Author Archives: Amy Jane

Hi. This isn’t facebook.

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This is my non-techie way of tying up the loose end of this blog template having a (purported) Facebook link, and me not booking my face.

Sorry if that’s disappointing.

I’m told FB will be non-optional once I’m published, but that’s not now. I prefer Twitter just because there seems like less to keep up with.  Maybe I feel less obligation to keep up with the every-doings of everyone I know. If I’m not on FB, I’m not expected to know everything.

Clearly I feel safer when I’m responsible for less.

Feel free to browse elsewhere on Untangling Tales if you want to figure me out. Trust me when I say all of me is already here. A couple of interesting searches you might not have tried yet:

Still like Bones

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From the beginning of my introduction to the TV show, one of my favorite elements was the respectful relationship between the male and female leads.

One of the first episodes had Booth (the FBI guy) lecturing Brennen (the bones lady) about the importance of respecting the rules.

“I can’t always respect the rules,” she insists. “But I can respect you.”

And with very few exceptions she does.

These last few episodes have had that played up more than ever.

~

Every story plays on some sort of fantasy.

Bones‘s is about a woman competent and confident (don’t we all want to be?), who in the rare moments her above-average abilities are overwhelmed by some greater strength has an utterly devoted man who would do anything for her.

On the guy side it’s about the nice guys winning.  Both the leading man and all the supporting actors are “nice guys.” Decent, generally healthy people who are all good in different ways– which, if you think about it, is both rare and hard (which is the short answer about why it’s rare).

~

Life (one of the shows I followed last year) was about the edge-rider and situational ethics.  Life was fascinating because of how well it followed rules (the writing, not the characters).

The main character was high enough (and rich enough, oblivious enough) to do basically whatever he wanted to do, but he was not so high that he was responsible for more than himself and (at times) a partner.  He was the perfect wingman.

In one episode he quietly accompanies his captain to confront the last people to see the leading lady and Captain was able to keep his killer eye-contact with his opponent because he trusted Cruise behind him to watch his back.  Which he did quite competently.

With the female partner, they had the overweight tough guy wannabe (with the heart of gold, of course) getting the girl.

I have to wonder now if the show ended up failing because it tried to feed to many fantasies and so didn’t feed any one of them enough…

~

Right now the Bones writers seem to be trying to walk a line between accuracy in healthy male/female relationships (deference, honor, protection) and avoiding what they (possibly) see as bland stereotype.

There’s still the extra-marital sex to keep it from being generally recommendable as a whole show, but as a character study, I enjoy it immensely.

I hope they keep trying; I love “getting to know” characters that I wouldn’t mind meeting in real life.

I like it when the nice guys win.

I’ve said before, I Love Beginnings

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I had a migraine today.

I don’t get them often, not more than two, maybe three times  a year.  But they really mess with me.

Sometimes they hurt, sometimes they make me physically sick, but mostly they just make me feel weird (one hand or half my face goes numb) or stupid.  I can’t make connections or speak as coherently. I sometimes have blind spots, and don’t trust myself to drive.

If I had the option, I don’t think I’d choose the pain instead, but my version of a migraine is still *really* lame for me.

Anyway, the silver lining is that Jay essentially gave me the afternoon “off.”  I didn’t make lunch for anyone but me, and sat at my computer for a long time. I played at starting NaNo and strung together 1,367 words for a first chapter and another 600 or so on the concept.

You wonder what a first chapter first-draft looks like? Here it is, with no editing beyond spell-check.

And, no, I really don’t know what comes next.  If I were to continue writing on this story tomorrow or this month (which I *doubt* — this next week is nuts) I wouldn’t do the next scene, I’d do the next scene I know, which I estimate to be about chapter 4.  After that I’m only sure about chapters ~18 and 20/21.

The upside is that this book (whenever I do get around to writing it) should be signifcantly shorter than the first– if complexity is an accurate measure.

Continue reading »

Winter’s Finally Here!

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As in, it’s snowed at last.

So many unique moments congeal in these first days of snow each year.

Things like remembering how to drive (and pitying those less-lucky while hoping to be far from them), enjoying snow wet enough to stick together and (MOST significant to me) the increased *light*!

Yes, more light.

You see, the sun has been setting earlier and earlier since, well, since June, but noticeably (i.e., before bedtime) for several weeks.  Our neighborhood has no streetlights, and I’ve come home from several evening walks in complete darkness. (You’d think this would be hard to do in the middle of a city.)

Last night I went grocery shopping after the kids were down and I was giggly (yes, I’m this way about light) at the glowing earth and sky.

With the low clouds, still-falling snow, and unsullied blanket of white gathering everywhere it was like walking through an orangey Kinkade-glow wherever I went.  Even in my neighborhood the reflective moment has been enough to catch and magnify every house light.

It won’t last forever.  Once it’s done snowing the streets will be kept clear and they, at least, will be black again.  We’ll forget how the snow blesses us in this dark season until spring, when it’s gone to mud and we remember once more that even Winter is not as dark as it could be.

One Problem Solved!

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At least, on paper.  I haven’t taken it back to the behemoth document yet.

I have been wrestling with a number of story-lumps while I fold laundry and chop food.

Not including the one I imagine all self-conscious novelists wrestle with— that effort to not-create the typical (Oates says inevitable) autobiographical 1st novel.

The main puzzle right now has been how to slow the character arc/growth of my main character.

That is, a great deal is demanded of her early in the novel, and (I think…) she can’t be too strong too quickly, or the continued battles don’t/won’t be significant or even necessary.

I was thankful today to come up with some “immaturity markers” that I can weave into both of her early battles.

Now I need to decide how much of my first scene I can let go.  In it Linnea is forced to act utterly out of character, but since it’s the first scene there’s no way to know it’s out of character (aside from the leprous telling).

I probably mention it because I’m convinsing myself it needs to go, for the good of the story, and I “grieve” its loss.

Not really.

Just its being the first chapter for so long means I’ve spent the most time with it and it’s the most polished.  Letting it go means sacrificing part of my ego, along with my time.  I feel it’s a very well-written chunk.

But I’m more relieved at seeing a clean fix, so I’ll probably adjust pretty quickly.

Being Political Again

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The letter I sent to my (AK) senators through American Family Association‘s political-action page.

For the record, I know I don’t go politico very often at Untangling Tales, but there are some things I feel I have to use what (even small forum) I have to distribute information.  And maybe model a little action beyond hand-wringing.

Doubtless you’ve received much communication about the Heath Care Bill, but I have to add my (forgive me, near-panicked) voice against it.

There are many reasons I oppose the Health Care Bill but stopping the taxpayer funding of abortion is the element that sparked my urgency.

The Hyde Amendment prevents Medicaid funds – and Medicaid funds only – from being used for abortions, but that restriction wouldn’t apply to the government takeover of health care, so protestations Abortions wouldn’t be funded are, well, misinformation is the nice word.

Under the Capps Amendment in the House bill, the public option would be *required* to offer abortion services, and every American would have to have access to at least one health care plan that included abortion.

It is immoral to fund the destruction of innocent human life, and I resent– even fear– being required to participate. I am fundamentally opposed to the Health Care Bill and any attempt at government take-over of the health care industry. I urge you to protect the life of the unborn (and the Right to Choice of all Americans– not just those “choosing” abortion) by opposing the Health Care Bill.

Sincerely, (etc.)

Until today I have been at the hand-wringing stage, and no matter which way this issue goes, I want to know I did what I could– however little.

Gack! It’s not perfect!

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I’m just under half of the way through my reading, and gave up on resisting the red-pen last night. (I’m reading on a print-out to keep me from making, erm, impulsive changes that would make following reader/editing marks harder.)

But *MAN* this is humbling.

I remember Georgiana talking about finding overused phrases in her final read-through and I have *certainly * found mine.

Mainly a bunch of head-tilting and vomit. Isn’t that lovely.  The head-tilting was initially (along with casually looking at the sun) meant to be a subtle marker of djinness. (I had visualized a bird-like sort of movement) but it spilled to other characters and is (yet) another thing to be fixed.

Jay was right to make me send it off before I read it myself– since his goal was to see it done/fixed rather than spending another six months on another run-through.  His/my hope is that multiple eyes will abbreviate this stage and move things along quicker.

But having read this much I know I’m not giving out any more copies until certain things are cleaned up.

Of course, there are things I’m waiting for advice on before I’ll be sure how to clean them (which is another argument for exposing it to the outside world).

For example, it was apparent before the end of Scene Two that a disproportionate amount of my fantasy world is calm and/or analytical.

Some writers populate their worlds with dragons and nymphomaniacs.  I have the observant and reasonable.  My experience tells me there’s a greater tolerance (not to mention interest) for the former than the latter.

I haven’t gone back to the beginning to red-pen it, preferring at this point to simply make lists of Find words that will flag the passages I need to rework.

Each of the many imperfections still makes my toes curl, but at the same time it’s been delightful taking my work in as a unit, riding the story as a story rather than rebar and scaffolding.

And that may be a sign I haven’t done enough work on it: I’m not tired of it yet.

Great Line

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From a talk by Gert Bahan (spelling?), a woman who came to Christ in her 50s and later wrote a book about her life, growing up (and living– or trying to live) with money, but no God.

There’s a wonderful quote in my book The Late Liz, and since no one ever quotes it to me, I have to quote it [myself].

The quote she read was all right for what it was, but the line I’ve written was what made me laugh aloud (out on a walk with my dog…).

If I ever get a chance (I hope to in the next few weeks, same as you brave readers) to sit down and look at a print-out I can’t change as I go along, I wonder if I will end up with favorite lines like that.

And then will I wait for others to notice them or use them myself…?

It’s that time of year again…

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But if I hold my breath, maybe the feeling will pass…

~

The NaNo forums are growing more active again as November approaches (and with it National Novel Writing Month).  I have only (as in, in the last 24-48 hours) found a measure of balance (this is without daily training sessions for the dog.  I vaguely regret now signing up for her class– but I prayed about it too…).

Add now my heart is in a flury of excitement over possibilities and delights.

I did update my status and proffer a title and synopsis, but (so far) that’s all the indulgence I’ve allowed myself.

I’m off to make fairy tutus now.  Maybe that (or the preperationless class tonight) will pull me back to reality.

But then there is that dear woman whose offered to watch the children twice a month for me to write…

On to the task at hand.