Two pieces of advice I practice every time I start writing a novel: (1) Start somewhere in the middle and (2) Move the story forward, increasing tension.
Let me make a confession: I haven't been consistent with what I've told you about Kill the Locust, my current novel in progress. As main character Amy's endometriosis symptoms intensify, so does her relationship with Jeremy. Initially, I had Amy doubled over in stabbing, excruciating pain in chapter two. Although my writing buddies loved how well I'd written that scenario, after rereading it dozens of times, most recently while sipping some wild strawberry juice , this was too tense, too soon.
What was it like for me in 2000, when I first felt endometriosis symptoms? I can't remember much.
What I remember was Garth Brooks was a hot country singer.
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While we all heard about him showing up in boots and ruining a black-tie affair and wanting two pina coladas, I had a mad cycle of ultrasounds, pelvic exams, and blood tests, and frequently got poked, prodded, and palpated. Every time I went to or came from a doctor's appointment, I'd hear any one of his hits.
"Shameless" stands out to me (yes, I know that's a cover of a Billy Joel song). Twenty-three years later, I still remember hearing that song after leaving a doctor's office one late morning.
I've played that song a few times over the past week. It's working. Amy's life is so ideal--and that sharp pain is all in her head.
Now more than any other time, I enjoy listening to songs I knew in my teens and twenties. However, I'd like to have a better memory with "Shameless"--like all the early mornings I sweated every detail of Kill the Locust.
