Dear Dorothy,

I'm so glad you like Ruby. I like her too. Well, you knew that, didn't you. Of course you did. You're a smart muse.

Anyway, just touching base, since it's been a while since I've lobbed a missive in your direction.

And, yeah, I'm a little nervous about Shadow. Haven't ever written a screenplay. Or actually ever even considered writing a screenplay. So Screnzy should be interesting....

Now about Brin. Why did she really leave Shadow? She keeps feeding me this line of utter bullshit about how she was on some "diplomatic mission". I'm not buyin' it. There's something else going on, because the amount of guilt pouring off her after she returns home and finds her whole fucking family missing isn't adding up.

So. Clues as to the real story would be appreciated.

Love ya, doll,
-WL

Dear Dorothy

What the CRAP were you doing in my hot tub?!?

Dear Dorothy

A truck, huh? In the middle of the Deep Desert, huh? And a couple of hapless Chinese dudes who have no idea what just happened, huh?

Well, OK, if you say so... At least now I know WHY Wen-Shu is headed into the middle of frikkin' nowhere...

But we really need to talk, you know, you and I. You're showing up in the weirdest places these days. I know I'm not spending near the amount of time in my car that I used to, and I know that's your favorite place to hang, but it was more than a little eerie to find you perched on the toilet seat when I got out of the shower this morning. Really, really eerie.

But hey, whatever works, right?

Thanks for the tip, Dot,

-WL

Dear Dorothy

Thanks for showing up. Better late than never.

-WL

Dear Dorothy

OK, I see. Part of the problem with Luci is lack of backstory. (Why do I always have an easy time with backstory for the boys? Why are the girls always such a damn pain in my ass?).

Right. Luci. Backstory. Gat it.

Thanks (and why did you wait until the middle of a sea shanty to tell me that, anyway? That was downright weird.),

-WL

Dear Dorothy

You bitch.

You could have told me this thing about Luci months ago and saved me hours and days and weeks of staring at that blasted chapter - the one that goes nowhere, since (duh) it's supposed to stay right where it is - wondering what the bloody, blasted hell to do with it.

Do you really need to keep this shit to yourself for quite so long?

Really. Quite. Pissy.
-WL

Dear Dorothy

I'm very worried about the info dump in the second half of the Prologue.

Really.

I'm starting to feel like I'm trying to cram a mountain of information into a molehill. Like I'm trying to tell the whole damn story in the space of 500 words. Which, of course, ain't even gonna happen.

Is it necessary to the tale?

Well, of course, it's "necessary". I'm just not sure it's necessary right exactly there.

Shit. I don't know what to do.

'Fraid of Failing,
-WL

Dot

Another issue: how to work in the Lars plotline with the existing one. Oy.

-WL

So. Dorothy.

This idea you mentioned in the car on the way home today... the one about Lars? Yeah, that one. Um, complicated, but really interesting idea... Might get ol' Lars in a heap of trouble. Which would SO serve his ass right for complicating Novel #1 so incredibly much.

I like it. I think.

But I really want to consider it carefully before going whole hog on it, ya know. I mean, if I get half way through the story and ol' Lars-y boy has nothing more to do.... well, that wouldn't be so spiffy....

The thing is this: Do we really NEED to know what's going on back home at all? I mean, yes, as backstory/history for Novel #1, certainly. But would it really make much sense to tell it like this - i.e., so explicitly? From my own standpoint, sure, I'd love to put Lars into some danger and see what gives and the whole roots of Fenn's drug addition thing is just tingly-good... It's just the order of it, I guess, that worries me...

So that's one thing to consider: should it be written as a prequel (where Novel #1 (or perhaps series #1) should be read first, then this story). Or should I write it as the first part of the story, INTENDING it to be read first? Hmmmm.... I think I'm inclined to go with the former. Not sure why. Just appeals to me. Feels right....

The other thing that appeals to me about it is that it gets me out of having "more" characters, know what I mean? I mean, yes, being inside the head of the bad guy is interesting, but I'm not sure I'm there yet...

I mean, look what happened with Aiden. We don't hate him. We pity him. That wasn't really the plan...

If I want to go the inside-the-mind-of-the-villian route, I guess I need to get that Greg Keyes book and psycho-analyze the crap out of it. 'Cuz otherwise, I'll probably end up with another Aiden - or worse, another Maribel! They were both supposed to be the bad guy/girl who took the fall and look what happened with HER... yeesch.

I really couldn't stand that happening to Reygin... I mean, I think it would be enough to understand his motivation - maybe through some kind of confession or discovery of a journal or conversation overheard or something (ya gettin' all this Lars?). But the inside of the man's head is probably a can o' worms, yeah?

Oh.

And if I'm using Lars for this.... Luci ought to show up. Heck, she wanted to show up anyway and I told her to fuck off. (You see how they are? Never, never name a character with a name that starts with "L". Never.)

Very interesting. Lars is loyal, so I can actually see him going to extremes if Fenn were to ask him to "watch over things" while he was gone. And given some dislike for Uncle Reygin (I hate that name still) and a pinch of rumor that Reygin is lying about something....

Yeah, it just might work. It just might

Thanks, Dottie... Glad we had this little chat...
-WL

Dear Dorothy

Where the hell have you got to lately?? You're not in the house, not that that's anything unusual. But you're not in the car either these days and that's a little weird, frankly.

I mean, OK, great, you showed up out of the blue last week with a brand new idea I didn't need for a short story I don't have time to write. Fabulous. But then you went POOF! again. Are you mad because I said 'no, not right now, thanks'?? I mean, I did make some notes.

Come back. Pretty please. With sugar on top??

-WL

Dear Dorothy

Knock. It. Off.

You MAY NOT use any part of my brain to rewrite scene 1. Not yet.

Annoyed,
Writer Lady