Into part two of Elements of the Writing Craft, going from Storytelling into Characterization. The lessons continue to be challenging. After all, the examples are from classics, and the lessons are intended to mimic their technique. Some of what I’m learning is the difference between understanding a concept then applying the concept. I’ve revisited my work from previous lessons a few times to discover I’d missed the point entirely. I might have put together a clever paragraph, but I missed the intended lesson. I can see there being value in working through the text a second time with different answers.

July is also Camp Nanowrimo. I planned to map out the backstory of Sergeant Saehe this month and have regrettably made little progress. I’ve not been idle, perish the thought, the day job has ramped up recently but, I expect it to level off soon. Despite not hitting the target, I have made some progress. I’ve decided to rename Beth to Brigid to avoid having two Elizabeths in the novel. Beth Saehe is never referred to as Elizabeth, and Elsie is only ever called it by her mother, yet I felt it necessary to change. I toyed with the idea of calling her Cyrdwynn, but that might get tiresome for readers. So, since I still like the name but don’t want it to appear too often, I’ve learned that Brigid has named her harp Cyrdwynn.
I look forward to writing and learning more about Brigid Saehe and her harp Cyrdwynn in the days before Duffy Company.