Kissing!

I've written one "first kiss" scene in my life. That was in December 2004! All other kisses have been like, "And we kissed." Or whatever. Because that was all the description needed or because it was backstory in the narrative. In this manuscript, I've actually written a fade-to-black leading-up-to-sex scene, but it is extremely fast-paced in parts with vagueness about what is happening, body parts, and the specific sensations, but lots about movement and what is going through Seth's mind. (This description of the style makes it sound like a terrible scene. But I, personally, thought it was effective.)

So, the kissing scene I'm meant to be writing today takes place chronologically several chapters before The Sex Scene that I've already completed. The Kiss has been long awaited in the manuscript by both characters involved (and readers, I'm imagining). It is big and important and needs details. I do not want to use the same style I used for The Sex Scene because this is a totally different deal.

I have no problem imagining what this kiss feels like for Seth. I've had this in my mind for, you know, OVER A YEAR. But deciding on the style and arrangement of this scene is very, very difficult!

Too tired to think of a subject line.

I'm the one who wrote this line, but it still makes me angry on so many levels!

“A word of advice, McCoy. Stick with sluts like Kendall because Rosetta’s too good for trash like you.”

P.S. There are some surprising turns in the Homecoming scenes, and I got very little sleep last night working things out in my mind. But I'm still super, super excited about it!

The Homecoming Scenes

In my current WIP, I have arranged a mini-arc that starts in around the manuscript 55 percent mark (or what I imagine to be 55 percent) regarding the Homecoming dance. The things that lead up to the dance and happen at the dance will strongly affect Seth's relationships with two of the main characters. Those characters are The True Love Interest and The Girl You Might Think Is In the Running For Love Interest But Really Isn't. I'm not telling who is who. ;-)

I wrote the Homecoming scenes way out of order last year. I had a rough project outline, some random early chapters (but not a decent first chapter), and then I skipped ahead and wrote all the scenes I wanted to write.

That was in October 2006. Since then I have done a ton of work on this, even finishing a horrible draft, and essentially starting over. I keep wanting to get back to Homecoming. I've come up with tons of ideas for it (including moving the first kissing scene to this point in time) and I have been anxious to make what was once the best part of the story finally get up to the standard of my new first half.

After a bazillion delays, I have now made it back to Homecoming. I finished all the leading-up-to-the-dance scenes last week. I have written the first set of scenes at the dance. It's been interesting because I ended up cutting most of the old stuff, but the feel of these parts is exactly what I'd been hoping for. And now, the thing Seth wants - his real reason for going to this stupid dance in the first place - is about to happen!

In less than thirty minutes I am finally going to start working on the scene I've had running through my mind off-and-on for a year!

It's kind of scary thinking of how long I have been waiting for this moment, but I'm excited, too. I can't wait to see how if it's going to turn out the way I've pictured it!

*screams*

Oh, how I loathe writing scenes containing more than two characters! The last one I finished had four, and the one I'm working on now has five. Five.

Why is it so hard for me to do this? It's like, I'll be feeling okay with the flow and then re-read and realize that one character has just disappeared from the scene! Then I have to go back and work them in. Then I'll realize that the appropriate people haven't reacted to certain dialogue (or whatever) and I have to figure out what to do about that.

I'd love to cut two characters out of it because I find writing three more manageable, but to avoid an extra scene-break and keep it smooth, they all need to be there. They each add something, even if for one of them it's just realism.

This a five-page scene and I've been working on it for two days! Will the torture EVER END?

(And no, I can't just come back to it. It will take me just as long to do it later, so I might as well push through it now.)

Title thoughts.

My current manuscript has always been called THE FAKE MCCOY. In fact, my main character's name is Seth McCoy because I wanted to use the title (which I came up with in the middle of the night once right as I was starting this project). Anyway, it's meant to play off that phrase, "The real McCoy." Hence "The Fake McCoy."

But honestly, I don't know if it fits. I mean, fake what? I don't know. Seth uses the word "fake" to describe things occasionally, but usually he's talking about other people. There is a place where he says, "I can’t just fake being non-depressed." I'm not sure if the connection is strong enough though.

The only other title I've come up with so far is "Scratching At the 8-Ball." It's a billiards term, the name of Seth's band, and it is also a line from the Social Distortion song "Bad Luck." The line is: You're always scratching at the 8-ball.

It's a very Seth-like song, and I think it fits.

The problem is, one of my good friends used to use "Scratching At the 8-ball" as her blog name. She changed it a few years ago, but in internet searches, her blog is still the first thing that comes up. I already asked if she would be okay with me using the name as Seth's band name and she said she totally was, and that she'd taken it from Social D in the first place so there were no worries. But I don't know. I'd feel weird about it being the name of my novel. Like I was a thief!

I know, I know. If I sell this manuscript, they'll probably change my title anyway, right? But I will have to query it as something. Which sounds better, "The Fake McCoy" or "Scratching At the 8-Ball"?

I think the latter fits the theme better...