Friday 10 July 2009

What if Gamache...

mainly sunny, warm, temps 23

Beautiful day...not exactly hot, but very comfortable. Went for breakfast to Cowansville (french toast) then Loblaws for groceries. Also went to the nursery there to pick up some perennials on sale...two mallows and two digitalis. Then when Michael went to the bank I went to the post office to mail off some things.

then home by 10:30. Took the laptop to the screen porch and spent the day editing. Went through 40 pages...took until 5:30pm...without a break. But - I found a problem in the story...not really in the plot, but in a particular and important clue. It doesn't work...need to re-think what to do.

So Michael and I went for a swim and talked about it. Still not clear. Now need to really think...might have to even break out the gummi bears (emergency supply).

speaking of which - I climbed back on the elliptical torture machine after the swim. Helps to think. Sadly, even that didn't do the trick.

but I know a solution is out there...something better than what I have. Something that actually makes sense! That would be good. Odd to walk around all evening trying to solve this one problem...picking it up and turning it around and around, looking at different angles. What if Gamache... What if... How about... Suppose...

Still, nothing. But it will come.

Back at it tomorrow. Then dinner over at Lili and David's home. Lili's wonderful...she reads my final drafts and corrects my terrible written French. However, it's getting better...but still can't remember where the accents go on 'Allo'. As in, 'Oui, allo.'

Did an interview last night with Sisters in Crime...their Guppy division, which is this wonderful organization for aspiring writers of crime fiction. If that sounds like you, check them out. I believe if you go to SinC you'll find a link.

Take care...hope you're well and enjoying your summer!!!

3 comments:

Cece said...

Sleep on it, set it to simmer under the surface while you set out the perennials-let Gamache figure it out. He will.
Happy weekend.

humble_pie said...

allĂ´, salut, bonjour toi. Courage.

thank you indeed for the fine compliment the other day. But a book? Never a goal. Even an article is daunting. For the longest time i've been intrigued by ephemera. A word or sentence that flits like a nerve impulse and disappears. The internet is made for guerrilla lit.

so i hope you don't mind if i continue to hang, dashing out from behind a tree every now & then to post up a subversive piece of graffiti.

btw the recurrent motif in several of your photographs of a pair of side-by-side summery chairs - adirondacks, wickers - looking out over water is so evocative. They always look as if you and Michael had just gotten up and walked only a step or two outside the camera frame. Would the gamache clue straighten itself out if you plunked in one of these chairs for a spell.

Louise Penny Author said...

Dear Cece and Hum,

Interesting that both of you have much the same advice. Relax, and let it work itself out.

Clearly, then, this is advice to be avoided! (kidding) It is almost certainly brilliant advice, and if nothing presents itself I will simply put a note at that part of the book to see hum and cece.

Thanks, though, for your kind words and gentle suggestion...and I think you are quite right.

Merci...and Hum - keep darting.
Cece - thanks for the reminder about planting the perennials!! I'd forgotten. Will do it right away! Poor things.