a progress report ...

I'm really excited to be on the downward side of my rewrites for The Garden. I have one more chapter that will take some serious tweaks, then the next two are filling in and brushing up what is already there. Some information will move around to make the story flow easier for the reader, but the overall context will remain the same.

It's exciting to have worked so hard on this book and finally see the story come together.

This novel has been such a learning experience for me on so many levels. The story is told in first person:

A night bird cried a sublime song in the garden beyond my window. In the distance, a guard called the watch. Otherwise, the palace slept while I, Solomon, third king of all Israel, lay dying with only an angel at my side.

And third person:

Vicente’s hand lashed out, his palm struck Guillermo’s cheek as if he was an errant child. Guillermo didn’t think about the ramifications of his actions. He swung the bottle. It cracked against the royal señor’s helm. A satisfying jolt traveled up his arm. The stunned expression on Vicente’s face and the roar of the approval from the surrounding men drowned Guillermo’s doubts. Damn the consequences.

The plot isn't complicated, but it is intricate, more so than I've ever attempted to write. Last week it all came together very nicely.

So I'm off to work again. Stay tuned, there are some exciting events coming up these last two weeks of July. I'll keep you posted.

Comments

[Erika Marks]

What wonderful news! I've been wondering how life has been treating you (and Guillermo et al) in The Garden and am so glad to hear you are rounding the corner--such a good feeling. Looking forward to hearing about the events coming up in July, too!

[Teresa Frohock]

Hi, Erika! I miss blog hopping like I used to but things have just been wild of late. Summers are always so crazy. I hope things are going well for you and your novel too.

Hopefully I'll be around a little more after August.

[Michelle]

I can't wait to read The Garden. Seriously, I need to save up sick leave or something so I can sit at home and read it in one sitting when it comes out. :)

[Teresa Frohock]

Well, if you're all really, really sweet, something special will happen within the next two weeks that will give you a peek inside. ;-)

[Paul Weimer (@princejvstin)]

Forward progress. Glad to hear it!

What do you mean, specifically by intricate as opposed to complex?

[Teresa]

It's merely a personal distinction. Complicated implies a sprawling plot that propels the action between world/relationships/power, whereas intricate implies a more intimate interrelationship where the characters drive the plot. That's all.