I’ve mentioned that Betsy (my Warner Aspect editor) didn’t want another book set in Matrin, though I’m not certain if I mentioned it here. Anyway, I put together a kick-ass new world, a magic system I love, and, unfortunately, a story that didn’t work. However, Russ Galen, my agent, pointed out the parts of it that did work. And I got the go-ahead to pitch something to Betsy in first person, which is an unusual direction to take for an epic fantasy novel. It will be harder, I think, to get the scope and scale, but Oh, MAMA, if I can get it, and convey it in the pitch, then I’d get to write in first person.
And, godDAMN, I love writing in first person. I love the voice, the rhythm, the distance, the pacing, the challenges — I love everything about first person. Books in first person are also the ones I most enjoy reading.
This was a gift, this go-ahead to make this particular pitch, and I am so wound-up I almost can’t think.
So here’s the plan. First I have to do my 2400+ on The Wreck of Heaven. That should be a blast — I have a great scene I get to do today. Then I sit down and work out a single viewpoint character that I would kill to write, and figure out her first story. I have the world, I have the enemies, I have some of the friends, I know where she is and what she’s doing when the story starts. I already have a whisper of her voice. I just don’t have her. So I look for her, and when I find her, I do some words on her today, too.
God, this is going to be fun. These are the times when I can’t believe that I am so lucky — that this is my job. Sure as hell makes up for the bad days — and frankly, the bad days are never bad.
Bad was doing CPR on those two kids in the ER one day, and having to call both codes after an hour of working, and having to go out and tell the parents both of their children were dead. Compared to that, there are no bad days in writing. Or if there is, the bad day would be having to say, “I can’t write any more — now I have to go back and do CPR on people’s little kids to pay the bills.”
