Kimberly Gardner

I know it looks like I’m reverting to my old, lazy blogger ways. But I’m really not. Honest!

I’ve been buried under my current deadline for the last couple of weeks. But it looks like there is a light shining through afterall.

I’m still plugging away on my story for the MLR anthology called Hot Comfort due out in the fall, I think.

The story now has a title. It’s called The Shape Of a Heart. And it’s more than halfway written. Maybe even three quarters written. I think. I hope. *g*

Even though I’ve been steadily writing and making decent progress, there was something about the plot that was bothering me, something that just wasn’t working. And this afternoon, while at the evil day job, I think I figured out what it was. I was revealing a critical piece of backstory way too soon and it was totally screwing up the flow of the story.

You see this character — his name is Zach Jensen –he would never have revealed this bit of info as early in his new relationship as I had him doing it. He just wouldn’t. And by forcing him to tell it too soon I was clearly pissing him off royally and causing him to be a very bad and uncooperative character.

Don’t ask me how I finally learned the error of my ways. I have no idea. All I can tell you is that when that piece of the story puzzle clicked into its proper place I went “Oh!!! So that’s how it was supposed to happen!!!”

Then I fainted from sheer relief. Lol!

Not really. Well, it’s all true except for the fainting part, but I was incredibly relieved to have figured it out. Now I feel like I can get back into the story and finish it with more confidence and authority than before. And believe me, that confidence and authority shows in the writing. Because when I’m not feeling it the writing suffers. Not only that, but it feels more like a chore than the joy it really is.