Stuck

Okay, I've got a decent start on the plot for the new story. I know how I'm starting out, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how I arrived at this point, and thus, where the hell the story is going. I know where I want it to go, but I'm missing a compelling motive for the antag. I know who I want the antag to be, but I'm having difficulty figuring out why she does what she does. I've come up with several possibilities but they unravel under closer scrutiny. It has to be intense because the plot is fairly complex. If I don't come up with something soon I may have to find a new antag and a different plot. Which would suck for me because I like what I've got so far. More brooding and contemplation. I'll give it another week. I can go ahead and finish most of the first scene, so I'll work on that and see if it triggers any good thoughts on motive.

I'm just about ready to start another round of queries for Fool's Gold. I feel like such an idiot about this manuscript. I've been billing it as a mystery. Well, it's not a mystery, not by the definition of the genre that the publishing industry uses. The main plot doesn't revolve around a murder and it's solution. I've written a story that falls into the "thriller" genre. No wonder the requests for additional pages were so few and far between. I state in my query that I'm pitching a mystery and the query doesn't mention a murder at all. Talk about a rookie mistake. This might be beyond "rookie" and slip into "just plain stupid". Oh well, I'm sure the agents I've queried in this manner will have forgotten little ol' me by now, and I won't be querying the same ones right now anyway. I'll narrow down the list of agents I'll be targeting - it'll be a short list - and I'll send out some snail mail queries next week. Although I'd prefer to send email queries, it seems that hard copy gets the agent's attention before e-queries. Not necessarily positive attention, it's just a notch higher on the priority list for most agents, or so I've read.

I'm reading a lot of mystery authors right now. I pulled out my Raymond Chandler collection and I'm reading Red Wind, one of my favorite short stories. Awesome prose. I'm also reading Barrier Island, by John D. MacDonald. I think it's the first JDM book that I've ever read. I'm enjoying it so far. I'm having a hard time finishing Tampa Burn by Randy White. I like a lot of White's prose, but his story isn't all that compelling, and the characters strike me as less than authentic. But who the fuck am I to say. I'm just a guy that can't come up with a motive for his antagonist.

It's a beautiful autumn day, crisp and cool and not too much wind. I have the day off, and I'm going to dwell on motives, ever alert to one that might be so obvious I just haven't seen it. Peace and good coffee...