Afterglow

It has been a few days since I’ve blogged. Finishing the first major read through was emotionally and mentally taxing. I guess I underestimated how tiring it would be to read through the thing. It is kind of like falling in love. Those initial months take up so much energy but you don’t realize it until you are swooning. Anyhow, I let the narrative sit for a couple of days, day dreamed my way through some shifts at work and came up with a great deal of answers.
I’ve made some pretty major changes to the narrative. I was absolutely in love with the first 130 pages. I thought that the images were vivid and the love story was beautiful. The coming-of-age sections are written with a painful nostalgia that I, even having written them, am in awe of. I truly love those parts of Lives Lived. However, the sections that take place in Boston don’t have that same authenticity. Initially I was thinking that I should just add in some of the old scenes I’ve taken out and expand on them. Well, yesterday as I was staring off into space I realized that there was another resolution.
If I love something, I can make it real. I loved Catholic school so when I write about it the scenes jump off of the page and they make the reader love Catholic school too. Not the actual institution but they will love the way that Gaby and Ian feel about where they grow up. When I write about the frozen taiga of Quebec the scenes are beautifully sculpted. That is because I am in awe of the place. Even Detroit, which I had a love for in the past is beautiful, at times in the book. Boston, well Boston is just Boston. Mean, hard and unforgiving. So you know what, the Boston section gets cut down. Way down. In fact, Gaby will not spend more than a few weeks there.
To be honest, it is really strange to have this much of Lives Lived working the exact way I want it to. I was just enamored with the first part of the book. The book has captivated me so I do not need to blog to get me in the writing mood. Instead I dream about Lives Lived and daydream about it when I am not doing something related to it. This book has truly become the most important thing in my life and I love that.
So here is where I am at: I’ve got all of the pieces. Now I just have to put them in the right places. Brush strokes. I’ve got what I need. November 15th I will turn my manuscript over to an anal retentive friend of mine for a sharp eye. I will send it to an agent opposed to an editor at the end of December so I need an English major without the expensive title of editor to go through it. No content editing, although I am interested in hearing what he thinks of the story. Stay tuned. We are almost there.