Beautiful Death

Tonight, I worked through the block of BD using the romance template I created in FreeMind. (Have I said lately that I love that software???)

Yes, romance. I never envisioned this as a "inside the lines" sort of romance, but I really believe this story is stronger, better than the other. Tighter. Focused. Hades is more the hero now and isn't able to use Charon and Bryan as crutches. Charon will be the hero of the next book.

My character cast is tighter (I still need to update the links and entries here). Bryan and Persephone are gone entirely. Neither was needed any longer.

I did a little scrapbook work on Hades tonight. I still need more character traits for him, and his oxymoron isn't quite right any longer. But I came up with an interesting trait tonight that I really like. I'm not sure if it'll be his static trait yet --if it can affect plot -- but it's a start.

So I'm going to try and write a little yet tonight, but I'm more than pleased with the work tonight. The basic hero's journey/structure is in place, although each section isn't completely plotted out. I seem to do better with the high points cemented into place and looser notes for the intermediate sections. I'll update the block as I go. Usually I figure out about a chapter ahead of where I am (so I have Chapter 3 blocked pretty well tonight, but 4 is looser with notes instead of planned sections).

Heh. And to think I used to believe I would never ever be able to plot. Now I have BD pretty well blocked out with a solid map to follow. Yay! I'm feeling much better about this story!

As I reviewed Isabella's scrapbook in preparation for writing this morning, I realized something. Finally. Sometimes I'm really slow on the uptake.

I know Isabella's character arc, how she must move from hatred to love, distrust to trust, control to surrender. What I didn't realize was that I've been cheating. Yes, cheating. I gave myself 3 characters to guide her through this growth.

See, each lover had a purpose.

1. Bryan was her softer gentler side who represented her humanity. His unfailing trust and love led her to the Dark Moment.
2. Charon represented her beast, the darker side, the killer. He would teach her that not all monsters are evil, that she could still find beauty in the world despite the monster she carries inside her.
3. Hades was the main hero, but he wasn't *enough*. As constructed, he only had to be in control. Yeah, he had to give up a few things along the way, but he was relatively two-dimensional. Not flat, exactly, but not enough to stand on his own. Because he didn't have to.

Plus, I was cheating myself out of a darned good sequel to this story. Charon deserves his own book, don't you think?

So I'm going through my characters in my mind and rebuilding Hades. He has to do all three things above. He has to teach her the softer gentler side of love. He has to teach her to embrace her monster, too. And he has to be willing to take Bryan's place in the Dark Moment. Does he love Isabella enough to pay the price?

I believe he does.

So no more cheating. Hades is the hero -- the only hero -- of this book, and he'd better start acting like it. Charon, old buddy, be patient. Your own book is coming. In the meantime, please enjoy acting as the anti-hero in this story.

I'm ashamed to look back over my goals for this year, because one of them was a completed first draft of BD by 3/31. I haven't worked on this ms for months.

Why?

I'm stuck. Not plot wise, at least as far as the ending is concerned. The setup is wrong.

It's been bugging me for a long, long time. How can I fix it? How can I go onward to the ending, no matter how exciting, when I know the first most crucial setup is wrong? Which makes everything else shaky at best?

After the long trip to MN last week, we slept in this morning. We were supposed to go to church, but I was just pooped. The monsters were all up but playing nicely. I lay in bed half awake, half asleep, drifting, and the characters from BD came to visit me.

Charon was first. He was pissed. "You've made me into Hade's sidekick. Sidekick! Me! I *should* be an anti-hero. I should be the great question mark. Will I betray him or not? So why the hell would I want to share my woman with him?"

Then Isabella came, and she wasn't happy either. "What, do you think I'm stupid or something? How would I not know who Hades is? Of course I know who he is. You have to make me fall in love with him anyway."

Even Bryan made an appearance. Sweet, submissive Bryan. Can you believe he's been talking to Persephone? I about died.

So the good news is I think I have a few ways I can tackle this wip. A few key shifts and adjustments early on. Some cool scenes will have to go, which is painful. But, well, I really want this to be something I can send to Dorchester. To do that, I need to murder a few beloved darlings.