We can call this a teaser, I suppose.

Note: I wrote this only three days ago. Every once in awhile something comes out in this revision that makes me go, Huh. This is one of those things. It's simple and obvious, but I somehow never saw it in quite that way before. The last line sums up Seth's main struggle. I think. Even if these particular lines don't end up staying in the draft, they still showed me something.

No one was saying much about our gig last week or my sloppy, embarrassing part in it. But I imagine that if they had been talking about it, they’d all be telling me to get over it and get back up there. The problem wasn’t just my one off show though; it was my off life. I couldn’t force myself to take the stage sober. I couldn't do anything important when I was sober. Without liquid courage I had no courage at all.

Misspelling whoops!

I just realized that I've been spelling "protagonist" as "protaganist." It wasn't a typo. It's how I really thought the word was supposed to be spelled! I can't even guess how long this nonsense has been going on! I've gone back and edited my most recent posts. There weren't many instances because more often I'll use "protag," "main character," or "MC" in place of "protagonist." Still, it's kind of embarrassing.

Holden Caulfield.

One of the things that I've found alternately surprising, irritating, confusing, and flattering is that readers have compared my protagonist with Holden Caulfield. Most of the time they seem to mean it in a good way (although someone once said that the first line of my manuscript is "too Holden Caulfield" because I used the words "damned annoying" as a descriptor). Here is an example of what I'll often hear from someone reading my work for the first time: Wow! Such a compelling/authentic/whatever voice! Reminds me of a combination of Holden Caulfield and [someone else]. Which is cool. I mean, it is. One of the compliments I received in years past is that my writing is "Salinger-esque." That was over five years ago and, as you can see, I haven't forgotten it. But I do have to say, it irks a little when I see current works getting the Holden comparisons all over the place. Like a cover blurb for LOOKING FOR ALASKA: "The spirit of Holden Caulfield lives on!"

I think I remember reading somewhere that John Green takes that as one of the best compliments of his work. And it is a compliment! But it strikes me as odd that male characters who are young, introspective, and slightly sarcastic are labeled as The Next Holden Caulfield. A CATCHER IN THE RYE was published over sixty years ago! Surely if one has to make a comparison there is something else out there! Or... not?

Are there any female characters who stand out like this, of whom all other young, introspective, and slightly sarcastic teenage girl characters are supposedly reminiscent?

Try as I might, I can't think of any right now. "The Next Jessica Darling" maybe? (But JD is way too current to even be a good comparison to HC!) Or is Jessica Darling just the "The Female Holden Caulfield?"

Ha!

How I see two of my characters. (Time-wasting fun.)

I started watching the television series FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS last month after Sarah Dessen recommended it in her LJ. I got all caught up on the first season on DVD and I totally love it! I look forward to 9pm on Friday every week so I can see the latest episodes. I must confess, the character of Tim Riggins is what drew me in most. He reminds me of a combination of Seth, my main character and of Seth's best friend, Daniel. (I think it breaks down mostly like this: Riggins is like the best of Seth and the worst of Daniel.) And the way he looks is a lot how I've always pictured Seth.

Here is a photo of Tim Riggins:

Important thing to note: To me, Seth resembles Taylor Kitsch (the actor in the role of Tim Riggins) only when Kitsch is in character. I've seen many photos of Kitsch as a model, Kitsch in other roles, and Kitsch as himself. Those photos do not look like Seth to me. But this one I've posted here does with the exception of the hair which is too long.

And, now for even more fun, here is a picture of how I kind of picture Rosetta, the girl Seth likes:

This is a picture of actress Odette Yustman as Aubrey in the series OCTOBER ROAD. Aubrey does not remind me of Rosetta. In fact, Odette doesn't remind me of Rosetta either. Rosetta is more contrasting with darker hair, lighter skin, and blue eyes. But the features and expression are right. Somehow this photo of Odette/Aubrey captures the closest Rosetta-ness I've ever found outside my imagination.

Yes, I know. I see my characters as sickeningly attractive people, huh? ;-)

The transformation.

I've spent the past week reworking my manscript to change Kendall, one of my characters from being a girl who merely disliked Seth's dead friend Isaac to being Isaac's ex-girlfriend. In most ways, things haven't changed much. Some of Kendall's motivations are different now, the way Seth sees her has changed, and certain bits of dialogue and backstory had to be entirely rewritten. But the truth is, Kendall's scenes have remained more or less intact. Even though I hadn't wanted to make the change in the first place because of the work involved, once I accepted that this was the best thing for my story and got down to it, I actually found the process fascinating. Before this, I never really noticed how there are just certain moments in a manuscript that, no matter what you do to them, will still hold the key to everything.

In an early-ish scene, Kendall comes to Seth to talk about Isaac. The scene has been in existence for most of 2007, and I was always pleased with how it turned out. In fact, this scene is one of the reasons I didn't want to change Kendall because I liked what she said, how she handled herself. But now I have made the change. Kendall couldn't say what she'd said before. Not unless I wanted her to be a liar. So, she said all new stuff. Maybe it isn't as powerful as what she'd said before, but it fits who she is now and tells exactly what she's about so that Seth and readers can finally understand where she's coming from.

And she does it in what amounts to two small paragraphs. A total of seven sentences. Wow.