Duende - Magic, Fire

‘Duende is a power and not a behaviour, it is a struggle and not a concept. I have heard an old master say ‘Duende is not in the throat; duende surges up from the soles of the feet.’ Which means it is not a matter of ability, but of real life form; of blood; of ancient culture; of creative action’

- Federico Garcia Lorca

Oooof - hit 50,000 words last night, so after an intensive 20 days staring at photographs of Javier Bardem while my fingers danced over the keyboard (tough work but someone had to do it), I've 'won' NaNo, and we're heading towards 100,000 words total for the next book. Once that milestone is crossed it will be freewheeling down the home straight time - but there are still some big decisions to be made in the next few thousand words and this story is just finding its legs. I just don't know which way we are going yet - happily ever after or epic doomed love. The characters are up and running the show - I have a feeling they have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Do you do jigsaws or puzzles? They bore me senseless and I never had any patience for games (except for chess). With children you end up helping them with all of these and I really have to fight to slow my mind down. However, writing a book is strangely a lot like doing a puzzle - perhaps like those little pictures made up of blocks that slide you used to get in crackers, or Rubik's cube. (I was the impatient one who took a screwdriver and a pot of Vaseline to my cube before learning the sequence). Maybe you're more patient? You have this puzzle, this story at your fingertips, but until the pieces fall into the correct sequence the picture is a mess - you sense what it should look like, it's all there, you've just got to get it right.

The book is set in Spain - we moved there not knowing the country and frankly I wasn't thrilled (too many stereotypical images of Benidorm). However - living in 'real' Spain I grew to love it, and this story is as much a love letter to the country, people and passion (duende) as the tale of the protagonists. Writing the book has made me quite homesick for mountains and orange groves, ruby light and hot days in hidden coves ... It stretches from the Spanish Civil War and Guernica through to 9/11. I'm still getting under the skin of the characters but it has been quite a ride so far - jealousy, revenge, love, passion. Will the characters get together or won't they? I don't know at this point ... the man is devastating, but a bit of a disaster. Will it come good? Is he what she wants but not what she needs? Maybe you've had relationships like this too. I'm curious to see where this one goes. If it means a few more weeks contemplating Javier (sighs) so be it ... may even have to dust off 'Jamon Jamon' tonight and let the steam settle over the keyboard.

TODAY'S PROMPT: How do you work - with a rough map of where you're heading, the literary equivalent of SatNav, or do you meander off and take the scenic route? When you read a book, do you like all the loose endings tied up neatly at the end of the journey? With a love story do you want to know how they ended up - do you want to see the white wedding - or do you like things to be left open ended? How do you feel about passion and sex in fiction - do you feel comfortable writing this, or do you prefer the old fashioned 'cut away' to rolling surf or steam trains and tunnels? If you're stuck, wondering which direction to take, why not follow this great advice from Janet Fitch author of 'White Oleander':

" ... Luckily I was seeing an amazing therapist at the time. I explained I was afraid that if I chose route 6, then I would be eliminating all the other possible routes. What if route 15 was better? Or 3 1/2 ? So I hedged. I couldn't commit. I was stuck. And she gave me the piece of advice which has saved my writing life over and over again, and I will give it to you, absolutely free of charge. She said, "I know it feels like you have all these options and when you make a decision, you lose a world of possibilities. But the reality is, until you make a decision, you have nothing at all."