Provincetown 29

Process:

Gretchen asked about process.

Because this novel is based on a real life experience (boating the Ohio River in 2005), it has presented its own challenges, particularly that of moving away from the actual experience and toward a narrative that has some force. I had to separate myself from the character on the boat and my husband from the other character on the boat. I kept wanting to hang on to aspects of us that didn't fit the new narrative. That has been a part of the process, then, letting go.

Another part has been to balance out how I want/know the book will end with the need to maintain sufficient curiosity about the characters and situation so that I don't lose interest. The only way I've found to do that in this case is to move inexorably toward the ineffable.

So I've had to comb through the narrative again and again, making changes that would accomplish the previous tasks.

I don't know if this answers Gretchen's question.

I'm going back to the apartment now to print out a new copy of the manuscript and think about where to go next.