 |
| Photo by Chris McGuire--not Harper Loch |
My mind is sort of blank this morning, so I thought I'd tell you about Harper Loch. It's the setting for Pieces of Blue, the women's fiction story that is my WIP. While I'm at it, I'll tell you a little about the story, too.
The whole story is a new adventure. I wrote the first 10,000 or so words in third person, then thought hmmm, and switched over to first person. The change clicked, and the story sort of took off on its own; however, first person brings with it its own set of oopses, and I think I've made every one of them. I hadn't realized how confining a single point-of-view could be!
Something freeing, though, has been not worrying about giving the romance front-and-center attention. There is one. Maggie North and Sam Eldridge have been professional friends for years, but the magic of the lake lends their relationship some magic, too.
They're in their early 50s, not kids, but they're almost like kids at Harper Loch, getting to know each other in different ways. And Maggie, always a loner, isn't allowed to be one there. The 86 people who live there year-round are family-like, and they take for granted that she will be one of them.
Can she?
Now, about the lake itself. It's little--Nan thinks it hardly even qualifies as a lake, coming in at 40 acres--but there's room to fish, to swim, and to walk around. There's a Mercantile, complete with a liars' table, a deli, and a golden retriever named Jim who runs the place along with Rose and Colby, the people he owns.
.jpg)
The lake is in the middle of Michigan somewhere, an hour from anywhere convenient, although a small town nearby named Placer fulfills some needs. The "loch" was settled in the 19th century by a Scotsman named...voila...Harper.
And those 86 people. I seem bound and determined to get to know all of them. I didn't intend this to be a series, but it has become second nature to lay the groundwork for one.
I am entering the Dark Moment Phase of writing now, when I creep through word-by-excruciating-word because I'm not comfortable there. I'll let you know when it's done. I'll invite you to the lake and we'll watch the 86 and wonder what their stories are, why they're living in the middle of nowhere.
Back to the story. And the loser ex-husband. And pizza from the Mercantile. And...
Really enjoyed your post and the lake setting sounds wonderful. Good luck on easing past that difficult Black Moment ! Cheers.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb. You've probably been there! One word at a time... :-)
DeleteOh, how I can relate!!!!! Writing is such a process-in-progress. Great blog, Liz. Can't wait to read the book(s).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janie. The process continues to fascinate, doesn't it? At the same time as it's driving you crazy. Lol.
DeleteEnjoyed your post, Liz. I applaud you for switching to "first person" writing. It's a writing style I've considered, but I'd probably make every mistake in the book. All the best! :)
ReplyDeleteI encourage you to try it--it's fun! I did it once before, in The Girls of Tonsil Lake, but it was in four parts each chapter in a part would be one of the Girls' voices. I loved that, too!
DeleteThe bits I've read have made me hungry for more! Keep going, bestie!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nan. It is fun!
DeleteSounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer. It has been fun so far, but really slow now! Could that possibly be the writer's fault? :-)
DeleteI've written exactly one very short story in first person. It's scary but I think you can really get inside a person's head with it.
ReplyDeleteI've got to ask -- what's a liar's table?
I was going to ask the same thing, Jana!
DeleteIt's the one where a bunch of retired guys sit around and talk about the good old days. At Harper Loch, they're fishermen who I'm pretty sure lie about the size of their catch.
DeleteI really enjoyed your post. I've tried first person. I agree you can really get into their head. but I find it restrictive and prefer third person. But I like to read 1st person at times. The story sounds like a good one, I'd like to read. I had to look up the term liar's table. In country stores and diners, old men gather over breakfast and coffee to swap tall tales. The fish are bigger, danger greater, and adventures wilder in the ... That is what you meant right?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's it. I don't remember where I first heard the term--I think maybe from Tom Bodett--but I've always liked it. It's so accurate!
DeleteThanks, Carolyn. Back at you!
ReplyDeleteI write mostly in first person and don't find it confining at all. I feel like it gives you a great chance to see where the characters are misreading each other. I'm kind of wondering if, when I switch back to third person soon, I'll find it a struggle having written my three series in first. Enjoyed your post!
ReplyDelete