Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Doubting Liza and Back to Haiti

My writers group critiqued my next 50 (or actually 60) pages last night and guess what -- they did not hate it! I'm so excited! Last time, during my baptism in this particular brand of self-inflicted torture, they ripped my precious baby apart, couldn't stand Liza and found Henry insufferable. When I told them the book was also about the pedophilia scandal in the catholic church, they all burst out laughing -- that's how NOT likely it seemed from the first four chapters.

Last night it was just the six guys in the group and me; our two other women members, Jackie and Juhi, couldn't make it. I’d sent my pages in earliest and so was up first on the docket. And at the risk of sounding as goofy as Sally Fields, they liked it! They thought it was well written and really started cooking with the story line about Brian being abused. A couple of the guys actually liked the early scenes, in which Liza has lunch with Henry, the best, which is a real surprise and gives me hope that it isn't just Chick Lit after all, although the other guys definitely preferred the scenes about Brian.

One of the guys thought I revealed Brian's past too quickly, and suggested I drag it out more to maintain the tension as Brian falls off the wagon and makes a general mess of things. I think that's a good idea -- I do tend to rush all the good parts when I'm really getting into my writing. Very reflective of my own nature, but not so good for a novel. I totally rushed the steamy sex scene Hannah had me write last month, and my assignment now is to slow it down and savor the details. Waaaah -- that's so hard for me, especially for this scene!

Of course, Hannah must be thinking I fell off the earth lately, since a month has passed since she gave me that assignment. I have been hugely distracted by other things in my life, but it’s coming, Hannah – I’m getting back in the saddle and need another 50 pages for my next turn with the group at the end of April. It’s amazing how a little praise can go straight to my head – sad, really, but I’ll take the motivation anywhere I can get it.

Off to Haiti again on March 8th for a pediatric health clinic in the village of Medor. We’re (Heidi, the actual pediatrician and four willing assistants) going to see as many as 700 kids in 4 days – should be a blast.

I’ll also be looking for more inspiration and information for my next novel, about a seriously doubting catholic priest, a 40-something woman searching for meaning in her life (ha ha!) and the virtual enslavement of poor Haitians and other nasty doings on a sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic.