Still Pondering

You know how you totally expect something to go a certain way? You've played it out in your mind, you've run scenarios in your head, and you're completely prepared for it. And then it turns out that it's the exact opposite? That would be my day today. I have to say I'm pleasantly suprised, if a little confused.

On a neat-o note, I've always gotten a kick out of other people's odd searches that led people to their sites. Usually, mine are pretty boring, but today I got my first wierd one... someone found me with the search "give me pink ass". totally cool, in a rather twisted kinda way... *grin*

I also had a total a-ha moment today. In my writing, I've always been really good at coming up with a let's chuck the hero and heroine together in a rather odd way opening. My biggest problem is, once I get them there, I have no idea what to do with them. The a-ha moment came in a workshop on writing a page-turner novel by Maggie Shayne. We were doing the GMC for our own books, and I used Losin' It, which I've been really stuck on for a while. And my problem, which is the basis for what I thought was my problem, is that my characters suck. Ok, not literally, although I'm sure they do, heehee. But really, I'm not developing my characters enough. Which is something that the editor pointed out when she rejected Caught.

Where this really shone through is that I have absolutely no idea what to do with my hero... I don't know what he wants or why he wants it, though he did give me some significant insight into his character today, which I thought was rather generous of him. But I think what I'm going to have to do is completely trash the whole plot line of the book and start over.

I find that I'm trying too hard to have my books be too many things... Losin' It is starting to be a Blaze/Brava/Chick Lit/Romantic Suspense. I need to just pick one and stick with it. I suspect it may be that I've studied too much, read too much and I'm trying to do it all at once... kinda like going to the Mandarin and giving in to eyes that are bigger than your tummy. I need to just say, OK, today is honey garlic chicken balls, and a little fried rice, and nothing else.

It seems I've got a lot of pre-writing to do.