Musings on Alexandretta

             I’m still plowing through the short work, Mommy’s Gone Crazy. I cannot tell you how well it has come along in the past few days. The story is very nearly writing itself. I am so pleased and very excited about its progression and the final outcome (once I get there). I certainly think this is going to be one of my best. I won’t go into much detail now, as I want to write another blog about the story once I finish it. The character, Alexandretta, however, deserves some mention now.

            I originally wrote the story as a simple ‘rough draft,’ where I could work with the character Alexandretta outside of a novel or novella format. This project was liken to an artist’s quick sketch before the final painting. The story was meant to open my mind to the idea and essence of Alexandretta, and nothing more. This story, however, has taken on a will of its own, and typical to Alexandretta’s style, has turned everything on its head. She does a few things in the story which are simply amazing. It’s unreal, to say the least. I love the character and think Alexandretta will be awesome when it comes time to reveal her story.

            For those of you who don’t remember the storyline, the narrator of Mommy’s Gone Crazy gets a frantic call from his daughter that her mother (his ex-wife) has gone crazy and is trying to kill her. Alexandretta has a history of mental illness, so it is no wonder. When the narrator arrives, he finds the house without power and proverbially torn from top to bottom. His daughter is nowhere to be seen. He then begins his search for her in the tomb-like house, hoping he finds her before the crazed woman finds him. All the time he is wondering, ‘is it a trap?’ Will Alexandretta be around the next corner? And just what happened to create the torn appearance of the house, a disastrous mess spanning several rooms?

            I seemingly change weapons in this story as well. For many of my short works, the shovel was always the device of “inner liberation,” i.e.: death. Not a few of my characters relied on its flat face and long shaft to do business. In this story, however, things change. Alexandretta prefers an ax; I admit I am as surprised as the next person to find so bloody a weapon in the story. Once I saw her use it, though, I admit, she knows what she is doing. Alexandretta is no one to play with. And I think I like that.

            On another note, I have a lot of reading to do, both in my magazine and in the Writer’s Market. I feel like I am back in school! Hopefully I can get some of it finished this weekend; then, I can share it with you all. Some of it should be good for a laugh. Let’s hope, at least.

            I’m leaving for now. Check out my facebook page for regular updates. Bye.