True confessions. While I was writing THE GARDEN, I asked my resources how the inheritance part of the story would play out. Because I was basing the story on several tourist places I'd visited, in my head, I was creating a big, elaborate trust document detailing every piece of the property . And then multiple trust documents for each piece (because, of course, I was basing my vision on three different locations "in real life"). And then leases and rent-back agreements. Then I sat down with the trust guy and confused the heck out of him. Thank you, Jeff, for listening to me, hearing me out, and then trying to accommodate my vision. Ultimately, as he corrected some of my misconceptions and confusion, what he actually did was show me how convoluted my ideas had become. No, he didn't say that, and kudos to him for trying to meet the vision I'd created. When I walked back to my desk, out of his office, I shook my head, sifting through all the information he'd given me, and realized I didn't need all the fuss and bother. One estate. One trust document.
Holy cow. Why was I making it so complex? And this is why it helps to talk through things with the pros. Not only can they simplify for you, they can give you ideas you hadn't thought of.
Fast forward. The devil is always in the details, doncha know? I'm working on my new project and ironing out occupations and projects, etc. I wanted to incorporate one of my protags hidden talents into her job and started down the rabbit hole once again. I don't need to incorporate her hidden talents. It will be more fun if it comes out during the discovery phase. But that's me. I've always done things the hard way. Sort of like untangling Christmas lights. Once you're done, everything shines nice and neat.
Here's hoping I've untangled my current lights into something shiny and pretty! In the meantime, I hope you like what I've already straightened out! THE GARDEN is available in paperback, and coming soon in ebook.
This reminds me of what my first critique group used to say, quoting a professor who was teaching a class they were taking. "Just because it's right doesn't make it good." We want accuracy, but sometimes (perhaps most of the time) we don't need all the details.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but I was creating unnecessary details. Because I was picturing 3 different locales, somehow I kept them separated in my head as different pieces of the pie, when in the story, they were all part of one big dessert. She can cut the pieces out after it's hers, if she wants, or eat the whole darn thing! I didn't have to cut it for her. Overcomplicated!
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