from waaaay up here

I know. You'll be so sick of hearing about SCAR that by the time I sell it no one will ever read it. But since the family's fed and watered, it's really all that's on my mind. And trust me, there are many of these posts that never get published. Be very glad I have some sort of internal editor. (Certain friends may be laughing.)

I started thinking of SCAR on a macro level this week.

Genre, it's becoming first and foremost a thriller. The SF/F elements are throwing some betas for a loop, and also directing their genre labeling. But to my mind, pacing is everything, and the book wants to be cajoled, coaxed, and often shoved into a thriller format. That means, to me, letting some of the characterization go that I've worked so hard on--more showing, less telling, which really means letting go of some control. (Effective showing takes less real estate, btw.) It means cutting and giving others some airtime. It's meant some major changes to the book. I'm cool with all that.

But I've climbed up even further, surveying this from Outer Space, as it were. And I realized, recently, that the book wants to prove people wrong and make people reconsider. It wants to make slaves out of slavers and druggies out of dealers. It wants the mayor to sweep the streets and the Faithful (of all faiths) to really believe. It wants love to be the right of all people, even the undeserving. It wants a suicide bomber to strengthen the resolve of their enemies and it wants children to forgive the sins of their fathers. And it really wants everyone to be careful what they wish for.

It's breaking rules with its middle finger held high. At least, that's what it wants to be.

The first pointless question a parent asks a kid when they do something stupid is "WHY?"

And the answer? All together now!

I DON'T KNOW.

So I think I'm learning that in a book that breaks rules sometimes that's the point. Rules are broken just to be broken. Doesn't matter why. Cuz in the end, it's about people catching onto the fact that there are things they will never know, never understand, never justify, and being okay with that.