Because the story is taken from such a personal place, was there ever a time when you felt like it was too difficult to write? How important was it for you to finish this story and did you get some kind of sense of closure?I think the hardest part was writing the scene in the hospital when Amanda went to see Brian. There was a lot of that cut out, which I included in the companion story
There's Us. That scene was hard because I had a similar one with my mom, where she was talking about wanting to go home instead of being in the hospital - when she went home, she ended up catching strep throat and that's what ended up being what killed her. I think something similar happened here, with Brian, but I never really put that much detail into
what caused it to happen, just that it happened. I think I left that detail out because it was too personal/too difficult. This whole story is kind of what I
wish I'd done with my Mom - helping her see all the things she wanted to see before she died.
Additionally, there was a scene that I cut out of the story that I'd written - mainly because it didn't really fit in with the rest of their adventures and because it was too hard to write it - where they went on a plane to Alaska. When they lost the rig, that was originally
why- because they'd dropped it off and flown between those two stops. I ended up not doing that because like I said it didn't really fit with the rest of their adventures, and also because it was my mom's dream to see Alaska before she died. So it was just too hard writing about it, since she didn't end up getting to see it.
I was going to put Piper's eagle into the Alaskan scene as well, had it been included, rather than at the Grand Canyon.
Set up this set of chapters for us, where they difficult to write? What was your favorite chapter out of this set and why? What about your favorite moment or scene? Let's see... hmm... Well, my favorite things about these chapters were definitely Nick's grilled pancakes (Chapter 18) and Brian finally telling Amanda what was going on (Chapter 20).
This is one of my favorite bits of
any of my stories:
Nick frowned, waving a spatula at Brian and standing by the grill, "It seemed like a good idea," he defended himself.
"What seemed like a good idea?" Amanda asked, inching toward Nick and the grill.
Brian held up a box of Bisquick.
"Oh Nick," Amanda said, peering into the grill, where a pile of pale goo was smoldering on the briquettes below the grate. "You didn't."
Nick's cheeks burned as Brian bust out in more laughing, dropping into one of the patio chairs and putting his head down to his knees. "It would've been cool if it'd worked," he said, his voice sounding deflated.
I just can SO picture Nick trying it and the look on his face in this scene. LOL.... It's so something
I would do, too. I suck at cooking.
The way Brian tells Amanda was very carefully planned out, too. I couldn't just have him blurt it out, it had to be drawn out - yet he had to volunteer it, and she couldn't have suspected it. Brian, don't forget, was the one that Amanda "fell for" first, he was the one she'd opened up to and trusted and become closest to. His revelation was devastating. It also is what pushed her even more into depending on Nick. It was a key scene, probably the hinge of the entire story.
Do any of the characters resemble your mom in any way?Brian's character in many ways was written to resemble my mom - his faith through the suffering and his bravery reflected hers 100% of the way. My mom was very strong the entire time she was in the hospital undergoing the treatment. If she'd had the chance, I know she would've had as much fun on an adventure like this as he did.
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Topic: FS for January: Something Beautiful by Pengi (Read 15385 times)