Oh the Places our Stories Will Take Us

So, as I begin to hammer out and diligently revise my first draft, I realized my characters were calling out to me that the plot I chose to throw them in needs to more interesting and unique. And they need conflict. Without it, their story would be dull and uninteresting.  And real life certainly isn’t like that. I mean, we all have conflict and goals that drive us at some point in our lives right? Well gosh darn it, so should my characters.

Pennwriter’s Conference

So, this past weekend I attended the Pennwriters’ Writers’ Conference in Lancaster, PA. Being that it was my first conference, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Although a little nervous at first, I didn’t allow that to hold me back from talking to other writers, agents and editors.

Which version is best?

Ok, maybe I’m overthinking it, but there are so many directions I can take the story but can’t seem to pick one.

Here are some possible versions or scenarios I’ve come up with? Which one do you like the best?

1) Kaleb comes home and finds his mother beaten on the floor and her boyfriend, Brad dead. Kaleb runs away. He has a history with the police, got into trouble as a juvenile but now is an adult and still feels they have something  against him. Chance arrives to the same scene except he realizes Kaleb is gone. Police target Kaleb as a suspect. Chance begins his own investigation to find out who killed Brad and why and prove his brother’s innocence. Detective plays a major part and has a personal connection to Kaleb.

2) Chance gets a call from his mother, Abigail that Brad is dead and Kaleb is missing. She asks him to come home  right away. Chance and Abigail work together to find out who killed Brad and why while also proving Kaleb is innocent. Abigail wants to repair the strained relationships with her sons at the same time. Brad was abusive to Abigail but everyone else that knew him thought he was a good guy and was well-respected. A politician or local official perhaps?

3) Chance is on his way to see his brother in prison, who he hasn’t seen in quite a while. Kaleb was convicted of killing their mother’s boyfriend, Brad. But he maintains his innocence. Chance works to prove his innocence and find out the truth while also fixing his relationship with his family.

So from these three versions, which one sounds most interesting or unique? What do you like most? Least?

I think I just need to pick one and stick with it. If it doesn’t work later, I can always go back and change it. It’s not set in stone. But I could really use  your help.

This is my current dilemma. Please help!!

Start of my journey

After being stuck for a few weeks or so on where to go next with my story, I started just writing out of order. When I would write chapter by chapter, I would suddenly run into road blocks where I didn’t know where to go next. So far with my new strategy I am able to continue writing more scenes that I will paste into the book in the right places.

In order to keep motivated and not become discouraged, I have adopted the attitude that I shouldn’t obsess about little details right now for the first draft. Whatever doesn’t make sense or needs ironed out I can focus on that on my second draft.

So, that’s where I am at so far. I have about 35 pages done now. If anyone has any pointers to help me stay on track, let me know. I will try and stay positive and not lose confidence in my ability to achieve this goal.

When I post my next blog, I will include snidbits of scenes from my book, so I can get some feedback and constructive criticism from my readers.

Well,  now on to the next phase of my journey.

Journey into my first novel

Okay, so I decided what my next few posts will be. In the next couple months, I am going to give updates on my progress of my first novel  that I’m working on that I hope to turn into a published book one day.  Right now it’s still in the beginning stages, ironing out all the holes and gaps, creating an outline and developing my characters. I want everyone both suscribers and visitors to follow me on this journey to make a dream happen and help guide me in the right direction when I feel like I’m going off course.

It will be a challenging and fun adventure along the way for all of us and I hope you’ll join me in this endeavor. Wish me luck and I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback during this process!

Part 1 to come soon!