian, watch Spanish telenovellas, and go to effin Scotland from a black perspective — b/c funny that, there’s not a lot of information out there about black American women who are perform comedy, watch Spanish telenovellas, or take trips to Scotland, so I can’t even cheat, which I would totally be willing to do to get out of researching all of this.
I don’t want to say that this book is way more high-maintenance than 32 CANDLES, but the farthest Davie ever made me go was Solvang. And I’m a little non-plussed that the characters are pushing me so far outside of my comfort zone.
How about you guys? How do you handle research, and have your characters ever started making strange demands like this? Let me know in the comments and wish me luck with this rough draft.
Oh, and let me know what you think of my author photo!
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Hey ETC,
I love you author photo, that's a great choice. Great luck on your novel, and btw, Stephen King makes alot of his central characters writers (Misery, The Shining, Secret Window-Secret Garden, The Dark Half, The Regulators, Desparation). I'm sure you could pull it of just fine.
One last comment, I've seen you perform your writing at Chi-Chi's Word Parlor and you were incredibly funny, and it was the delivery, not necessarily the writing that I remember (you had pauses, and made funny faces that killed the room that night).
I may not be a writer, or a comedian, but I know talent, and you have talent.
Again, best of luck with the book and your research.
I get my Spanish Novella knowledge from watch The Soup. (I love 'em!)
Thanks, Seen. This comment made my entire day, and I'm totally going to watch The Soup.
Hey ETC,
I love you author photo, that's a great choice. Great luck on your novel, and btw, Stephen King makes alot of his central characters writers (Misery, The Shining, Secret Window-Secret Garden, The Dark Half, The Regulators, Desparation). I'm sure you could pull it of just fine.
One last comment, I've seen you perform your writing at Chi-Chi's Word Parlor and you were incredibly funny, and it was the delivery, not necessarily the writing that I remember (you had pauses, and made funny faces that killed the room that night).
I may not be a writer, or a comedian, but I know talent, and you have talent.
Again, best of luck with the book and your research.
I get my Spanish Novella knowledge from watch The Soup. (I love 'em!)
Thanks, Seen. This comment made my entire day, and I'm totally going to watch The Soup.
Your photo is cute! I love this blog post! A Spanish teacher once told me to watch telenovellas to learn Spanish. . .and I'm SO excited for your book release.
Marilyn
I actually did a Spanish course where the whole thing was based around a Spanish telenovella. It was awesome … but I'm still pretty horrible at Spanish.
Your photo is cute! I love this blog post! A Spanish teacher once told me to watch telenovellas to learn Spanish. . .and I'm SO excited for your book release.
Marilyn
I actually did a Spanish course where the whole thing was based around a Spanish telenovella. It was awesome … but I'm still pretty horrible at Spanish.
1) I have told my main characters that I'll go to Tanzania if I sell Antoinette's Fish. They were reasonably content with that, but only because I've already been to Kenya, the country next to Tanzania, but they insisted that I do huge amounts of reading. You can purchase and download specific chapters of all of the Lonely Planet guides online, btw. We also need to go to Belleville, but that's easy.
2) Great photo!
3) Scotland is very close to France. Relatively speaking. ;)
1) I was wondering if you had actually gone to Tanzania! I think you should definitely go.
2) Thanks!
3) I'll see if I can convince CH to make a side-trip!
1) I have told my main characters that I'll go to Tanzania if I sell Antoinette's Fish. They were reasonably content with that, but only because I've already been to Kenya, the country next to Tanzania, but they insisted that I do huge amounts of reading. You can purchase and download specific chapters of all of the Lonely Planet guides online, btw. We also need to go to Belleville, but that's easy.
2) Great photo!
3) Scotland is very close to France. Relatively speaking. ;)
1) I was wondering if you had actually gone to Tanzania! I think you should definitely go.
2) Thanks!
3) I'll see if I can convince CH to make a side-trip!
The photo is faboooo! Just darling & I love the colors. It just POPS!
I think you can be thankful for the interwebs to give you adequate research. Or ask friends on Facebook. Somebody always knows an expert on something!
The interwebs served me well for 32 Candles, which is why this situation is so bizarre. I'm not used to actually having to physically research things anymore. Seriously, how did novels even get written before the internet?
The photo is faboooo! Just darling & I love the colors. It just POPS!
I think you can be thankful for the interwebs to give you adequate research. Or ask friends on Facebook. Somebody always knows an expert on something!
The interwebs served me well for 32 Candles, which is why this situation is so bizarre. I'm not used to actually having to physically research things anymore. Seriously, how did novels even get written before the internet?
Can't speak to novel characters, but the photo is boffo. The hair, the outfit, the typewriter, the duck, all of it.
Can't speak to novel characters, but the photo is boffo. The hair, the outfit, the typewriter, the duck, all of it.