When I was asked to be part of a Valentine's Day anthology from Rogue Phoenix Press, I was thrilled. Then reality set in. What should my story be about? I was used to writing longer stories with dramatic subplots and lots of secondary characters. No room for subplots in a 30,000-word anthology.
However, there was a romantic comedy I had drafted called CHASING RAINBOWS...
Allana Angel really like the "explosive" beginning. However, the longer I wrote, the more this romantic comedy tried to turn serious. Perhaps the shorter format of a novella would keep this story light-hearted.
So I started the editing process.
The original draft was longer than I remembered: almost 60,000 words. No problem, I thought. Just cut out half the words. Gulp. And cut I did. I whittled the story down to 35,000 words--more or less.
As I did so, another reality set in. I had learned a lot about the craft of writing in the years since I had drafted this story. Among other things, editing meant eliminating bouncing points of view, showing instead of telling, and tightening the motivation of the main characters.
The good news was that I still liked the characters and I still thought the dialogue and actions were funny. Hooray! I hope readers will also.
The story had barely been polished and submitted for editorial review when we started talking about another anthology. Could the characters in CHASING RAINBOWS carry off romantic comedy again? I hope so, because Rogue's Angels offered up write-in parts (similar to cameo appearances on TV) in our 2011 St. Patrick's anthology as part of a fundraiser for the Willamette Humane Society. Plans for the 2011 anthology are bubbling even as we promote the release of the Valentine's anthology in February 2010.
I'm also delighted to unveil the cover for the Valentine's Anthology 2010. The front cover will remain at the top of this blog. But I thought you might also want to see the back cover.
Love the cover and the story behind Chasing Rainbows. Can hardly wait until its release. Why is it I can never remember how to spell my name. Allana Angel
ReplyDeleteSable Angel here... I know from having had the honor to critique Chasing Rainbows everyone will be entertained and delighted with the characters. It's hard not to fall in love with all of them. I was so pleased to see you write humor. As you pointed out, your other works, as wonderful as they are deal with very serious subjects which you pull off with great finesse.
ReplyDeleteChasing Rainbows shows the slightly offbeat side we other Angels know and love.
I think our anthology for 2010 will delight many a reader and 2011 will set folks on their ears with laughter. As I said last week... brawny men, lovely lasses, maudlin leprechauns, mischievious faeries, a slightly disorganized professor/inventor and his kooky wife, and a time machine gone haywire... what's not to love?
Glad you stepped out of your safety zone, Amber.
LOL, Allana Angel. You made me look at the spelling to be sure I hadn't goofed!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sable Angel. I had great fun with CHASING RAINBOWS and am looking forward to revisiting the characters in our 2011 anthology. :)