Spiraling

Charlotte sits in her home, stunned by the attempt on her life carried out by Russian spies. She feigns partial memory loss and doesn't plan on cooperating with investigators who want to catch the perpetrators.

This is her case to blow wide open, and she plans on taking credit—anything to propel her further into the stratosphere of exaggerated fame.

But part of her can't wait for the day the detective returns to her home—with more information, or simply to comfort her—knowing her newly acquired condition remains unstable.

Charlotte is powerless to change her circumstances. She sits all alone in her home, waiting, wondering if she'll ever continue where she left off—or come to terms with the fact that she has become more than just herself.

In her attempts on being productive, I—the writer—have hit a brick wall.

I could have at least provided her with a subscription to Netflix before abandoning her there...

Quick synopsis:

Charlotte Campbell, an unwed news reporter in her early thirties, is driving home from work at night when she realizes she's being pursued by two unmarked cars carrying Russian spies. She's gotten too close to uncovering their operation, and now she has to be eliminated. The pursuers force her off the road at a highway entrance, sending her car rolling several times.

During the crash, her guardian angel intervenes—it's not Charlotte's time. But something goes wrong in the chaos, binding the angel to her. Now, an angelic personality inhabits her body with her, never present at the same time.

Alan, the detective on the case, notices the obvious differences in demeanor between the two personas. The angel eventually reveals her presence to him and helps him by using her heightened intuition to fill the gaps Charlotte conveniently leaves out, along with a few other striking revelations throughout the tale.

I began writing Chance Encounter (tentative title) six years ago. Yes, SIX years ago! I haven’t touched in two years.

It’s like avoiding an old friend who still calls now and then, but you never pick up. You want to answer—you just don't know what you would say.

In other words, I'll avoid answering the call until I'm ready to face and fix the issues in what I've written so far.

I've finished hundreds of short stories in my journey. This particular project, however, has given me migraines as I've tried to give it a fighting chance.

So far, the story consists of ten thousand + words. It's my first attempt at writing a novella.

The direction I decided to take Chance Encounter is mystery-thriller, written in third-person omniscient.

The idea remains solid.

The execution got out of hand...

It amazes me how thought processes differ from one read to another. One day, I'm gung-ho about what I've written. The next, I can't believe I was gung-ho about what I had written. Example: For Chance Encounter I thought about making the MC pregnant. But the further I developed the ideas, I realized the pregnancy will eventually get in the way with how I want the story to end. Charlotte is single. The idea was to have a lover come back in her life at some point to learn about the pregnancy.

I thought about making it work but decided to take the easy route and scrap the idea. Therefore, Miss Charlotte won't require that ultrasound or anything associated with childbirth.

Issues:

Pacing: Scenes either rush to the point or are dragged on too long. It doesn't fit the pace I had in mind. The last time I reread what I've written so far, I found myself either getting bored by the drawn-out sections or blindsided by a barrage of facts delivered too directly.

Miscommunication: Sometimes the theme gets away from the plot. They don't talk to each other like they should. It's like trying to add a subplot that belongs to an entirely different genre. -Subplots can add interesting turn of events if you can make them converge in ways the reader doesn't see coming.

Untimely Information: There is a scene where the angel, Glory—though the name will probably change again—is on the witness stand. Alan can tell when she's the one controlling the body—he's the only one outside of Charlotte that knows she exists—and trusts her to cooperate. However, in the middle of Glory's testimony during a preliminary hearing, Charlotte unexpectedly takes over the body. Things get interesting fast, throwing the courtroom into confusion.

I like the scene but realized it's premature. It reveals a few things too quickly. At some point, I could move this 1400-word bit of material further down the narrative but have no idea yet how I plan to get there. What I've written so far ends at Charlotte's house after the hearing.

Tense errors: They are the easiest to repair but they still require tedious work to find and fix. Unintentionally going back and forth between the past and present loses readers faster than the clock ticks.

Antagonist: Because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, I no longer want the antagonist to be of Russian descent. Personally, even the mention feels like a distraction for the reader.

This creates another task: changing names, locations, and backstories for at least two characters.

Emotions: Alan and Glory begin to have feelings for each other, which is great for creating uncomfortable situations when the two personalities switch, but creates a mountain of complications for me as I try to keep it believable. I think it can work enough to build a secret relationship but due to the uncertainty of shifting between personas, the time they have together doesn't feel adequate. I'm on the fence about how far I want to go with it. Additionally, no one knows (including me) how long the angel will stay fused.

My underestimation for this plot element is the reason the title needs to change. Chance Encounter is less about love and more about the life of a bold, adventurous news reporter who finds herself in the middle of a supernatural dilemma, weaving through danger and mystery along the way.

These issues may be the death of this idea. I bit off more than I can chew but enjoy tackling problems during the writing process. Once I commit to finishing a project, I always work my way through them.

As a writer who gravitates toward paranormal and odd storylines—situations that may be possible but have never been proven—my job is making these improbable scenarios believable, leaving the reader lingering in the possibilities of—what if.

Chance Encounter could be a crowning achievement if I can pull it off. It's an immense amount of work, but that alone isn't a good enough reason to abandon something you believe in and have already poured so much time into.

I haven't given up on this story just yet and have a few angles I'd like to include.

But will I ever recommit?

That, my dear reader, is an even bigger mystery than the story itself.