Hello, all! I'm finally feeling a bit better (except for this stupid *hack!* *ack!* cough I've got), so I thought I'd do an upbeat Thirteen this week. Since things are going nicely *knocks wood* with 27 Stages, I thought I'd share
Thirteen Things I Like About My WiP:
27 Stages
1) It takes place during a fictional road cycling race. This means I've had to invent the entire course and work out the logistics myself. This means research. Which can be a wonderful distraction, sometimes.
2) My hubby has been helping me out from the start. He has helped plan the course and offered advice for how key scenes should go. Now, if I could get him back out on the bike... (How handsome is he in his gear, eh? Eh?)
3) I have another reason to buy magazines I like about cycling. At least, now I can justify doing this. Sorta.
4) I have a valid excuse to sit in front of my computer and watch races. Research!
5) I've been able to create characters inspired by real-life cyclists. Only time will tell if readers will be able to identify them. (heh.)
6) I get to spend time (in my mind) surrounded by dozens of cyclists. It'll do...
7) I'm learning more about the sport than I realized - and remembering some of the stuff I had already known, but forgotten.
8) I get to chat online with some avid cyclists/cycling fans for still more research!
9) As always, I get to enjoy delving into the psychology of my characters. In many ways, these people become very real to me while I learn what makes them tick. And that's not just the male characters - although there are waaaay more men in this story than women. In fact, there's only one woman who features at all in the novel: Abby. And she's got loads of issues of her own. The more I get to know her, the more I like her. She was pretty much a blank slate when I sat down to write this, but she's evolving beautifully.
10) Abby aside, I'm enjoying the challenge of writing a believable male character in Federico. Writing him in first person is a huge challenge already, but trying to write a man that men will believe in is especially rewarding!
11) Though I'm not consciously applying them, certain themes are emerging as the story progresses. None of them are so obvious as "Cycling as metaphor for life" or anything like that, but the more I write, the clearer it all becomes.
What are the themes? You'll have to read the story to see! Bwhaahaahaa!
What are the themes? You'll have to read the story to see! Bwhaahaahaa!
12) I originally hadn't intended to discuss the issue of doping in this novel, but the Stage/Chapter I'm currently writing suddenly demanded it. Rather than take a moral stance within the story (I'm against it, by the way. Just so it's clear.), I'm using it to illustrate how "one bad apple" is enough to cast doubt on everyone else. The end result shows how this issue complicates life for just about anyone involved in the sport.
13) One thing I'm really enjoying about writing this WiP is this: there are only a virtual "handful" of novels out there dealing with this sport in an honest and direct way. While I'm surely taking countless liberties in my tale, bending some facts to suit the story as all writers surely do, I'm trying to be as true as possible to the sport and the people who take part in it.
I still love cycling. 'nuff said.
I still love cycling. 'nuff said.
No, of course, I remembered.
Just scroll down...
And remember:
Triathletes do three things at a time!
Ciao!
Ciao!
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