Seems I can't leave silly scenes out

1/24/07 -- Seems I can't leave silly scenes out of a story, even a fairly serious story like STORM MOUNTAIN. Inspired by a food eating contest a young friend of mine named Adam got into a few years back, I took his real life experience and tweaked it into a burrito eating battle between my main character Ben and his cousin Cat. On a first draft I generally just run with whatever comes to mind, and this turned out a bit on the gross side. (Ben eats too much too fast and pays the nauseating consequences.) Maybe it's too gross, but the action does move the plot forward, so on that level it works. And even if I end up cutting the scene in revision, I had fun writing it, so it was a worthwhile day.

Now it's time to turn my attention to my upcoming trip to New York to visit editors, publishers, my agent, etc. Being a writer is not just about writing. There is the business side of things that need to be attended to, also. Plus, I've got to book my flight to Lansing, Michigan, where I will be speaking in schools in March. Like I said, it's not just about writing. Still, I love meeting the kids and teachers and librarians. They're my wonderful audience!