Looking for a Good Read?

I just finished reading Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water.

A good, short read, but I thought the best part was the parallel story about Nya, whose day is consumed by two trips to a pond to fetch and deliver life-sustaining water for her family.

The main story is about Salva, a refugee from Sudan, who becomes a "lost boy" as he runs from his war-torn homeland searching for his family and safety.

Not one to spoil a clever ending, suffice it to say the two stories make sense in the end.

I had the pleasure of meeting Linda Sue Parks in November at the 2nd Annual WNY Children's Book Expo. She is also the author of  A Single Shard, for which she won the Newbery Medal -- I will make sure I add that to my “Must Read” pile.

First Step

So…

I got a quick start on my 2017 New Year’s resolutions today. Here’s the back story:

At one of my writers’ group meetings last year, I read one of my most recent additions to Eye of the Peacock. I was really pleased with the new character that had to be created to take the story line in the direction it was supposed to go in.

But let’s say it was met with little enthusiasm.

On the drive home, I realized that my fellow writers were correct. I was getting too far away from the original story line. But to cut that part of the plot, I realized the ending of the story would need to be changed as well. And for that to happen, another method for murder had to be considered.

On that quiet drive home it all came together. The cut would have to come and it would have to be drastic. I dreaded it.

So today the cut was made. More than 4,000 words set aside. (I never delete. I may need it someday.) And to go with that cut, highlighting of sections that may need to be rewritten to accommodate the new plot twists.

I have a lot of work to do in 2017.

Happy New Year!

I love a clean slate. My resolutions for 2017?

1.    To blog on a more regular basis, and therefore catch you up on all the things that have been happening

2.    To stick to my 20 minutes of writing a day, which will undoubtedly lead to my next resolution

3.    To finish Eye of the Peacock, so that I can begin drafting the third book that is plaguing my brain

4.    To unclutter my life, which I hope still allows me time for resolutions 2 and 3!

I wish you all health and happiness in the new year along with, of course, great ideas for writing!