I gots to get me some BBC

Aaargh!  Unfair.  There ought to be a way to get original BBC programming here in the States.  Not BBC America.  Plain old BBC.

I'm talking about the series "Spooks" now in its seventh season.  The cast is awash in man candy:

Rupert Penry-Jones, aka Captain Wentworth in Persuasion (the kiss at the end - oh, wow)

Or - Richard Armitage, aka John Thornton in North and South ("Turn back.  Turn back to me."  heartwrenching scene)

Or - Matthew Macfadyen, aka Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice

Did I mention the guest list?

Hugh Laurie

Ian McDiarmid

Anthony Head

To name a few

Did I mention it's a spy show?

So unfair.

And totally unavailable as a download.

Le sigh.

Who are these people?

I've spent almost a hundred pages with Ian and Sophie, they're in the middle of angry sex, and I don't know who they are.  To remedy that, I took out some old notes on the best story I've ever written (you will weep at the fragility of their relationship) and have applied them to the two strangers in my WIP. 

* What is his/her external goal?

* What is his/her external motivation?

* What is his/her external conflict

(yep, GMC)

* What is his/her internal goal?

* What is his/her internal motivation?

* What is his/her internal conflict?

* What would he/she never do?

* What is he/she afraid of?

* What is he/she really afraid of?

* What is his/her bone deep "the world will end if anyone knows" fear?

* What is his/her strength?

* What is his/her flaw?

* What was the worse decision he/she ever made?

* How does he/she see himself/herself?

This has helped enormously.  I knew Sophie was a "fixer", but her "world will end" fear?  She doesn't want anyone to know she doesn't know what she's doing.

And her internal motivation?  If I can fix everyone else's problems, then I don't have any.

I still have a few holes to plug, and some plotting (gasp!) to do, but now that I know how their traits affect each other - it sets up more conflict.  And that's a good thing.

Writing is easy

The story is already written, it's my job to find it.

With my new story (started Aug. 1, 86 pages complete) I'm uncovering it layer by layer.  Like all things layered (cabbages, lettuce) not every leaf is perfect.  Sometimes, there are holes.  Sometimes, a nasty surprise.  Sometimes, perfection.

I usually write clean first drafts.  But, as they say, each story is different, and this one is messy.  My heroine is reactive, my hero doesn't have enough motivation.  Until this weekend, which I spent with most of my writing group at a wonderful retreat, I didn't see these flaws.  Or the non-mention of eye & hair color of my two main protagonists.  Or. . .well, you get the idea.  So now I'm regrouping, beefing up the weak areas and thinking whole picture instead of what the next scene will be.  It will be better, stronger and tighter.  I even found the perfect place for the first sex scene, which has been a problem in the past.

And I was reminded of an old story, which, after a cursory read-through last night, reminded me of how good it is.  It's time for it to make the rounds again.  It's time for a good, old pirate/virgin mother story to be heard.

Writing is easy.