My Next Project

Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Unsplash

With the publication of The Magpie’s Call, I am working on my next project.

Tentatively titled Lest Ye Be Judged, it tells of two sisters whose best friend has been found dead. Although the death is ruled suicide, Kate and Chyler think there’s much more to the story. And there is…

This novel began during a time I was leaving Magpie alone. In everything one writes, whether it be a story, novel, essay or blog post, there’s always a benefit to leaving it for a while. Let your brain work on something else for a change. Allow ideas to flow through and creativity to nurture. But, I wanted to keep in the habit of writing, so I sat down and wrote for an hour every day until I had a first draft.

As far as first drafts go, it’s not the worst. Magpie was far worse! However, as I’m reading through it again, I’m aware of several plot holes that will need fixing. I’m also unsure what genre this fits into; main character Kate is twenty one, her sister Chyler just about to turn eighteen. As it stands, it’s probably YA (Young Adult). Not that there’s anything wrong with YA – I quite enjoy reading YA, as do other actual adults – but I think my niche should be adult fiction.

One could argue the same for Magpie. The main character was a teenager who had some nasty things happen to her and her family. Yet because of these themes, it fits better with Adult Fiction.

In any case, Kate and Chyler are my next project. I really like this novel. The name and circumstance of the opening chapter have been swirling around my head for literally years. I’ve tried writing it several times before but it never came together. This time, I don’t know if it’s discipline of writing every day or what, but I have a workable manuscript (apart from the aforementioned plot holes).

I’ve also included several character of marginalised communities in this novel. People identify with a wide range of communities, and it’s time everyone was included. However, I’ve tried not to stereotype people, nor to have one part of their identity be ALL they are. For example, main character Kate is a lesbian. She had a horrible breakup the year prior to the story, but her romantic relationships are not the focus. A minor character is a person of colour, but it’s not his skin that creates conflict between Kate and her mother. Another character has mental health problems. Suicide is the cause of death for the person who ignites this whole novel.

Of course, this lends itself to the question, “Why write minorities if their minority characteristic is not their identity?”

When you go grocery shopping, gay people aren’t screaming in your face that they’re gay. People of colour don’t stage BLM protests in the juice aisle. Non-binary people buy milk and bread just like you do. Just because someone is black, gay, disabled, or any other identity doesn’t mean that’s all they are. The purpose of including characters who are not cisgender, straight or white is not only inclusive but accepting. Everyone is a person. How they identify is none of our business, it’s theirs. One thing BLM should have taught you is that everyone wants to see themselves represented in media, even if it’s just “hey look, this person is gay AND the main character AND she’s awesome!”

I digress. At the moment I’m in school holidays; my daughter goes back to school next week. That’s when I can start closing some of these plot holes and make this book a whole lot better. I’m looking