Oh my. This story? It takes the cake. The whole bakery.
You won’t believe what I did.
At least I THINK it was my mistake. Let me explain.
I’m working on my project…my lengthier-by-the-minute manuscript that’s a fictionalized account of one of the threads in “Surviving Sue”. One that’s intrigued readers, which I’ve taken as encouragement to try my hand at fiction. Expand on the ‘what if’. (Thank you, Dave Williams, for your recent post mentioning the magic and wonder of ‘what if’. I love synchronicity!)
I’m almost ready to hand my baby over to my treasured beta readers and gosh. That feels soooo good.
But as I worked on the second round of edits, I noticed something odd. I’d been sitting at my desk, butt glued to my chair for too long without a break. Playing that torturous game where I overestimate my energy and then tussle with the idea of giving up vs. hanging in.
Just a few more ‘graphs, I say.
Feeling fried, I read a sentence that’s a real attention-grabber.
And not in a good way.
In my story, there’s a large family with seven children. I’ve come to know them well, especially one of the kids who’s a protagonist in the tale. I squint at the text on the screen and read the sentence. Push my glasses up. Squint and read again.
Cue the giggles.
No where. And I mean NO WHERE in the months that I’ve been working on this project have I named any of the seven children “Scott“. And yet…there he was. Bold and sassy. Staring back at me in a sentence where I’d ceremonially listed the line-up of seven kids.
Who is Scott, I wonder? Where did he come from?
There is not Scott, I tell myself. He slid in from the great beyond. A scene stealer. A showoff. A nobody who wants to be a somebody in my story.
I get up. I walk away and then I realize. Whoever Scott is and wherever he came from, there’s a gem within. Although I’m sure it was a sleep-deprived cognitive lapse, I think…
“Scott” is giving the concept of ‘ghost writer’ brand new meaning!
I’ll be on the lookout for him to pop up again as I trudge through a few more edits. I wonder…should I rope my beta-readers in? Ask them to be on the lookout for “Scott” lurking around as they read? Maybe so. Calling all supernatural editors. I might need your help!
Vicki 😉
Lagniappe? Here’s more silly stuff in my “Crack Yourself Up” series. You’re welcome (or I’m sorry). You pick!
Check out this link to learn more about: “Surviving Sue”.
Victoria Ponders 
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