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Saturday, May 9, 2015

My beautiful Cassandra



I have an announcement to make. It's one of those words that until you've said them aloud is like dreaming. Like a fantasy because it's so dreamy that you have the urge to pinch yourself while you secretly pray not to wake up from this dream. I pinched myself and the dream was still there so it's not a dream but a dreamy reality.

So here it goes.


I did it!

I finished my fourth book! Yes, this is real. The day before yesterday I wrote the beloved words: "The End." And then I sat there watching the last sentences, trying to accept that after months of writing, after countless days of struggling to find the time to write it, I finally did it. I wrote it. The first draft is now completed, waiting to get my teeth in it and ripped it apart so it can be as awesome as I can make it.

Well, it's gonna wait for a while because you do know what must to be done after writing that first heart-aching draft, right? I must ignore it. Actually it's like the dough when making pizza. We all know that the dough must be left alone to rest for a while, don't we? That's what I'll do with my manuscript.

But today it's all about it.

This project was a dark one. It's really dark. There was this character that came to me, angry and troubled, demanding to tell me her story. So I sat back and listened to her. At first she was confused, so confused that I had to follow her crazy recounting between future and present. And despite that I was listening, she didn't bother to tell me her name until I wrote 30.000 words! Do you believe it? Cassandra is her name. I will never forget.

So there is Cassandra, a troubled woman who had grown up in foster homes since her family had brutally murdered when she was young. And she was the core witness. Since then she has been drifting. Her life is a fight between addictions and things are getting far worse when she starts wondering about the night of the murders. Things are not as they appeared to be and there is a high possibility that the murderer is not the murderer. If that's the case then who murdered her family and most of all, is the killer still on the loose? Can she remember the things she has forgotten?

Writing this book was far more complicated than I expected. It was not only about the facts and the murders, but Cassandra was a multidimensional character. It was very interesting to get to know her and writing about her life overwhelmed me with so many contradictory feelings.

Cheers to Cassandra and the beautiful, dark journey that came to an end. 

4 comments:

  1. Congrats! I'm so happy all the hard frustrated work has finally arrived to a great end. Cassandra must have been a character to work with, but from what I know, not knowing ones name tells you much more about a person then knowing their name from the beginning. But it's great to finally see her relax and at peace. Now all you need is a glass of wine and some pizza! Cheers to book #4!

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    1. Thank you, Ki! The moment I finish a book, I'm both happy and sad and this time, after writing Cassandra's end, a wave of sadness hit me. You know, thinking about the story and wondering. Is it good? Was I good? I think, when revising comes, I'll probably can answer some questions. :)

      A glass of wine and pizza sounds good. I celebrated with gin ;)

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  2. Ah, the dark story is done. That first draft takes a life of its own and it owns you the whole time. I'm so happy for you and a tiny bit sad only because I know all about the post manuscript blues. Why does writing toss us about so much? Some days I'm a total mess, others I'm flying high so happy everything feels heightened.

    Happy flying, Athina!!

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    1. It takes life, indeed, Robyn. I think the end of each first draft, takes with it a piece of our soul.
      That;s the reason, I think, that writing toss us about so much.

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