Here's what I thought, when this idea was birthed in my mind, was that I was writing about a 30-ish woman, a new widow. What I thought I was going to do was explore her grief, her loss, her struggle and her ultimate triumph.
But, no.
Another woman, a much older woman, walked in and brought a much younger woman with her, and there I was faced with the idea of three, which appeals to me. I've done it before and didn't think I would do it again, but here these two are and they're usurping my 30-ish widow's place as the central character in the MIP, particularly the older one. The two younger women have taken risks, they've loved, they've lost, they've faced life head on because they had to do it but this older gal...now that I'm writing it down, I see her full on. She's older, 67 or so, and she's never faced a real challenge in her life. She's lived it safe. I have to wonder why she keeps trying to get my attention?
Hmmmm...
The ancients believed in the maiden, the mother, and the crone. I see I have all three here in my brain. Although I see this, I still feel mystified.
This manuscript is not going where I wanted it to go, or where I thought it would go, but I'm now thinking I'll let all three of these women speak and see where they end up. And I'll keep leafing through hair style magazines and fashion magazines and I'll investigate architecture and food, and farming and other things that will be equally important as I build a picture of these women in the reader's mind. I'll develop their history, their personalities, their quirks, their struggles, and I'll bring it to the page.
Fun times, being a writer.
Here's the other funny thing. You're not always in control.
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