Re-Beginning

I realized that in my last post, I said that the word counter filtered out words like "it" even though "it" appears in the last line of my abstract "poem." The site claimed that, not me. So someone is confused. (Hint: it's me.)

But moving on.

I've started rewriting the beginning of The Long Road as part of my revision process. I still don't know what cargo area of an SUV is called, and am still calling it steerage. This will continue, more than likely. Anyway, there was a whole thing about Tony being late and getting coffee that I've kept and altered, because it shows that he's kind of a dick and only out for himself. I think I could come up with myriad ways why people wouldn't like him, and why his family abandoned him (I'm kidding, they left because they’re also selfish assholes). The challenge is going to be convincingly showing why anyone would want to be friends with him. What are his redeeming qualities? What makes him likeable? Why the hell does he speak Russian?

All good questions. Some may one day have answers.

Regarding that last one, the first line of the story is still "Как дела, bitches?" for… some reason. I’d change it if I could come up with a better beginning. I don't have something profound to pull the reader into story, so I'm trying to baffle them, instead.

Here's a question. Assuming he keeps speaking Russian, and there's ever a reason for that, would you prefer it to be transliterated? That is, in the Latin alphabet instead of Cyrillic? I mean, if you don't read that alphabet, you can't really imagine how it's pronounced. But does that matter? I don’t know, it seems cheap.

But again, I don't know why he speaks Russian in the first place. So maybe I should just drop it and solve that problem. But then I'd need a new first line.

I did figure out that they're probably leaving from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, because one of their first stops is going to be Craters of the Moon. It seemed like a good touristy stop. Lots of places to wander off to. I can't really use too much personal experience, since I've only been there once, when I was six, but that's what the internet is for.

So, rest assured, I do have some ideas for this thing. Because I know you were so worried. I mean, sure, I'm still missing 80% of my plot, but I have some inklings.

I'll see you Saturday.