6:06 PM
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by Cath
I am using some of my time off this week to outline a rewrite of my Blythe By Name story and plan for the sequel, Blythe By Nature. And I am having the HARDEST time dealing with all of these characters! The adults AND their children. With all of the Blythe, Meredith and Ford second generation and all of their children AND the Golden kids, I've got something like 30+ primary and secondary characters to deal with!
I am thinking of paring things way back, by making Sally an only child and taking the Cam, Walt, and Helen characters and making them cousins, giving them away to Jerry and Nan and Rilla and Ken. It goes against canon, since LMM mentions Walter Blythe in The Blythes are Quoted and The Road to Yesterday, but think it makes sense that Jem and Faith would only have one child, given the fact that both Jem and Faith are devoted to their careers. And that way, the other characters could be mentioned from time to time without having to have a major role.
What do you guys think? How do you handle so many characters (especially Adrienne--I think TTTT has the most amount of characters any of our stories!)
Argh! I really want to write this story because I want to write a more "realistic" sequel, but I am feeling so frustrated by this story, I'm seriously considering just abandoning it all together. But the story I have for Sally and Harry is one that I really want to write. So I don't know.
Are you all working on anything lately?
8:53 PM
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by Cath
I'm planning out my plot for
Blythe by Nature, and I had the thought that at some point, I wanted to provide some backstory for Cecilia Meredith. Do we know what she died of? I always had some vague idea it was in childbirth, but now that I'm reading
Rainbow Valley again, I've realized that she was quite recently dead when the Merediths moved to the Glen.
Do we ever find out for sure, or is this something I can take some creative license with?
6:15 PM
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by Cath
I'm thinking very seriously about killing off one of the second generation in my
Blythe by Nature story. Not a tertiary character like Carl or Bruce Meredith, or even, to a certain extent, Di or Nan, but a right up there, in-your-face main character. I don't know how people will react to this, though, but part of me thinks that it might be imperative to the story, to theme of keeping Blythe, always, to have this happen.
I think it will probably change the course of my events in Blythe as Always, the WWII sequel. I have planned a big death, there, but don't know if I could have two happen to my little family that I love. It means I will have to rework my outline a great deal, so I'm not quite sure yet. But I keep thinking...
I know we've all killed off various characters in our time, but they tend to be those on the fringes--John Meredith--or those of our own making. Have you guys ever considered have someone in the inner circle die in one of your stories?
11:31 AM
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by Cath
...is up at the blog! Please let me know what you think of the
first chapter!
I've been reading a lot of epistolary novels lately, and I thought I might try that with this one. It's a lot of fun trying to develop a lot of different voices, but I'm not sure I'm doing it super-successfully yet. We'll see!
2:40 PM
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by Cath
Do you guys have songs you listen to again and again while you are writing, songs that are forever part of that story, that inform how you write? I am working on the first chapters of Blythe by Nature now, and there is one band I keep going back to while writing it.
11:28 PM
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by Cath
Originally, when I began writing
Blythe By Name I had a whole story arc planned out for Claire Meredith and Sally that would continue in
Blythe By Nature, and it was really very touching, I thought. I wanted their friendship to be rather enduring and sweet and strengthening through their shared turmoil. But as I started writing Claire, she became more and more catty, somehow. And then I started getting reviews about how you guys weren't so sure of her, and I realized that I wasn't either. And I decided that her and Sally's relationship would grow a little more troubled than I planned--and the cousins naturally began to grow apart from one another, from there.
I have to admit it was kind of a relief to write a character who was descended from the Blythes but kind of a brat. It's freeing, somehow, to have an imperfect, flawed character descended from the Holy Blythes. I don't know what it is about this story--am I jaded?--but I find that I keep testing the "practically perfect in every way" Blythes in ways that I never imagined I would. But...I kind of like doing it! I never really liked Nan and it's wickedly fun to take those frustrations out on her daughter. And it's making the story a little more fun to write!
Have you all ever changed--purposefully or inadvertently--a character's personality, because of how your reviewers reacted to him or her? Did this change the plot of your story at all? Were you sorry you changed him--do you wish that you had stuck with your original conception of that person?
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I have a few more chapters of BBName to post, and then I have to think for a while on BBNature and how I want it to be. I am having so much fun writing this story, and I really hate Kevin Sullivan for holding the rights so I can't try to submit them as sequels to AoGG. I was thinking that if I changed some of the copyrighted details and reworked a few places, and did a little more historical research that they could be standalone stories, sort of an Eight Cousinsish kind of series. Which is super-odd for me, because I never, never thought I would write YA, or even wanted to!
8:18 PM
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by Cath
I have been so remiss about updating and reviewing and posting here, lately, because I am in the weeds of my final final exams. I have two thirty-page papers to write and an exam to take, all by May 16th! Besides that I am applying for jobs and everything is just too crazy!
The good news is that I graduate on May 23rd. After many setbacks and challenges: HALLELUJAH!
I'm working when I get a chance (hardly ever) on Blythe By Name and its sequel, but I can't promise any updates until next month. Elouise, I loved the end of Meggie's story. I'm going to go back and read the whole series, starting with Shirley of Avonlea, when I get the chance.
Just wanted to explain myself and why I'm gone. Ladies, how are you doing? I hope you're well. If you wanted to send any prayers for inner peace and strength my way, they would be vastly appreciated.
2:38 PM
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by Cath
My latest chapter of Blythe By Name is not turning out the way I wanted it, so I decided to rest my brain and work on Blythe By Nature for a few days. Here is what I've come up with for the start of the first chapter, which takes place in October 1939. No spoilers--let me know what you think! This is only a first draft.
8:20 PM
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by Cath
I'm sure you all have gotten by now that I plan to write a sequel to Blythe By Name, when it's finished: I'm not done with these characters yet. I'm thinking of calling it Blythe By Nature, and all day as I've been studying for this midterm that is certain to kill me I've been planning the plot in the back of my mind. It's going to be a challenge to try and make it different from Cecilia and Alice and Bertha, but I think I can do it! I hope I can!
Anyway, because Bess Golden is going to be a big character in Blythe by Nature, I thought I'd give you my pic for her. This is how I think dear Bess would look at eleven: like child actress Jolie Peters.
I have great plans in store for Bess and all the Goldens and Blythes. This story has been coming to me rapidly, but with the sequel, I plan to take my time and do it right. Now, to let things percolate a bit!
