Monday, October 12, 2009

little voices

Current work: Modern Heat
Listening to: Satie
Reading: Jessica Hart, Under the Boss’s Mistletoe (enjoyed this one: Jessica writes warm, vibrant heroines, and I loved her bad boy grown up)

Apols for absence on Friday. Busy running errands and being dutiful daughter-in-law. (Would’ve been dutiful daughter, too, but when I spoke to the home they told me to stay away until I was completely clear of lurgy. Which is absolutely right – don’t want to spread this among vulnerable people - but frustrating, and I feel terrible that I’ve missed a week's visit.)

Anyway. The little voice inside my head on Friday told me why I’d stalled on the book and what the problem was. Yup, it was the huge info dump known as chapter one. Which meant that the hero wasn’t on the page for a whole chapter and didn’t meet the heroine for half a chapter after that.

You’d think that as this is my 42nd M&B, I’d know better, right?

So I was pleased with the little voice on Friday. And I duly threw out the whole of chapter one.

Saturday, the little voice said, ‘You’re going clothes-shopping with the kids. You do not need your camera.’ So what happens? I discover it’s the French market in the middle of Norwich. Rats. I could’ve taken pics as an aide-memoire, because I think a market is going to come into this book or the second in the duo. Ah well. (I was so good. I stayed away from the boulangerie stall. And the coffee stall. And I resisted the crêperie. I was marched past the cheese, which is probably just as well.)

Sunday was a quietish day. Just got rid of one lurgy, and – bam, here’s another. So ‘little voice’ is quite appropriate for me today. Squeaky AND husky at the same time… Sadly, it’s more risible than sexy. So today is back on honey and lemon and Strepsils.

But I do have some good news to share, tomorrow...

9 comments:

Jan Jones said...

Sympathy on the thrown-out chapter, Kate. I had much the same problem and had - reluctantly - to come to much the same conclusion.

Not another bug? Look after yourself. xx

Anonymous said...

Oh nooos! Not another microbe! There are some benefits to being a recluse it would appear. But good news on the revisions.
How Satie works his magic today for you. LOL

Unknown said...

I always hate throwing out chapters but I seem to have been doing a lot of it lately. A necessary evil.

Sorry to hear you've got another lurgy. Hope you're soon feeling much, much better!

Sheila Norton said...

Well done, though, on being strong enough to throw out the chapter. Sometimes that is so hard. But if you've saved it somewhere, some of it might be reusable another time!
Hope you soon feel better. I'm on antibiotics for sinusitis - great, just before a flight, not what I needed! - and there are lots of bugs around. Once you get weakened by one it's easy to catch another isn't it, so take care of yourself. xx

Kate Hardy said...

Jan - thanks. It's made the book much stronger, though. And yeah, another bug. Annoying.

Kate Hardy said...

Nina - yup. And I can't blame this one on the kids. Still, better this week than in a fortnight's time (Madam is counting down the days to her birthday treat).

Kate Hardy said...

Shirley - I might chuck out chapter four today...

And thanks for the sympathy on the lurgy.

Kate Hardy said...

Shirley - I might chuck out chapter four today...

And thanks for the sympathy on the lurgy.

Kate Hardy said...

Olivia - yup, I always save them for cannibalising later :o)

And it was useful to write it, because it clarified my heroine's motivation and character for me. It's never wasted work. (I'm in Pollyanna mode again today...)

Hope your sinusitis clears up pronto and you have a great break.