This is the first in a series of blog posts about the creation of “Book 3” – the sequel to The Bicycle Waltz and At’s Amore.

2020.06.03

Had a great brainstorming session today! I (Paul) had been entering our earlier ideas into my OneNote structure (subject of a future blog post), so I took Jean through the notes from beginning to end. Lots of great ideas came up along the way. Then, right at the end, Jean mentioned an idea she had for a particular scene. I was initially cool to the idea, because I didn’t see how it helped to move the story along. Then, boom! One of those blinding flashes of insight that I love most about writing. I suddenly saw where it fit. It was as though there had been a gaping hole there before and I just hadn’t noticed it. My inner Shelly said, “Exactly. That’s why I did that other thing.”

More discussion ensued, lunch got cold, and pretty soon Jean’s “scene” was a sequence of scenes telling its own little story, and moving the main story along.

On days like this, I really love this job!

I promised not to insert spoilers, but here’s a hint: Think of something that combines Alan’s engineering skills and his talent with kids – and then add dancing! I can’t wait to write those scenes!