Progress On My Second Novel

The main problem in my second novel is drawing out the female protagonist. She is 21, admitted to a psych ward of a hospital after a suicide attempt. She's resistant to the stringent rules in the unit like wearing scrubs, attending group sessions, and signing a document where she promises not to hurt herself while she's a patient.

She refuses to share with the staff, the psychiatrist, and during group sessions. All she will admit is that she's had a lousy life. Her mother never wanted her, her kid brother died from a heroin overdose, and she has no reason to go on living.

Her physical description has me baffled. All I see in my mind is blonde hair with dark roots. Can't picture her face, her body type, or what she wears when not in scrubs. She has a cashier job at a small local market where she is fairly satisfied. But she is one angry girl in a psych unit she calls a prison.

Stay tuned for progress on fleshing out Lindsay.

From Short Stories to Novels

Although I still publish short stories, I have completed a novel and begun another. The first one, Dogs Don't Cook, takes place along Seattle streets in 1995. Hatch, a fifty-year-old Marine vet, claws his way to sobriety for life as a painter, one brushstroke at a time, while his invisible dog, Bud, trots behind. Presently, I am searching for representation for this novel.

The second book is in the early stages and untitled. In the psych ward of a hospital, a suicidal girl of 21 meets another patient, an old Army chaplain, who is as broken as she is. The plot develops as their friendship grows. 

I hesitated to write a novel, having grown comfortable with the short story.  The exciting part of novel writing is watching the plot develop as the characters decide what they're going to do, independent of the narrator. I sit back and let them run the show. I'm not sure what's happening next, and that motivates me to continue.

In short stories, I have a basic idea of what's ahead. Novels are a very different experience for me. My patience is strained, I' have my share of meltdowns, but haven't ever thrown in the towel. Curiosity keeps my interest and withstands my frustration when things are not going well.

On this blog, I want to keep a record of how this second novel is proceeding, so stay tuned as I endure the process.  

Thanks --

Catherine