Happy Tuesday!

MY SPONSORS APPROVED MY FINAL THESIS APPLICATION TODAY!!!!!

Ahem. Sorry, got a bit excited there.

Today I learned how much one short meeting could change the course of a novel. Getting the chance to really sit down with my writing professor and discuss Five of Cups, its characters, and where the plot will go was unendingly helpful. She had a lot of really helpful things to say, and also expressed concern about one of the bits of storyline that had been niggling at the back of my mind as a bit off. Through being able to bounce thoughts off her I think I've come up with a much better idea, which will take the plot in a slightly different direction but will be better for the book as a whole.

It is worrying when you write descriptions of your characters and even you can tell they sound flat. Especially when you know that the character kicking around in your brain is not flat at all! In fact, they're a demanding pain in the butt. What is it about conveying a character from your head to the page that is so hard? I'm a writer! Shouldn't this come naturally to me?

Maybe we're not really supposed to write "descriptions" and have them portray our characters in their best light. After all, I can tell you a person is witty over and over and over again, but until you witness their wit, you can't really know for yourself. I've concluded that it is our characters' actions and not their defining characteristics that show us who they are. So I'm not going to spend anymore time stressing over page after page of descriptors. If you want to know what the characters in Five of Cups are like, pick up a copy someday; I'd be thrilled to sign it for you!

In other news, I completed my first review for Adele, which will hopefully be up soon. I went with The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley in the end, the book I'd picked before just wasn't speaking to me. See you Friday!