I just got back from a week in Rhode Island, where I went to meet with my writing coach and kickstart my novel again. I stayed (blissfully alone) at my mom's condo, which sits right on Narragansett Bay next to historic Pawtuxet Village, site of the "first blow for freedom" in the Revolutionary War.
Pawtuxet Village, in Warwick, was the site of the burning of the Gaspee, a British revenue ship that ran aground while chasing a packet boat, the Hannah. Locals, fed up with the Brits' heavyhanded tactics and unfair levies, attacked the boat and burned it to the water line in 1772. The incident led to the forming of Committees of Correspondence in Boston and Virginia, and eventually to the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
Makes my little Rhody heart proud -- ironic, I know, coming from an avowed pacifist. Ah well, it's hard not to be inspired by that kind of historic event, even if the reality was probably far less heroic. Those actions (as described in many a book on war) often involve more happenstance, dumb luck and selfish motives -- usually about money -- than far-sighted visions of a new republic. But it's still a great story. The village stages a reenactment each year where they burn a boat in effegy, along with a festive parade and arts fair celebrating the town's early role in the revolution.
Anyway, it was wonderful to spend an entire week quietly working away on my book. I don't think I've spent that much time alone in 20 years. I wasn't a total hermit, enjoyed several dinners with family and friends too. But first I had a great meeting with Hannah, where she basically told me she couldn't stand my main character, Liza. Too perfect, not enough flaws, not enough struggle, and therefore not at all likable. I needed to make her more real, have her make mistakes and get messy. So that's what I spent most of the week working on, and it was a blast.
I also researched locations in the story: the Cathedral and chancery, where the Bishop's office is, as well as the town of Portsmouth, where Liza's husband Brian confronts the former priest who abused him when he was a young teen. My last afternoon, Denise chauffered me around the neighborhoods and along the beach roads as I took notes and searched for the right streets, right houses, right dive bar, right beach.
I had no internet access at my mom's, so I went to a cafe in the village each day to check my email and check in with my clients. It was a small, cozy place where everyone was very friendly and nice. It snowed on Monday, closing schools and covering everything with about three inches -- just enough to be beautiful without making running, walking or driving difficult. I discovered, again, that I could easily get used to small town life, at least for periods of time. As long as it's a real town, with shops and news and good coffee and a couple of pubs within walking distance. All of which Pawtuxet Village has. Despite being situated along the waterfront, with streets leading up to the main road lined with houses dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, it still has a low-key, working class feel, really charming.
Now that I'm back the trick will be to keep the momentum going, to continue working and writing every day. Seeing the locations with my own eyes, and inspired by Hannah -- who has agreed to work with me one on one from here on out -- I'm excited to get back to the story. I'm also sharing the next 50 pages with my writers group in early February, and unlike last time, I'm not terrified to hear what they think. Like Hannah's, their feedback last time -- as painful as it was -- has been amazingly helpful. I had to mull it and wrestle with it for awhile, but have realized that most of their advice was right on the money. Liza was a bit of a twit, and I wasn't giving the reader much reason to like her.
Now I've got her messing up royally. Hannah even had me write a steamy sex scene -- that was a first and SO hard to do. But tons of fun, and definitely sending Liza down the wrong road just when Brian needs her most. Hmmm, let's see where that leads, shall we? Haha!
