Amelia's Interview

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:29:33 -0800

Dear friends,
I signed up for a blog chain with some fellow writers from my romance chapter. This post is based on a predetermined topic - one of my characters interviews me. The character I chose is a female composer from my steampunk romance. Her name is Amelia. I hope you enjoy this entry.

I enter a Victorian parlor that is decorated in rose tones and ornately carved mahogany furnishings. The lower half of an olive green Victorian gown protrudes from the belly of a piano. A couple of inches above the floor, two pale bare feet dangle from the ankle length hem like clappers of a bell.

“Hello?” I keep my voice quiet as to not startle the woman buried waist deep in the piano.

The woman bangs her head on the underside of the lid upon hearing my voice. Wiggling backward, she maneuvers out of the instrument’s cavity. Knitting needles and hairpins are grasped in her right hand. As I come closer, I notice several other knitting needles woven between many of the bass strings and hairpins wound around some of the treble strings. The pretty young woman presses her left palm against the crown of her head and squints. In spite of her grimace, her natural beauty is stunning. An enviable pile of loose curls falls to her waist and her magnolia skin is flushed. I suspect she’s embarrassed to have been found in such a precarious position.

Her smile is infectious as she gives me a sheepish look while rubbing her noggin. “Hello. You must be Lyla Dune. I’m Amelia Wilcot.” She places the needles and pins on a nearby table and moves toward me with her hand extended. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for weeks. I can’t believe I allowed myself to get so swept up in my new composition that I lost all track of time. How rude I must seem. “

We shake hands. “Not rude at all. I understand completely.” I assure her. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Amelia. I’d love to hear one of your compositions.”

Her bright green eyes twinkle as her cheeks dimple even deeper. “I’d be happy to play something for you later. I so seldom get the opportunity to share my work. Women aren’t encouraged to be composers in my generation, as you know.”

“Yes. I’ve read about that. It’s a pity.”

“Let’s sit by the fire; shall we?” With a sweep of her long fingered, delicate hand, she motions toward two wing back chairs by the hearth.

“Looks very inviting.” I follow her over to the chairs and we sit facing each other.

While nervously smoothing her skirt, she tucks her bare feet out of sight. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to interview a female musician from your era. Fate was certainly on my side when this meeting was arranged.”

“I’m equally delighted.” I can’t deny I feel an immediate connection between Amelia and myself.

A mechanical hummingbird whizzes past my line of vision and lands on Amelia’s shoulder. She removes a scroll from the bird’s beak and reads silently. Looking up with a lopsided grin, she says, “Tessa can’t stand it. She saw you arrive and is begging to come over and join us.” Amelia scribbles something on the scroll with a quill, places the scroll back in the bird’s beak, and twists the bird’s tail three times. The bird flies out of the room, squeaking as its wings flutter hurriedly. “I told her she could join us after the interview. “

“Wonderful. From everything I’ve read about Tessa, she’s a lot of fun.”

“Fun is definitely a word I’d use to describe her. “ She picks up a notebook from the side table and opens it. “I’ve so many questions. I’m not sure what to ask first. Perhaps you could tell me about yourself and we can go from there.”

“Sure. I’m a writer from the year 2011. I’ll soon be forty-five years old. I’ve been married to a wonderful man for twelve years. He spoils me rotten and I love it. We have no children or pets, but for the past few years have been caretakers of my father. My dad is very much like a big kid.”

Amelia smiles and interjects. “And your mother?”

“She passed when I was a child.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. My mother also passed away while I was very young.”

“We have a lot in common.”

“Yes. It seems so, except I’m missing that husband who spoils me rotten.”

“Oh, I didn’t meet him until I was in my thirties. You have plenty of time.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am. In addition to having a great marriage, I teach music and write songs and stories.”

“Have you ever had any of your music published?”

“No. I’ve never pursued the songwriting as I should. When I graduated from college I went to Nashville and came across several so called publishers who were far from trustworthy. That one trip to music row made me change my mind about becoming a songwriter. I decided to stay in Wilmington, NC, close to home and teach school and I’m glad I did. I’ll be able to retire soon and then I may give songwriting another chance.”

“So you haven’t been writing music for several years?”

“Oh, I write music often, I just keep it to myself.”

“Sounds like me.”

“Yes, but I do it by choice, not because society has placed restrictions upon me.”

“But music is something that should be shared with others.”

“You’re right. I should perform it or share it with friends at least.”

“Yes, you should. If no one hears the songs you create, it’s like a piece of your identity is missing, like you’ll never be whole until that part of you finds a home in someone else’s heart. At least that is how it feels to me.”

God, there’s nothing like someone holding a mirror up to you and making you see yourself. She’s so right. If I can blog and write, surely I can make some recordings of my music and share it.

“I think I’ve been putting that part of myself into my poetry and stories for the past few years.”

“Have you published any of those.”

“Yes. I’ve published lots of poems and several stories. I’m working on a few novels now.”

“Books?”

“Yes.”

“Women in your generation can do anything.”

“Very true, Amelia. Sometimes I forget how fortunate I am to have the opportunities I do.”

“I do hope you’ll take full advantage of them.”

“Speaking with you today has inspired me to make better use of my time, that’s for sure.”

“What kind of books do you write?”

“Currently I’m working on a couple of romance novels.”

“Romance! I love romance, the dream of it, the passion and sanctuary found in that one special person that binds themselves to you forever.”

“It is magical.”

“Precisely. Magical, indeed. “ She leans forward. “May I read one of your books?”

“When I’m finished, you may.”

“You aren’t finished with any?”

“No. I keep getting sidetracked and leaving things undone.”

“Why?”

“Good question.”
“Are you afraid of finishing? Afraid what you create won’t be as good as you dream?”

“Perhaps, but mostly, Amelia, I think it is lack of discipline on my part and having to take a close look at myself right now is making me acutely aware of how little I’m doing to make my dreams come true. I feel a sudden urge to tackle some of those unfinished projects.”

“I’m glad. Don’t let me stop you. I have only a few more measures of my latest composition to finish. Let’s continue this interview when we’re both done with our current projects.”

“That sounds like an excellent suggestion. Let’s get to work and come back together at a later date and discuss our completed work.”

“Excellent. Message me when you’re done.”
“I will and thank you, Amelia. You’ve ignited a fire I had let dwindle.”

She smiles and fades from view. I stare at the computer screen with new eyes that see the blank page as an opportunity to make a dream come true, instead of a chore to be done. It’s time to get to work, nationals are only a few weeks away and I want to have something completed before I board that plane for New York.

Order of Blog Chain Participants:

Aimee Laine

Lyla Dune (me)

Carol Strickland

Amy Corwin

Lilly Gayle

Rebekkah Niles

Laura Browning

Andris Bear

Marcia Colette

Nancy Badger

Sarah Makela

Jennifer Harrington

Scott Berger

RSS Feed

Letting Your Story Breathe

Sun, 08 May 2011 12:59:06 -0800

Learning when to loosen the reins and let your characters run free

I've been working on a holiday steampunk novella that originated as an idea for a novel. Upon learning a great press had an open call submission for winter themed steampunk novellas, I've been slaving away trying cram my novel idea into novella length. I wanted to finish a project, submit it, and have that sense of accomplishment. But then my story ate words and barely inched along. 20k in and I hadn't even come close to hitting the halfway mark in my plot. I'd been skimping on descriptions of setting and short changing relationship bonding moments between key characters.

Today, I had to give myself a stern talking to. Rushing through a project to make a deadline for a chance to get in an anthology is not the way to go about producing quality work. I have one chance to make a first impression with readers. I owe it to myself to do whatever it takes to put make that impression a positive one.

Which means: let my story unfold at a reasonable pace, allow myself room to add in details that can bring the setting and characters to life, give myself a chance to set the completed first draft aside to marinate before revising and revising and revising some more, sending a polished draft to my critique partners for input, editing based on their feedback, reading the whole thing aloud and revising AGAIN, before taking that bold and exciting step of querying and submitting my work to publishers.

So, if you're like me, tempted to rush to the finish line for a chance to make an open call deadline, stop and ask yourself what it'll take to do your best. If you can't do your best within the time frame allotted to make the deadline, maybe you should believe in your work enough to let that open call slip by, take your time writing and REVISING your story, and trust the finished product will find a home when it's done well.

First Post - The Importance of Branding as an author

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:03:07 -0800

After attending a writer's workshop, I left feeling rather inadequate. The topic was about branding as an author and I realized I had not done my job in that department. I'd been focusing on the writing with little energy spent towards marketing. Afterall, I've yet to publish a novel. At this workshop, I quickly learned that creating an online presence is crucial to selling a novel. Prior to offering a new author a contract, many publishers want to see proof that an author has established a website, blog, twitter account, facebook fan page, etc. So, hello cyber space friends, this is my first blog post on my "brand" new website. I'd love for you to follow me on Twitter and Like my Fan Page on Facebook.

- Blog

Amelia's Interview

Letting Your Story Breathe

First Post - The Importance of Branding as an author