Shoppers Beware...

...A Writer Lurks

I've been working on that story I was writing. No not that one, the other one. No. The other one.

I'm just messing with you. It's the one that was a comic book before I realized that I don't know how to write comic books. Yeah, yeah, maybe if I tried it for longer than a week I would actually LEARN something and it would get easier. The problem with that is that every time I would sit down to write I would find myself completely blocked by the format and unable to get anything out. So I took a breath, and started from scratch, this time writing a novel, the thing I marginally understand how to do better than writing a comic book. (It's not like I'm published or anything, so really, what DO I know about writing a novel?)

Anyway, it's going well. The proof is not in the 4 notebooks filled with notes and scenes, nor in the 12 pieces of scrap paper I have filled with, what is essentially, doodling (except in word form) which is later translated into a coherent narrative. Rather, the proof is in the flesh and blood (or ones and zeroes) six pages that I have typed. Not only that, but reading them over again, I STILL LIKE THEM. They're GOOD* pages. And there is a story there. Actually, there are lots of stories, all clamoring to be told, but once I started writing this first one, the others seemed to calm down and let me get to it. (Occasionally a particularly impatient scene will leap out at me and demand to be put to paper even though I know it won't fit in until after the first book. Well after the first book, sometimes. Which, of course, makes me panic. What do you mean there's a whole series of books? I'M NOT A NOVELIST, YOU HAVE CLEARLY CONFUSED ME WITH A REAL WRITER.

It does feel a bit like the story hit me accidentally while it was winging it's way to a proper published author who would, no doubt, be far more adept at interpreting and channeling it in a timely fashion. At this rate, I'll finish the first book in just under fifty years. Yahoo! Break out the champagne!

OK, back to the title of this nonsense.

There is a character in this novel who I haven't been able to get a handle on. His personality was clear in some ways, and weak in others. A large part of the confusion, I believe, was down to the fact that I couldn't 'hear' his name. It went through several incarnations: Victor Edwards, Victor Jarlath (what was I thinking?), and Victor Julius (clearly I thought 'Victor' was staying). And then, one day a man came into Otto to buy a gift for his wife and as I glanced at the name on his credit card slip it hit me.

Benedict Chant.

Suddenly, I knew exactly who the character was.

"Benedict Chant, my friends call me 'Chance'," he said, striding forward to take Ryland's hand. Ryland had a hard time imagining Benedict having friends, let alone ones that called him 'Chance'. But he also wouldn't have expected the head of Chant Industries to be quite so disarmingly eager-to-please, so what did he know? Benedict "Chance" Chant was pumping his hand with as much enthusiasm as though he were meeting his favorite movie star instead of some nobody Brit who had no business being here in the first place.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chant," Ryland replied, politely extracting himself from the handshake. He could see the disappointment on Chant's face. Maybe he really doesn't have any friends, but has always desperately wished to be called 'Chance', Ryland thought, in which case, someone ought to tell him you can't give yourself a nickname.

Can you see Benedict Chant? Because I can see him clear as day now. Furthermore, I had no idea he was such a geek before, but now it all makes perfect sense.

As for the real Benedict Chant? He remains blissfully unaware that his name has been swiped for use by a writer. muahahahaha.


Amidst the writing, I work, I sing, I search for an apartment, I watch Mythbusters (which I'm totally obsessed with because it's AWESOME. First of all, Science! Second of all, Explosions! Third of all, Geeks! Put them together and you have an incredibly entertaining show. I was skittish about starting a new obsession after Hotel Babylon broke my heart, but I believe me heart is safe with Mythbusters. Whoops, I turned into a pirate for a moment. By the way, did you know that pirates may not have worn eye-patches because it was a cool fashion statement or because they got their eye gouged out in battle? In fact, many historians believe that pirates wore an eyepatch to keep one eye always ready for night vision in case they had to leave the blinding sun to duck below deck during a battle. They would simply switch the patch over to the other eye and use the dark-accustomed one to see. IT REALLY WORKS! I learned it on the Mythbusters pirate special. Science in action!).

That's all for tonight!
Julia

*Again, see the part where I'M NOT A PUBLISHED AUTHOR so what the hell do I know?