Posted Feb 14 2010, 5:46 pm in Miscellany
Ahh.
The revisions on Send are done… at least, for this round.
I’m finally happy with it. I like the balance struck between the protagonist and antagonist – both slightly insane, though the former’s is from guilt and the latter’s is from grief. Nothing on earth tops the sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish a story so that I like it, I’m proud of it.
Research I was performing for my day job – that of software technical writer, planted the seed for a fiction project. A new executive wanted us to branch out of writing manuals and examine ways to incorporate social media into our process. I’d never used sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on before. Now, I’m managing a couple of blogs, have a bunch of people following me on Twitter, and even earned some recommendations on LinkedIn.
At first, I was terrified of these new technologies. I resented the privacy invasion they created and worried about my online reputation. Will people understand my interest in the Naughty Writers & Readers group at LinkedIn helps me write more emotional and passionate love scenes, or will they think less flattering things? Will my Facebook profile contribute to identity theft? Will posting a picture of my son online be seen by a pedophile?
Soon, I realized that the only way to conquer my fears was to first manage them and so, I embarked on a mission to make sure my web presence is under my control.
Throughout all of this, the seed of a tiny idea began to germinate… what if a child in this highly-connected world misuses social networks to publicly humiliate a classmate? It’s already happened. Kids snap cellphone pics of classmates in the locker rooms, send friends naked ‘sexts’. And what if this child’s victim takes permanent and tragic steps to stop being a victim? How would a kid live with guilt of this magnitude?
Thus, Send was born one year ago this month. Is it good enough for publication? I don’t know and not sure how much I care. I tell stories because I like to tell stories and figure agents will tell me whether it’s marketable, but for this moment, I want to enjoy the smile on my face.
I’ve earned it.
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