sentenced to judy reeves

So the verdict is in on the new manuscript: Not Enough Emotion.

Dammit! Dammit! Damn. It.

But is this a surprise? 'Fraid not. I've heard it before, way more times than I want to count, so I know it's on the level. Maybe this is why the last story didn't sell. Or the one before that, either.

Anyway, I'm nothing if not tenacious. Kind of a necessity in this business. So I spent all morning picking through writing books, trying to glean wisdom on imparting my work with emotional depth and meaning. Naturally, I turned first to the reigning queen of gut-truth prose: Judy Reeves. Her 1999 book, A WRITER'S BOOK OF DAYS, is amazing in its capacity to inspire students to dig deeper. I only hope I can pull it off without going overboard, into purple territory, or doing too much telling in the process.

Since I'm into getting specific this morning, here are my notes on where the story I refuse to let die is headed:

* scars
* imagined new lovers
* shadow selves
* secrets
* things lost
* things asked for
* stolen time
* aftershocks
* something to hold onto
* the last time
* wound
* circling the edge
* falling
* sin
* someone says no
* after midnight
* insomnia
* fettered dreams
* someone who left
* just beyond the edge
* images that haunt you
* the morning after
* something you'd do differently
* never & always
* fragment
* small mistakes
* losing control
* weaknesses
* bruise
* jealousy
* lies
* yearning
* electricity
* an afternoon
* reasons to stay
* feeling lost
* hesitation
* a gift
* what was left
* escape
* late-night phone call
* masks
* what you didn't say
* something you want but cannot have
* fire
* ruin
* anticipation

Hopefully this'll be enough to get me started with a fresh eye.