Almost there...

I was going to post a piece of fiction today. It's a story that has been bumping around in my head for ages. I mean AGES. Yesterday while I was cleaning (of course) I got a whole section of it. Just BOOM! the whole piece dropped in to my lap. So now I have the piece I started with and this other piece that works with it and I am ready to go.

Except I can't get it started. I know the middle and the end but I need a good beginning. When you are writing a short story, even one that might end up being part of a longer one eventually, you have to be really good about your beginnings. And your middles. And your ends. Okay the whole thing. You don't have the luxury of a slow or awkward build when you are writing a short piece. It all has to be working together or you are stuck.

I have rewritten the beginning four times so far. How does it start? Where is Jeremy? Is he at work? Is he at the gym? In a doctor's waiting room? Could it be a magazine article? No, it has to be a TV interview. Do people even have break rooms at work anymore? Would he be in a job like that? What does he do? I know who he is in relation to the two other people in the story but for someone who is one of the main characters in a short story he's being pretty illusive.

And then the names! Of course Jeremy was originally James as all male characters in my stories start their lives. If they are lucky enough to even merit a name that is. But I have two males and a female as the main characters and at least one other woman and possibly another man as peripherals. Too confusing to give no one a name and so frustrating to find names for all of them! I wish when they told me their stories they would start out by leaving a name. Anyway...does Nicholas Graves seem like a good name for a movie star? I guess I could name him James...

So I'm not as close as I thought to having this one ready to go. Which is a shame. I was so excited yesterday to think I was finally going to get this one out of my head. It gave me hope for the Gray Lady who is still sitting patiently waiting for her story to be told. Which is good, she's not someone that I would want to have lose patience with me...


So, sorry, no Friday fiction, but hopefully soon!

Jeremy. Yeah, it's Jeremy...right? Jeremy....