No Friday Snippet or zombies this week — I’ve been deep in Revision Xibalba, otherwise known as Revision Hell.
Okay, not hell, not really. Because it’s not been as bad as I feared, not at all. Of course I’m just now getting to the last 26 pages where I think I need the most work, but the rest was pretty good.
I don’t want to jinx myself but I really love this story. There are parts that I have no memory of writing, and I’m shocked, surprised, and thrilled that I wrote it, because it’s so good. Then I think, wait a minute, I’m not supposed to think that. Am I?
But it is. There’s just something sparkling and intense about these characters. Maybe it’s the first person narrative. Maybe it’s Tecun Uman the great national hero himself. But the way this story came together is magical.
And the humor. *chuckles* It’s not blatant slapstick sort of humor, but there are several nods to some of my favorite things, including a joke at my expense. Remember some of The Bloodgate Guardian discussions I had with Alissa about Ruin?
Ruin? Honestly, that was the jaguar guy’s name? I looked up at Tecun’s face, but he didn’t seem perturbed by such a strange name. I suppose that was easier to pronounce than Itzpapalotl.
“Or Kukulkan,” he whispered silently in my head. “One of his true names is Xbalanque.”
Okay, then, Ruin it was.
(Yes, both Ruin and Jaid make a brief appearance as the Gatekeepers of Chi’Ch’ul.)
Natalie (the heroine’s best friend) came out way more interesting than I expected too. So interesting that I can’t leave her hanging like I am in this first draft. Fixing her story thread will be one of the harder threads I need to resolve in these last few pages, but very important. She deserves better than what I originally gave her.
And the sex. *wipes brow* Whew. I joked to Raelyn the other day that one scene just went on and on and eventually I’d gotten tired in the first draft and simply left the scene because I didn’t know if they were ever going to finish.
Much different than The Bloodgate Guardian, I know. Ruin and Jaid just weren’t going to get together any quicker, no matter how much I wanted them to. They had a completely different story to tell. However, Cassie and Tecun were burning up the page before I even started the first draft. The Maya elements and research are still there, but whoa is this a sexy story!
Now, I’ve reached the pyramid scene, the culmination of everything that’s happened between Cassie and Tecun up to this point. This is the scene that generated the ENTIRE story. Everything came from the sacrifice at the top of El Castillo.
Um, literally. *winks*
Let’s hope I can pull it off.
