Problem solved – with horrible death
I had one of those days yesterday when I couldn’t look at the book I’m working on. Some would call it writers’ block. I’m lucky, because there was a simple reason: I didn’t want to make the dad bad. It messed up a lot of things (particularly since the whole island is so small they’d all notice Dance’s injuries and be culpable), and (since no-one’s ever physically abused me or anyone I love) didn’t resonate at all.
At 2am this morning, though, I found the solution. Dance is a twin – an identical twin, and her sister is dead. Naturally, being dead, Dance’s sister is perfect in every way, and gives Dance a foil she can never live up to.
I often think of my own sister as a little like who I would have been if I wasn’t so messed up – exaggerate that feeling (by making the sister the same age, and dead), and I have something I can use to drive Dance to feel and do everything she does in the book – AND resolve that feeling in the end, as her dad stands by her side against the pirates.
Voila! When in doubt, kill someone.
Felicity Banks 
Paige said,
August 7, 2010 at 10:43 pm
that works, I so thought you were gonna say you kilt you little darlings 🙂
Felicity Bloomfield said,
August 7, 2010 at 11:50 pm
It’s funny you should say “kilt” instead of “killed” – I saw a bagpiper today. I’ll be writing about it on http://twittertales.wordpress.com tomorrow.