Next step in Butterfly Saga -- From Phoebe

“Chasing Butterflies”, our next step

I really enjoyed reading all your first chapters and getting to know all the wonderful and various characters. And what an array of different perspectives and different approaches and different situations and characters! Each character is searching for this amazing magic butterfly and I really loved how each of you brought up and talked about the butterfly in unique ways. As you develop your characters remember that good convincing detail, (things that would describe no one else but this character) will help to bring your character to life. And that’s what we are trying to do, isn’t it? I always like to add quirky details about my characters. For instance what do they like to eat or what are their hobbies or what do they like to do in their free time that sets them apart from others or makes them special or unique. Sometimes I even add an aside story or anecdote about the character to help the reader really get to know this person. I already am fond of all your characters and I think each of you has started off with wonderful ideas and great settings and all kinds of potential.

It will be interesting to see where all this takes us. This is a journey for you and for me! Who knows what we may uncover as we go.

What GG and I think would be a great next step would be for you each to focus for the next chapter on the magic butterfly. How did it get here? Where is it housed? Is there any other magic involved with it? Who and what is behind all this? What sort of story is around the strange appearance of this wonderful thing? Does anyone know where it came from or why?? Leave your main character to rest for a chapter and let the back story of the magic butterfly and all its components take center stage.

What we are thinking of doing is reading all your back stories and then having you vote on the one you think we should use for the book. Or I could choose the one that might work best.

Perhaps the chapter that would follow this back story chapter would be one in which each character begins the journey. And it would be wonderful if that chapter might incorporate one of the other characters created by the group, if only as a brief encounter. But we will talk about that next step later.

By the way, I loved getting to know all of you at the workshop. Each one of you would make a great character in a book!

-- Phoebe