Maggie’s New Beginning

June 18, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE: THE DEAD BODY (Dead bodies: they do a story good.)

Maggie’s New Beginning

“I’ll be God damned.” Maggie’s head fell against the pillow; her chest burned from the effort of pounding her fists on the sweaty mass pinning her in place. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.” She’d heard of dead weight, but this was ridiculous. What the hell was she thinking bedding his fat ass? Thanks to him, her dream of wallowing in a bed full of money had disappeared with a grunt and a snort. She squirmed underneath the weight of his bulk and struggled to breathe as the cold stones dug into her neck.

His arm fell off the side of the bed giving her a glance of the room and a teasing chance to breathe. She maneuvered a leg free, dug her heel into the side of the mattress, and pulled. The muscles in her calf screamed as she tucked her head under his flaccid arm, clawing for the edge of the bed until her whole body shook. The pungent odor of his armpit struck her across the face like a brick and she fell back gasping for air. “Jesus Fred, ever heard of deodorant? “

He handed the maid a wad of bills when they arrived and told her to take the rest of the week off with her family. Juanita would be in for a hell of a surprise come Monday. Everybody would gawk and whisper. Anger turned to horror as Maggie realized she’d be the subject of jeers, rumors, and half-truths. How the hell did she end up here?

Fred came into the jewelry store, where she worked, looking for an anniversary gift for his wife. Maggie noticed the Armani suit and Rolex watch and nudged her co-worker out of the way, “I’ll take this one, “she said, giving him her most winning smile. Round and soft, he looked like just the ticket to offer her a way out, way up and a new beginning. An hour later, he walked out of the store with a $10,000 diamond necklace for his wife and a hankering for her.

At the time, Maggie didn’t worry about the wife or what Armani was hiding. All she saw were dollar signs and a new future. She played hard reeling him in like a flopping fish on a taut line. Her commission check grew with each visit and she wondered if the shower of glittering gifts surprised his wife, Nicole. He’d dropped her name on his third trip to the store. It had taken two months before Maggie discovered Fred gave his wife and a friend a trip to Europe for their anniversary and saved the jewels for her.

Last night, when Fred slipped the necklace around her neck, she lost all reason. “You’ll get the others later,” he said, nibbling her ear. She let his hands roam. As her dress slipped to the floor, she closed her eyes and imagined the body pressing into hers belonged to Brad Pitt. Visions of fur coats, diamonds, and exotic trips filled her mind. Ribboned boxes taunted her from across the room, where they sat unopened on his wife’s dressing table. Her mom always said, “You can do anything for a short time if the payoff’s worth it.”

It became Maggie’s motto. But, when he crawled on top of her with his fat, soft body, sweating like a pig, she almost balked. Instead, she fantasized about Brad, the Caribbean Islands and waited for it to be over. She figured it wouldn’t take long and it didn’t. The loud grunt, and stiffing of his body brought her back to reality. A swoosh of alcohol-laced breath escaped from him like air from a balloon and he collapsed pinning her to the bed. A deadly silence descended. Maggie waited for him to say something or move. “Fred?” She lay still and listened. “Fred?” Easing her hand to the side of his neck, she felt for a pulse. “God dammit, Fred!”

She pushed, punched, and cursed to no avail. The sweat from their naked bodies turned to super glue and slowly, the realization of her fate dawned on Maggie. She wasn’t going anywhere. By the time the maid found them, she’d be nothing more than an afterthought, a greasy spot underneath some rich, hairy ass, cheating bastard.

Not exactly, the new beginning she had in mind.

Day 1

Are Squirrels Interfering With Your Writing Routine?

June 17, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 3 Comments

Lord have mercy, the squirrels are loose in Lyman! No, I don’t mean the nut-gathering, fluffy-tail kind. I’m talking about the partying kind. And, they’re having the time of their lives running amok in my brain.

Each morning I sit down intending to write on my novel, blog, or make notes on the story idea that came to me in the middle of the night.

Yet, somewhere between my butt hitting the chair and that first keystroke, the band starts playing.

I’ll just scan my emails first; it shouldn’t take long. In the middle of every email, what do I find? Links! They sound so enticing and I might miss something if I don’t click.

Then, I receive notice from Twitter, “You have a new follower; so and so favorited your tweet…” It would be rude not to reply.

Three hours later, I’ve clicked every link included in the first five emails (I still have two and a half pages left to peruse) and checked out my new followers on Twitter. Before I can’t get through Facebook (damn share buttons) my husband walks in, ” Hey, I have an idea; let’s go shopping then head up to the lake.”

Well, who doesn’t like shopping? And well, I could use a little relaxation.

What about you? Are these beautiful, sunny days feeding the squirrels?

How do you stay focused on writing when FUN is calling your name?

Tips for taming the squirrels:

Make a list of writing projects, in order of importance (deadlines, submissions, contests).
Devote your first hour of the day to writing and nothing but writing.
Schedule blog updates and your WIP on alternate days.
Check email, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Contently only after that first hour.
Buy your husband a golf membership or if all else fails, lock him out of the house.

What about you? How do you stay focused during the summer? I’d love to hear from you. Talk to me. Share the tips and be sure to follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

Character Building Tools Every Writer Needs

June 12, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Stories are about people. It is the characters we fall in love with, root for, or sometimes dislike. We notice their quirks, sense of humor, and mannerisms. We relate to their failures, triumphs, and dastardly deeds. But, it is the characters that keep us turning the pages.

How we develop characters differ from writer to writer, but we all start with a vision, even if it’s sketchy.

Some characters, we envision before our pens strike the paper, others appear as the plot thickens. However, developing a character outline or sketch as part of your planning process will not only keep the flow of words moving forward, but provide well-rounded characters that keep readers engaged.

When I began writing fiction, I scoffed at the notion that a character, you hadn’t planned could walk onto the page, until it happened to me. An Irish American man named Richard Donovan stepped on the plane and took a seat next to my main character. Without taking my fingers from the keyboard, I understood the relationship he’d have with my main character and where he fit within the plot line of my story.

I still had work to do on Mr. Donovan if I wanted him to be anything other than a fly by night (no pun intended) aberration.

Characters are not just a name in a story. They represent a person we want our readers to understand, and relate to. Fully developed characters take thought and planning. We need to know what makes them tick if we have any hope of knowing how they will react or behave in the circumstances of our story.

Whether you clip photos from magazines, keep index cards or a notebook, developing a character is more than physical description. So, I thought I’d share my favorite tools for building and developing characters.

Resources:

Building Believable Characters

Angela Ackerman has a wonderful post today, 3 Quick Tips to Help Readers Connect to Your Hero. In addition, Angela and Becca Puglisi have written two books specifically designed to help you define your characters. Check out their Writers Helping Writers bookstore for complete details.

Matt Heron from The Write Practice explains in detail, Scrivener and with a free 30 day offer, now may be the time to give it a try.

What method, tool, or resources do you use when developing your characters? Tell me what works or doesn’t work for you. I love hearing from you. Talk to me and tell me your story.