Flashbacks add structure to debut novel

The Eight Sentences

"Not many shooters — regardless of sex — have the resume I’ve acquired, my vision is remarkable for any human. When I chose this career, it was obvious that I would never be in the limelight. I’ll be happy to be just as anonymous as you.” Claudia had resigned herself to anonymity even before the choice of professions. She had taken herself out of the fight for women’s rights with the selection of careers. She couldn’t attract attention to herself advocating any issue publicly and then hope to reach the upper echelons of her craft. She could, and did, find ways to make financial contributions to the cause. After her first few jobs, she had stashed away enough funds to live happily ever after — when and — if she ever retired.

The Back Story

      Readers meet professional assassin, Claudia Barry, when she's sixty-two years old and considering retirement. How do we tell her story and establish her current status without some flashbacks?

My original manuscript was cluttered and confusing due to the flashbacks.

My editor/publisher had a brilliant idea. Divide the book into sections and open each one with a flashback related to, or supporting the action in that section.

Remember the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes? It was structured similarly.

What now?

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My six for the week

The setup:  

Claudia Barry, professional assassin, talks about her career choice and how she deals with the challenges of such a career.  Here is an excerpt from a conversation with one of her very few confidants:

Like everyone, my life is made up of a number of roles that I must play. Not a single one of them has any room for doubt, apprehension or a lack of confidence. Sometimes I change roles several times a day. Sometimes, I stop in between roles. I stop to listen when I cannot hear a thing. There’s always something there.

Comments always welcomed. Now check the work of over 180 great writers with their six sentences, HERE.

Six Sentence Sunday - September 30, 2012

The following excerpt from The Tourist Killer relates to the aftermath of a shooting in a diner.

The dining room was an ant bed whose tranquility had been changed by a lawn mower.

It had taken a few moments for most of the patrons in the diner to realize what had happened.

An older lady with blue hair had panicked. She tried to hurry down the aisle past the corpse and slipped in the mixture of coffee, vomit and blood. The fall broke her hip and she shrieked loudly.Her cries scared some of the other diners back into hiding.

Check out the contributions of over 170 other great writers with their Six Sentences, HERE.