Yesterday I was poking around in some old files and found myself reading through the history of Kiri Hunter. I created the character of Detective Sergeant Kiri Hunter in 1990. I liked Kiri. She was smart, tough, fiercely loyal, and had a most unusual secret. She came to life in a sci fi romance THE WYDAR WAY. It was the first book I tried to get published and it did, in fact, get picked up by an agent in 1994 but the agent didn’t seem to know quite what to do with the mixed genre (I don’t think they were as common back then) and after while we went our separate ways.
Somewhere around 2005, I went back to Kiri Hunter and decided she was too good a character to let die. I did some re-writes on the original story and tried again. I was working my way through the query process when a family tragedy put everything on hold for a couple years. When life started up again and I went back to my writing; I had a light bulb moment (right above my head, just like in the cartoons!). I realized most of the books I was reading were mysteries. Preferably with some romance mixed in, but basically mysteries. I really loved mysteries! And here I had this great police detective wasting away in a sci fi romance.
So I disassembled the sci fi romance - pulling out the characters I wanted to keep, some key story elements, and the romance - and started working on a mystery. New characters, new plot lines, clues and red herrings…cut some love scenes, added some action…now Kiri’s got a lot more to work with. And in keeping with her long journey – a new title: HUNTER’S WAY.
HUNTER’S WAY is in re-writes now and I’ve got a ways to go on those, but I hope this time Kiri can make her way out into the world. After all, she’s been trying to get there for twenty years.
How about you? Do you have a favorite character you’ve kept resurrecting because he/she is too good to let go?
Unwriting progress: From 150,000 words down to 119,000.
I'm currently enjoying: A Murder Hatched by Donna Andrews
Quote of the day: Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life. ~ Lawrence Kasdan
5 comments:
Oh definitely.
In TRUE BELIEVERS coming out October 18 at Carina Press, Taelen Jessit literally kept haunting me since the late 70s.
You have to keep them when they've been with you for that long. There's a reason they've hung on.
Glad you found a place for Kiri. It's a good feeling, isn't it?
Thanks, Maria. Always good to know I'm not the only one doing these things. And I'm glad Taelen is getting a chance to go out into the world.
I haven't been writing long enough, but do have a core group of characters, both good or bad. Of course. the question si who is left standing at the end of the trilogy.
Stephen Tremp
Hey Linda,
You're never alone in the writing world. Yup, I have a pair of characters who have been with me from the start. Over the years I've resurrected them in various forms, but nothing ever felt as right as the first story so I felt like I was betraying them.
Someday when I have nothing else on the burner, I may revisit their story.
Steven, do you have one/some that you know you couldn't kill off or is everyone questionable?
Anonymous, thanks for stopping by.
Mary - If that first story feels like the right one, you're going to have to give it another chance. Let me know what happens when you do.
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