2007-01-04

Forging Ahead

First, I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2007.

Second, I want to thank everyone who has visited this blog. All three or four of you make this a worthwhile endeavor. ;-) (Sorry. My weird sense of humor is rearing its head.)

Third, and last, I am indeed forging ahead with a short story. I originally planned on it taking place back in 1919 (egads, you say! WTF, Miss Snark might say). Hold on. I'm taking a CD course on the Broadway musical, its origins and all. I've found it so fascinating, I wanted to have a female character after World War I who was feeling her oats, but I wanted it to be just before women got the right to vote in the U.S. (1920, that is).

It didn't go anywhere, although I did get to look at a lot of neat vintage wear so I could have an idea in my mind as to the clothing styles back then.

I had a brainstorm this morning: why not set it in the Depression of the 1930s? Broadway was forging ahead as well, and I'd have a very good reason to have a literally poor woman making her way to New York and the bright lights therein.

Then I got to thinking about my original premise, about having shapeshifters among the Broadway, or some sort of theatrical, denizens. However, I only had one shapeshifter, a theatrical agent. He hated it, didn't know how to control it. Plus, he wanted to get as far away from his father's tailor shop as possible.

Enter this woman, whom I've called Eva for now. Eva is from the hinterlands of Pennsylvania, arriving by train (of course) in 1931 New York. She's spent all but a dollar of her money to get there, to get away from the boring life she's led in the sticks.

I made her into a shapeshifter, too. She's determined to not only leave her former life behind but to live among the normals, as she calls them.

And I've got the germ of an idea for the conflict: the agent (Irving) is one part of a partnership, with the other partner an ornery scumbag who gives Irving until the end of the week to bring in more clients (read: commissions) or it's back to the tailor shop for poor Irving.

That Eva and Irving need to work together, I think, is a given. But then the other partner throws another curve into the mix. Now, I haven't quite figured that part out, but I have a germ of an idea. Anyway, I did write part of this today; about 500-600 words.

The characters are sassy and determined, and I like 'em a lot. Only time will tell if this will be good enough to send out, but I'll give it my best shot.

Don't give up - keep writing!

8 comments:

Kimber Li said...

Shapeshifters on Broadway? Sounds good to me! Go for it! I have a hard time writing short stories. I think my brain's just wired to be a novelist. I start writing a short story and it always morphs into a novel. I just can't shut myself up!

Nancy Beck said...

kimber an,

HAHA!! I know what you mean about not being able to shut up. :-) I took a mail order writing course many, many years ago, and one of the comments the editor said about the short story I sent in was that there was too much story!

And thanks about the short! I'm hoping it turns out to be something good enough to sell.

Kimber Li said...

If you need some encouragement, you need to visit Orion's blog. She just got her deal for her first novel posted at Publishers' Marketplace. You can get to her blog through mine by clicking on my username.

Also, do you belong to Critique Circle? I'm 'Katan' there.

Jeff Draper said...

Happy New Year to you! Go Giants!!
(That way you guys can get slaughtered by the Bears before the Seahawks do.)

astrologymemphis.blogspot.com said...

Which year did settle for? The clothes were so much more fabulous in 1919. While a dollar during the depression was a lot of money, it's not enough to buy some fabulous threads. Of course, maybe the plan is for her to make the big time so she can metamorphose, as well as shapeshift?

Nancy Beck said...

Scriptorius,

As it turned out, the Giants got nailed by the Eagles. Bah! (But the Eagles got their comeuppance - yay!)

Nancy Beck said...

southern,

Although I agree that a lot of the clothing from 1919 is fascinating (I went to a number of vintage clothing sites, and I wouldn't mind wearing some of the stuff from around that time), I changed it to the Depression because I noticed it got my passionate juices flowing moreso than with the 1919 setting.

Metamorphose and shapeshift? Yeah, something like that. :-)

Nancy Beck said...

Kimber An,

Ah, yes, Orion! Actually, I was just on her blog today, where I noticed she put up the query letter that got her her agent.

More power to her! :-)

And another link to another query that'll give me ideas.

Nope, don't belong to Critique Circle. I first want to get through a couple of revisions before having anything critted. One thing I learned from joining the one workshop I joined last year was that I tended to jump the gun too often, throwing rough drafts into the mix. Silly me. :-) But I think this time not only will I go for a free crit board (not that the paid one I belonged to was bad; and I know Critique Circle has a paid model, too), but I'll actually resist the urge to roughs out there.

Encouragement? I can always use that! :-)