Late Morning, Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Miami, Florida
Hi, Constant Readers, and welcome to the Tuesday edition of A Certain Point of View, Too.
It’s another warm and muggy late fall day in South Florida. The temperature is 81°F (27°C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at and the wind blowing from the at (), the heat index is 87°F (30°C). We can expect partly sunny conditions and a high of 82° in the afternoon.
On Writing and Storytelling: “Moving the Needle” with Reunion: Coda
After a long dry spell where I hadn’t written any new material, save for necessary revisions to the Reunion: Coda manuscript, I finally had a breakthrough yesterday. I wrote the first scene for Chapter 21! Isn’t that fantastic?
It wasn’t easy at first. I struggled to find the right storytelling technique to kick off the new chapter. I knew I didn’t want to start with a lengthy opening scene. I’ve been in a mental fog since last month’s move from Madison, and even though I wrapped up Chapter 20 here in Miami, it felt like years since I’d penned anything new for the novel. Of course, that’s not true, but shifting my focus away from the novel, even briefly, has been enough to pull me out of Jim Garraty’s world of New York City in the year 2000. Getting back into that world afterward is always a challenge.
Nevertheless, yesterday’s progress felt like a significant victory. Conjuring up the voices of my characters and weaving them back into their intricate narrative threads was akin to finding my way through a dense forest. But the thrill of crafting that first scene reminded me why I love writing so much. It’s the small victories, like this one, that keep the story moving forward and make the writer’s journey so rewarding.
Chapter 21 begins with a facsimile of a New York Times news story about two incidents involving Jim’s former student, Miguel Hernandez. The article outlines how various law enforcement agencies in New York City are searching for him. This method was used in earlier chapters to resolve certain story threads from Jim’s high school years without requiring a lengthy scene. It provides exposition succinctly, maintaining a steady pace while conveying essential backstory in an informative format. This approach reintroduces key characters and plot points and immerses readers in the story through the perspective of journalism, adding authenticity and immediacy.
Today, I plan to re-read the new material and make any necessary edits to ensure it seamlessly integrates with the rest of the narrative. With any luck, I will start drafting Scene Two of the latest chapter later today or by tomorrow. Until then, happy reading and writing, everyone!
A Certain Point of View, Too 
You must be logged in to post a comment.