Drawing from the Well
Queries Sent: 2
Total Queries: 5
Scenes Arranged: 0
Total Scenes: 210
NOW I’ve had a zero-scene day. I knew yesterday would be crazy busy and I was right. I just need to reverse the trend today and get back to arranging scenes to maintain momentum. At least I made up for it with double queries, although I do need to start researching other agents to deepen my agent backlist to keep the trend going. Elise Kova submitted to 111 agents; I need to be prepared to do the same or more.
Filling the Well
That Hideous Strength: 89%
Elegy: Page 20 of 89
I made a tiny amount of progress on this audiobook, but not even 1%. Again, yesterday was a busy day.
Polishing the Well
My wife and I went to see Dear Evan Hansen yesterday and, frankly, I see why it won the Tony. It was incredible. Twelve hours later I’m still trying to unpack all the messages and lessons in it. We laughed, we cried, we almost died. And we loved every minute of it. 10/10 would see again and take my kids…when they’re a little older because of the profanity in it.
Well Chat
Bringing the Beginning Around to the End
One of my favorite things in story is when something at the beginning comes around at the end and means so much more than it did before. I love symmetry, balance, and call backs; always have. It’s something I try to do in my stories as well. This is especially true in the causal loop short story I’m writing, for obvious reasons.
Dear Evan Hansen did this. Pixar does it all the time. It isn’t easy, though. In an earlier draft, I tried to shoehorn it in and it was laughably obvious. That was before I got down to the business of determining what my story was about. Once I got there, I found/wrote a line that resonated throughout the book and helped drive Grant to become who he was in the end. Forgetting it will drive him away from his goal later in the series and returning to it will drive him back. I intend to have other lines like this that circle back and smack the reader in the face unexpectedly, but again, it isn’t easy.
The important thing is for the future call back to feel natural and organic in the beginning. In Dear Evan Hansen, it is that line itself. I won’t spoil how, but the play OPENS with those three words that go on to drive the entire play. When they return at the end after the harrowing, heart-wrenching…(other H word) HORRENDOUS journey of self-discovery, it acts as a lens on the titular character. We remember where he was when he said those words the first time and can look back at the entire play to see how different he is at the end.
That’s the beauty of the circle when it reaches its fullness: it acts as a lens to the entire journey. Take a look at some of your favorite books and movies and see if this doesn’t come up. I bet those are the most emotionally resonant, most memorable, most powerful scenes. And I bet you love them just like I do.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG