In my second novel ‘A Jersey Midsummer Tale’ the early scenes were of four young Jersey people meeting up on Midsummer Day 1935. Soon enough one of them – Tess Picot – was trying to tell me, convince me, to write her story. And so I did in ‘Tess of Portelet Manor’.
In ‘A West Cork Mystery’ a young, feisty barmaid in Darwin, Australia makes a brief appearance to help out one of the story’s leading characters. Later, Chantilly Taylor reappeared as the subject of a short story in my collection ‘Aspirations of a Sheep’.
Which leads me to the point of this post. Chantilly won’t let me go. I have explored her character, personality and appearance. She is pale, ash-blonde cut in a severe style, blue-eyed, straight-talking, gay or a-sexual, likes Goth music. But she is highly intelligent and, despite her background, has always wanted to study History at one of the Oxbridge colleges. Due to some good fortune she has managed to get a place at Magdalene, Cambridge.
Nothing to do with this post, but a nice view of Havre des Pas, Jersey from the old swimming pool.
Never having been to Cambridge I have researched the city, and Magdalene, in some depth. And I have written the first couple of introductory scenes. And I have no clue what comes next! I haven’t a plot, though I want it to be crime-based.
Which got me to thinking about the popular authors who have readers gasping for their next release. Lee Childe must always be thinking up new adventures for Jack Reacher. Tess Gerritson and her protagonist Jane Rizzoli, Rowling and Harry Potter, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. There are innumerable examples. What is their process for thinking up a new overarching plot?
It’s a new one on me but I’m going to have fun figuring it out. Meanwhile Chantilly is getting used to her new life as a fresher in Cambridge.
Thoughts?
Back On The Rock 
Well, is Chantilly going to be the perpetrator of the crime or the victim? There has to be a problem one way or the other for your protagonist otherwise there’s no story. Think Inspector Morse only in Cambridge. What fun! Good luck, Roy. I reckon you need a weekend in Cambridge to get your head around it😉
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See now, immediately I’m thinking of possibilities I hadn’t considered. Thank you Jenny 🙂 Indeed a trip to Cambridge would be profitable in location fixing.
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It sounds as though you’ll have a lot of fun with Chantilly. Enjoy, Roy!
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Indeed Jill 🙂 Funny how strange it is to suddenly not be approaching a story with the basic plot outline sorted.
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Sounds really intriguing Roy, I hope you find the story to go with your demanding character 🙂
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Hi Andrea 🙂 Yes, Chantilly deserves a good story. Let’s see if I can come up with one.
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Haha, I like that Andrea called your muse demanding…because she kind of is if she’s not leaving you alone.
I’ve never considered bringing characters into new stories. I think have the curse of too many other demanding voices in my own head that I have to deal with. 😉
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Yes, I don’t want to shoehorn her into something that doesn’t work. A Facebook friend suggested that she might be the perp of the crime, which interests me. Best wishes Britt.
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Hello Roy, Just an offer: I’m a Cambridge graduate so have been a fresher there, and I know Magdalene quite well (it was full of men only when I was a student, so quite an attraction!), and I still live in Cambridge, so if you want any fact-checking, I’m your woman! Although I agree that it’s the perfect excuse for a weekend in Cambridge – Aurigny flies to Stansted via Guernsey, you know!
Best wishes from Susan
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Well there’s a coincidence. Of course I know you live in that neck of the woods, but not that you’d been to Magdalene. What a kind offer, thank you Susan. I may well enlist you as a beta reader if this one ever gets off the ground. I might check on Spring Half-marathons around there and kill several birds with one stone. Thanks Susan and best wishes.
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Sounds like you have a challenge on your hands! Enjoy, and good luck!
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Thanks Ali, and for the RT 🙂
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Hi Roy. I love that you’ve written a few scenes and don’t have a plot yet. However it unfolds I know it will be eminently readable, as always. And with each book I marvel at how well you get in the skin of your female characters. If it’s going to be crime story you’ll need at least one body, lots of unexpected twists and turns, and a thoroughly unguessable ending. Judging from Inspector Morse and others, it appears that there should be no lack of dead bodies at Cambridge!! Have fun!
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Thanks Jane. It is true to say that I struggle to have empathy with male characters. You’ll find them disappeared, dead or simply in the background. Barry is the possible exception. Yes it’s a new experience this having started every other book with the impetus of knowing the ending and at least a vague idea of how I’m getting there 🙂
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I wonder if you have to let the character lead you to the story? Maybe those popular authors don’t think about the plot lines as much as seeing where the character takes them; what mischief or adventures they stumble into? Sounds like Chantilly will lead you somewhere if you let her.
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Yes Juliann, that’s exactly how it worked with Tess in ‘Tess of Portelet Manor’. It was almost as if she were telling her own story and getting me to write it down. Quite an experience.
With crime writing though, as Jane (below) there needs to be a lot more forethought or it won’t work. It’s possible I’ll ditch that thought – in part anyway – so that the character can lead the way. We’ll see.
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I still haven’t finished Aspirations of a Sheep but now I am going to finish it and give you my thoughts about Chantilly. I wonder if you might explore how her sexual choices came about, perhaps something happened in her past? What fun to think about characters!
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I’m not sure you get choices in these matters dear 😉 But I’d appreciate your thoughts – I’ve had a few good pointers for how to proceed already.
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LOL! I was referring to her sexual ambiguity or is that in your head?
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I reread the story – you didn’t refer to Chantilly’s appearance so that’s what perplexed me. Well, she has clearly got the luck of the Irish so you could perhaps pursue a fantastical tale? I really loved your sci-fi story and her appearance would fit quite well into the future. Your other followers make a good point about her being a perp in a crime story. Maybe she steals the Book of Kells? Great book, Roy.
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Hi Kerry. No, I developed Chantilly a little since the short story, tried to know a little more about her. I even sourced an image which fitted the mental picture. Yes, the perp idea is interesting all right – I like that. I’m not sure she’ll go to Dublin to rob the Book of Kells, but something along those lines maybe 🙂
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It was fun thinking about your character and allowing us to share in her development. ☘ This has inspired me to write about the Book of Deer (a much smaller version of Kells) written by Irish monks who settled in the north east of Scotland. One of my strangest community jobs was organizing a pilgrimage (attended by all faiths) from where the monks landed on the Moray Firth to the abbey in Old Deer. Great job for a lapsed Catholic!
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That sounds interesting Kerry. I read that the Book of Deer is kept at Cambridge Uni so maybe it could play a part in Chantilly’s story.
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Yes, the local people are a tad pissed about where it is located (NOT IN SCOTLAND)!! There is not a hope in hell that Cambridge would return it though… That sounds like an interesting plot for Chantilly.
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I think it’s neat that you move a character from one book into another. Chantilly sounds ready for ‘prime time’ – in which she is the main character. I suggest that you let her lead the way in the plot. I find that my characters have much better ideas than I do, and Chantilly sounds like a fun feisty woman who will take you to some fascinating places in your novel. Good luck!!
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Indeed Pam, she will certainly not be led by me, I know that 🙂 But I still need a solid outline for her to operate within.
Speaking of which, when can we expect to see another novel from your talented hand?
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Oh, I thought you you’d never ask. Ha Ha. I’m working on the sequel to The Right Wrong Man, and if I gave my characters more time, the book would be written by now 😦 On the other hand, I’ve been working on an illustrated children’s book, which will be published on March 31. Whee Hee!! Will be publicizing it soon.
Re outline – I usually have to write for about 50 pages or so before I’m ready to make an outline. I guess that makes me a pantser, not a plotter.
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Great! Best of luck with the children’s book Pam – it will be interesting to see how that flies. And good to know that there’s another (no doubt) romantic adventure in progress.
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“How it flies” – perfect phrasing, since the children’s book is about two birds. Hoping it (the book) has a good flight when I push it out of its publishing nest and into the wide world. 🙂
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