Who is Mrs Lowery ?

January 12, 2010

I continue to plug away at my book. 20 chapters are down and I have no idea how many more to go. My writing routine is scattered and unpredictable but remains totally enjoyable. I am so fortunate to have a large old home with extra rooms upstairs upstairs now that 4 kids have flown the coop. We turned one room into the library and filled it with...books. It now has an old recliner, which is where I sit with my laptop, and the desk my husbands uncle gave him 30 years ago. Its a putrid green. Wish I could blame the uncle but I'm the one who painted the desk 10 years ago.

Last week I printed off my book as it is so far, and spread out all the pages on the putrid green desk. I then went through it page by page and found a few characters I had not remembered. For example one Mrs Lowery. She appeared in chapter six and just began talking as if she had been in my book all along. Not unlike those strange folks who get on the elevator with you and act like your best buddy. Some of the stuff she said made sense, the rest was drivel. I asked the other main characters if they knew who she was, where she came from and whether or not she should be expanded or given the boot. I received no feedback. Perhaps they were worried that if they ratted out one of their own, I might see them as useless to the core of the story and eliminate them as well. These book characters can be a bit cliquey. So for now Mrs Lowery stays but Doctor Seuss had to go. I wasn't sure but I may have gotten that name from another book and who needs a literary lawsuit at this stage of my novel ?