Conversing with My Characters
When I was struggling to write Cursed, I had tea with a writer friend. She said when she’s struggling with a story, sometimes she’ll have a conversation about it with one of her fictional characters. I realize non-writers will see this as a sure sign of insanity, but I suspect that most fiction writers will understand. Of course, I tried it.
I ended up writing out the spirit man’s version of the story. I had to hide from my family while I wrote so I wouldn’t lose my – his? – train of thought. Easily interrupted, anyway.
I can’t share it with anyone because it’s full of spoilers, but writing it was a lot of fun. He’s pretty opinionated.
Maureen
Cursed! Soundtrack
In Cursed, Jane is cursed by the Spirit Man statue in her grandmother’s bathroom.
I’ve found the Spirit Man’s soundtrack – Kiri Te Kanawa singing Tarakihi. It’s not the soundtrack for the book, but for the Spirit Man himself.
It’s an ancient Maori chant from New Zealand and my guy is from Papua New Guinea, so it’s not accurate, but I think it’s perfect anyway!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV88zD55_zc
It’s actually about a cicada, so I need to not think about the meaning for it to sound fierce enough.
Maureen
Cursed!
We have a name! Finally, after dozens of suggestions back and forth and around the Orca office, it’s been decided.
Cursed!
Jane is the quiet, fearful one in a family of extroverts—at least until the Spirit Man in her grandmother’s bathroom starts messing with her family.
Maureen
Musings: Orca Spirit Man The Book That Will Not Be Named There's a Witchdoctor In My Grandmother's Bathroom
by Maureen Bush
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The Book That Will Not Be Named
We’re still debating titles for the Spirit Man book (working title “There’s A Witchdoctor In My Grandmother’s Bathroom”).
When the manuscript wouldn’t print at Orca, my editor started to worry that the witchdoctor has cursed us because we changed his name to the Spirit Man.
The editing is almost done, in a very un-cursed-like-mode, but we’re still working on the title. And so it has become, temporarily, The Book That Will Not Be Named.
Maureen
The Spirit Man
Progress Report on There’s a Witchdoctor in My Grandmother’s Bathroom:
The witchdoctor has been renamed the Spirit Man. We’re still debating titles. I sent Eric Orchard photos of the Spirit Man carving, and of the newspaper photo I clipped as my image of Jane, and he’s playing with ideas. The second round of editing is finished, so it’s off my desk for another week or so. It’s starting to feel like a real book.
Maureen