I'm working on a scene in my next rugby book where an aging player leaves Dublin to play for another team to close out his career. I've spent hundreds of pages weaving together thousands of words giving readers a feel for what it's like in this city, and how the lads interact with each other so that when you open a Dublin Rugby Romance, you know what you're in for. You can picture these men and where they are.
With BREAK DOWN opening with Liam heading to Edinburgh, I've lost all that and I don't have a lot of runway with one book to build that same sense of place. To offset some of that void, I find that I'm itching to add little extras here and there that I wouldn't otherwise include. Like in a scene where he's adjusting his tie, I want to tell you that it's not just any old tie. It's a silk tie where the team's colors have been weaved together to form a special tartan that is completely unique to their location. When he develops a taste for scotch, I want to describe the smokey, briny flavors of an Islay peated whisky. When he walks through Old Town on his way to his favorite restaurant, I want to describe the way the buildings form shadows on the cobbles, and how shadows lurk in the closes.
But every time I do, I re-read the paragraph and shake my head. It all sounds TOO MUCH, like I'm throwing that all in to add extra words. But if you've ever been to Edinburgh, you know it's a city unlike any other, and that from the moment you step outside, it's like you exist on a different plane. I want people who've never been there to feel that through my words, and for those who've been and loved it, I want them to read this book and recapture those feelings.
We'll see how it all plays out. You guys know I'm a wordy bitch so I may just include it and hope my editor doesn't rip it to shreds.
Wish me luck!
