WRITING UNDERCOVER

I'm working on a novel right now, the first one in a series. I've actually written two in the series but, having joined a writers' group, I wanted to go back to the first one and apply some of what the group is teaching me.

I have to admit it's not always easy to go back and re-work the same story over and over, especially when you think it's as good as you can get it. Except, sometimes after time has passed and batteries have re-charged, you can make it better - make it tighter. And yet, this morning as I was working on a particular chapter involving the dialogue exchange between my protagonist (main character who evolves throughout the story and is the central character throughout the series) and several patrol units, I found my heart racing probably as much as when it was back when I was in that position myself years ago. I can still hear the sirens, feel the way they intensify everything inside a squad car enroute to a high adrenalin call never knowing how it will turn out and always hoping for the best. I don't know if my reaction was the result of my writing or my memories or maybe a combination of the two. I'd like to think it was my writing since that part of my experiences happened a long time ago.

I love my stories. I write for many reasons, but, while the process can be exhausting and often frustrating, I write mostly because I care about the stories I have to tell. And the people who lived and died for them.