Perspective

So I am well into the second draft of my book, and still toying with the idea of changing my narrative perspective.  The book is currently in third person omniscient, meaning it gives you access to every characters relevant actions, dialogue, and thoughts.  But I have experimented with other methods, such as a shifting first person narrative, meaning it would be told from the viewpoint of different characters.  Can't decide if it's better that way because it's more personal, or if it's too distracting.  I've read several books in that style, and while some pulled it off really well, others seemed unfocused.  Please read and give me your thoughts :)

Here is a excerpt from an early version of manuscript, told from the p.o.v. of Alex:

"I returned to St. Augustine with the dark skies and cool winds of hurricane season, crossing Usina Bridge at dusk, the lights of the city sparkling below me.  Why I ever returned to the one place I swore I'd never go again is still a mystery to me.  All I knew was that for some time I had felt the city beckoning me home, calling to me with her siren song.  She followed me through the day like an unwelcome shadow, and when I lay down at night she laid down next to me, whispering into my ear.  Finally I had no choice but to return to the life I'd run away from, the family I'd left behind, to this city... my Ninevah."

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A Writer's Best Friend

No shocker, the first person to view, comment, and share my new blog was my sister and best friend, Shannon Gray :)  She has been with me from the conception of this story, and has been encouraging me along the entire way.  When I was living down south and sending her chapters as I completed them, she and I were emailing every day.  Some of the scenes and dialogue in the book were Shannon's ideas, and few grammar mistakes make it past her scrutiny.  I could not have gotten this far without her, and I know she will be instrumental in my future success.  Some of you who know Shannon know that she is creative as well- she is a poet, painter, and songwriter!  So in her honor I thought I'd share this poem that she wrote for me in 2006 (can't believe it was that long ago...)  Enjoy!


A Poem by Shannon Gray:                                                                   

Beneath the shadows of aged oak trees,
there's been stirred up, a salty breeze.
Within a town that's quaint and quiet,
there have been whispers of a ghostly riot.

By day it's calm and all are care free,
but when candles go out it's time to flee.
They moan and cry throughout the night,
as soon as sun rises, they all take flight.

Few know their story, for few speak of the dead,                       or they'll come in the night and creep inside your head.            
But this town might soon be freed at last,
of all ugly things that have made up its past.                    

One soul is all that it will take,
one soul that has a choice to make.
Will she free the hundreds that have been laid to rest?  
Can she help the town that has been so long possessed?

Beginnings

(From 11/19/11)

Dear Book,

I am so. sorry.  I remember when we first met.  I was taking a writing course through The Institute of Children's Literature in CT, and I had an assignment and you just kind of came to me, piece by piece.  I loved you instantly, but as the course drew to a close I tucked you away and we grew apart.  The next time I saw you, I had grown up a little and I felt like you should too.  And so over the years I worked on you, picking you apart chapter by chapter and word by word until I had pretty much mangled you.  Sometimes I get a glimpse of what you could be, and that fills me with anticipation and I move forward.  Other times I hate you and I kind of want to rip you up into tiny pieces and light you on fire.  Ours is a complicated, passionate affair.  But through it all, you have been waiting for me to get it together and help you get published... I'm still working on it.
                                                                                                                           Love,
                                                                                                                          Megan

...I wrote that post a year and a half ago, and it still pretty well applies.  Sometimes I'm disappointed in myself for taking so long to get this done, it feels like I'll never finish, and it'll never get published.  But I suppose in every great endeavor there are times of growth and times of suspension.  And when I think of what this story started out as, I realize how much it has evolved.

What I didn't realize when I began that assignment is that I was taking the first steps of what would be a very long, but rewarding journey into the history of a town and my own imagination.  Over the years since those initial steps, this story has haunted me, refusing to go away.  And I have tried many and various methods of bringing it to life and sending it out into the world.  This blog is another of those attempts.  I've spent hours on it today, adding my newly finished book trailer, some starter tabs, and I wanted to get in one genesis post before turning-in, in what is now the wee small hours of the morning.  I'm hoping to add a playlist of music I listen to while writing that inspires me, some of my artwork, news about any progress on the editing/agent finding/publishing deal front, and lots of posts about people, places, and news about town.  Please, please, please support me in this journey!  Comment, subscribe, and share :)  Thank you for reading!