Null Points

No words today. I have read the critique from Jen Black -as usual full of useful stuff. Some of the things she points out are so obvious that I can't believe I missed them. For example, I describe a floor as grubby, then have a female kneel on it to pick up a voodoo hex. Jen's right. It wouldn't happen. The female would crouch, or stoop, or bend down - especially as the character likes clothes. No way she'd let her new skirt touch a dirty floor. Obvious - but do I see it? That's why good critique partners are above rubies.

Also got to the point where my next job is to open a new spreadsheet and label it: 2007/2008. Sigh.

Chapter Two is Finished!

Bundled it off to my critique partner, Jen, and my sister for criticism. My sister has discovered that she lives near a scriptwriter - and the kind neighbourly scriptwriter has offered to have a look at the Glass Cliff for me - great! I'll wait until I get to the three chapter stage and ask her to have a look before I send it off.

I stopped at the building site last night - much to the chagrin of the security guard. He noticed me straight away, and came out of his little cabin. I could see him wondering why I was walking around the perimeter of the site making notes. I was making him so unhappy that I didn't go all the way around. I've been reading so much about migrant labour that I began to wonder if he was worrying that I was checking up on him. He looked so miserable that I went away.

The visit was worth it in terms of information and scene setting. I was interested in the safety structures - the scaffolding had coloured safety barriers on the higher platforms and safety nets were strung below as well. The last scaffolding that caught my attention was bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong - rickety beyond belief. This was before 1999 and we were looking for work. I think they paid £3.50 an hour for casual labour. I said 'How about that scaffolding, Andy? Add to your building experience?' He said: 'Being a film extra is the same money. I think I'll sit around all day pretending to be a journalist instead.' Definitely the right decision, because we heard later that the scaffolding was as unsafe as it looked and often collapsed. Hurray for health and safety!

Slow Progress

I spent more time on my blogs than the Glass Cliff this morning, and no, I didn't get up early! I had a quick look at chapter 6 for my critique partner: http://www.jenblackauthor.blogspot.com/ and then I went back to the Save the Cat structure and worked through that. I realised that because I want to keep the heroine wondering if it's voodoo or a nervous breakdown that's affecting her, then there must be a scene where she goes to a head doctor, right? And then I realised that the real reason I'm stuck is that as yet, I'm not sure what her exact job is, what the company she's been sent to boss does, and what scam the baddies don't want her to discover.

Research, then. I'll have a look on the Internet for really great swindle ideas tomorrow.