Jeannie Zokan: A Writer's Cup: Murder your darlings

Monday, September 17, 2012

Murdering Darlings

Okay, it's time to go on a shooting spree. No, I'm not that kind of crazy, I've just been looking outside myself for help in tweaking my work, and I'm realizing it's an inside job.
A guy named Quiller-Couch said it best, but I wouldn't want to be him. Many a writer has cried over his words: "Murder your darlings." Yes, murder them. Kill off all the writing that is self-serving, the stuff that takes the reader out of her fictive dream.
Strange, but part of me looks forward to strapping on some shining armor and a really cool sword. I'll slay my own dragon, the dead wood in my manuscript, and this novel and I will be better for it. Maybe I'm feeling confident because I wished upon a star at

( http://www.mylifetime.com/astrology/free-readings/enchanted/wish-upon-a-star-game ), and my star said I would succeed. Well, by the third wish it did, anyway.

Courage Without Grace

Josie Wales doesn't need her palm reading skills to know her lover is seeing someone else. It's time to end it, but she's been with Tom for seven years. And there's something--someone--she needs to tell him about. That secret keeps pulling her back, but this time she's determined to break it off.

To find the courage to end the relationship, Josie seeks advice from new acquaintances. But she somehow manages to make an even bigger mess of her life. When Jack, Tom's twin and her childhood friend, comes to DC to reconnect, he helps Josie get her feet back on the ground.

Just as Josie is beginning to resolve the chaos in her life, a tragic secret from her past comes back to haunt her. Before she can move forward and have a second chance at love, she must face her grief and loss.

With characters that leap off the page, Courage Without Grace is a poignant novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

The Existence of Pity

Growing up in a lush valley in the Andes mountains, sixteen-year-old Josie Wales is mostly isolated from the turbulence brewing in 1976 Colombia. As the daughter of missionaries, Josie feels torn between their beliefs and the need to choose for herself. She soon begins to hide things from her parents, like her new boyfriend, her dangerous trips into the city, and her explorations into different religions.
Josie eventually discovers her parents secrets are far more insidious. When she attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her family, each thread stretches to its breaking point. Josie tries to save her family, but what happens if they don't want to be saved?
The Existence of Pity is a story of flawed characters told with heart and depth against the beautiful backdrop of Colombia.