Fifteen chapters in to my latest book, and I feel like I am on a major role here. Except at chapter fifteen of my last book, I was rapidly reaching a major turning point and all signs pointed toward approaching the climax. In this book, I feel I am still searching for the turning point.
Are there differences? I suppose there are. In Be Still the chapters were longer, whereas in this untitled book, the chapters are relatively short. I also started Be Still with a major catastrophe, so the story started on a sort of climax then hit major lows followed by highs. In the new novel, it starts with a razor blade, very dark and progresses at a slower pace. I also have to contend with a bit more of a back story in this new book.
I know it’s not just me, because I’ve read so many other blogs and spoken with many other authors, but to me writing the first chapters is like listening to a long-winded friend set up the scene to an even longer story. I just want to shout, “Get to the point already!” Which is exactly how I feel writing this story. I want to get to the climax already. I’m so excited to get to the point and tell this.
This is the point where I get frustrated, it seems. That pinnacle point of building up the story and the characters. The work load and brunt of story telling. But it’s also the point where I have to make the story compelling so readers need to know more. Still, I can’t wait for the big crash of the orchestra drums to mount as I finally let the characters explode in their momentous (and devious) twist of the plot, so readers say, “I didn’t see that coming.” And I finally have my readers captive to the slippery slope of the next twist, and I stand high on my tower of books and let out a maniacal, “muahahahaha.”
Tania L Ramos
New Author Publishing 