Becoming My Mother...Or...The Difference Between Richard and Tom Petty

The other day I read Disney Dining's blog, Top Ten “Outside The Box” Things To Do At Walt Disney World. I.E.—no rides. They mentioned something I’ve wanted to do ever since my family and I saw it on our first trip to the Magic Kingdom: The Richard Petty Driving Experience.

 

What is it? You ride on an actual racetrack, in the passenger seat of a racecar that’s driven by a professional driver. Whew. FUN. There are variations to what they offer, based on this general definition, but this is what most people do.

 

My excitement about the blog, my lack of Nascar knowledge, and my love of 1990’s music caused me to blurt out, “Next time we’re at Disney, let’s do The Tom Petty Driving Experience.”

 

Oops.

I realized my mistake about ten seconds later when my husband, laughing, played Mary Jane’s Last Dance, by TOM Petty on YouTube. Sigh. I’m becoming my mother; switching the first and last names of celebrities.

But, my mix up made me think. What would that experience entail?

First and foremost, instead of racing jumpsuits, everyone would be required to wear a costume from Alice in Wonderland. Two reasons why: It’s on Disney property, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8 (Check out the video after you finish reading)

Second, everyone would receive complimentary tea and cookies while they watched a short documentary about Tom Petty’s life and career, in lieu of the instructional video about racing they show if you’re doing The Richard Petty Driving Experience.

Third, you’d pick your car and several Tom Petty albums to listen to as you meandered your way around the racetrack. Your driver would be an expert on Tom, and by the time your ride was finished, you’d know all about Mudcrutch, the Traveling Wilburys, and the Heartbreakers.

Fourth, any herbal extras would be at an additional cost and coincide with the law, but the hookah pipe, with your choice of flavored tobacco would be included to all adults, 18 and over. Your driver’s talents would also include knowing how to smoke one while driving.

 

There you have it…The Tom Petty Driving Experience.

I wonder, when I do experience the real attraction, if the professional driver beside me will ask why I can’t stop giggling.

Researching the Book

I have a BA in history, and a Master’s Degree in archives, museums, and editing history. I love the past so much I devoted my entire college career to studying things that happened waa-a-aay before I was born. I spent the 1990s learning about everything from Ancient Egypt to the early twentieth century. While other people look at places, names, and dates as is, I take the facts and build stories around them by asking questions. My why, what, and how fill in the gaps the who, where, and when leave behind.

 

Why did noblemen train themselves to fight? What did people eat in fifteenth century England? How were women treated? Finding answers to these questions requires research if I want my fictional world to be plausible. While Wikipedia may seem like the logical place to start, it’s not. Some of their ‘facts’ are as fictional as the conversations I want to write between my protagonist and their love interest. Instead, I use primary sources to create a credible world for my characters. I’m not an expert on the middle ages, but those that are who read my book might ridicule me if I miss a detail or misrepresent the timeline.

How do I do my research?

 

I start with books or articles written from primary resources and published within the past three years that can connect me to the time period I’m basing my story in. Then I double check to make sure no one has made an important discovery in the last few months that discounts what’s already written. Next, I look for pictures, letters, wills, deeds to homes, marriage certificates, and other resources that are relevant and will give me a greater understanding of the people and their daily lives.

 

For The Promise, I researched castle life, clothing, food, pastimes, attitudes, and so much more. I wanted to know anything that was relevant to early fifteenth century England. For Time School, I toured Gettysburg and asked a million questions of my guide. She even helped me after the tour was over by gathering more information from the local historical society, and sending it to me via email. I also read books and accounts by people who lived in the town during the Civil War battle, and actual newspapers from 1863. I studied maps and pictures of the town, too.

 

My history degrees were born from an intense desire to step behind a museum's red velvet rope and touch the past. The books I write are what would happen if I could touch those artifacts in their original surroundings.

 

Why I Think Edits are Like Haircuts

Today is haircut day for the whole family. We venture onto the nearby IUP campus, park our car in the lot by the Hadley Union Building, and roll into the Hair Hub. In my humble opinion, it’s the best place to go in Indiana, PA for a haircut. After two hours of work by their amazing stylists, my eyebrows are shaped, my hair is springy, and all the dead, split ends that weigh my ‘do down decorate the floor in a choppy brown circle around my feet. The transformation is a lot like editing my WIP.

 

I write in basically three large chunks relevant to my story’s structure: the introduction, the struggle—where the meat and problems happen, and the resolution. After each section, I edit.

 

I clip away all the dead weight, the confusion, the scraggily paragraphs that don’t flow with the rest of the story, and I sweep all my cut bits onto a page labeled: Discard File for [insert title]. Then I rip and pluck stray words or sentences from the manuscript until the remaining chapters are shaped and springy, ready for a critique. Once the sections grow into a finished book, I snip away again until I’m comfortable with the final product.

 

I’d love to say I’m satisfied after a few hours of editing, but that would be a lie. Sadly, my results aren’t as immediate as my hairdresser’s are. Sometimes it takes a week or two before I’m happy, and sometimes, it takes even longer. The curse of a perfectionist!

 

To me, writing is like growing my hair; it just happens. The real skill and work lie in the editing. Fingers crossed that mine’s as sharp as the Hair Hub’s scissors.

Celebrating the Word Count

Today I’m celebrating! Time School is over one hundred thousand words and three hundred and fifty pages.

The thing about reaching this milestone that makes it so impressive to me, is the fact that almost every word I type is formed by the hunt and peck method. Pretty funny, right?! AND for the first time in my writing week, I'm averaging 1000 words a day! When I used my hands to type, I flew over the keyboard. Now that my hands don't work, I use my head to direct the mouse to my virtual keyboard and click away...one letter at a time! Check out: http://naturalpoint.com/smartnav/products/videos.html  to see how I operate my computer and write. Someday soon I hope to add actual video of me using my SmartNav and SofType, but this video gives you an idea of how the technology operates. I don't use a click switch or any of the voice operated features, but I love my dwell clicker! My sticker attaches to the bridge of my glasses, not my forehead.

If you know anyone suffering from a disease or a condition where their hands are affected, you may want to mention this to them. It has been an absolute miracle for me.

Enough chatting! I'm off to wrack up more quality words to my count.