The Lindbergh Baby and Blank Stares

I've been writing all day, which means the laundry is done, dishes are washed, and I finally changed the burned out bulb in the shower. When I told my daughter I had changed the bulb she was shocked and asked how many dead bugs I found in the globe. I told her I found 17,612 dead bugs and the Lindbergh baby.
Blank stare.
I need to update my references.

Writer’s life, a constant struggle.

I’m writing the next to last story arc in We’re for Smoke: Outlaws and Outliers in Fort Worth. It is the story of a woman named Mary Rea. Mary married into a prominent family in Fort Worth with a long and storied background in law enforcement. Mary’s story is sad, she suffered from mental illness her entire life. Mental illness was poorly diagnosed and treated at the turn of the last century. Mary was luckier than most, since she had money she was merely shunned and ignored. If you were from a lower case you were likely put on the streets or dropped off in jail.

I have had a hard time wrapping my mind around Mary and the other major character in the story, Judge Swayne. The Judge figures in other story lines and should be a strong character throughout the entire book. Problem is he is not. I simply cannot find his voice. I don’t know why, he should be low hanging fruit for a writer. He has a strong personality, he was Fort Worth’s first progressive voice. He moved the city into the 20^th century in many, important ways, both from the bench and as a major player in the good ole boy circle. For whatever reason he seems to fall flat with me.

Mary Rea also is giving me a bit of a fit. I’m not sure how to properly portray her illness and situation. I have been putting off writing the section for weeks, waiting for them to make themselves better known.

They have not shown themselves. So I soldier on. I am putting words on paper. Telling their story best I can. I am hoping for that eureka moment when maybe they will take over. It has not happened yet.

It is a great feeling when you slip into a story and it flows like a river.

But a writer, writes, so I’m writing. In film if things don’t go perfect on set, the catch phrase is, ‘we’ll fix it in post.’ In writing, when the first draft is less than hoped for, well, there is always a second draft.

Or a third…

Or fourth. 

No excerpt this week. It is not ready for daylight.