My Current Project

Yesterday I told myself I'd post about my new project today, assuming nothing crazy happened. I should've known better than to go and say something like that. After not having a functioning satellite dish for two days, we got that fixed just as we ran out of water. Then the internet stopped working overnight. You don't realize how addicted you are until there's an unexpected outage (as opposed to a trip where you can tell people you'll be MIA for a bit). Nine hours later, here I am.

The good side is I got a lot of writing done. If you're a regular reader you know that my memoir is about my relationship with Ibis and all the turmoil we went through when we moved to Mexico. When I finished the first draft, Ibis said, "Now you can write my memoir." My first response was "or you could write your own memoir," but the idea stuck. For various reasons I chose not to write his story, but the idea of a young Mexican man giving up everything to find a better life in the United States intrigued me. Since I didn't plan to write his personal tale, per se, I found myself free to embellish the details, adding twists that never happened to him.

I finally discovered for myself what other writers talk about when they say the main character (MC) tells the story, they just write it down. I'm nowhere near finishing but already my MC has taken side trips that I never expected - including a strip club, never saw that one coming! - and I'm enjoying how different this process is from writing a memoir.

One early reader of my memoir commented that she thought I should include more detail about Mexico itself; the little, everyday things that you can't know unless you live there. I didn't think they fit in my personal story, but I'm finding ways to work those bits and pieces into my current work in progress (wip). It makes sense for a Mexican man to notice the small details that someone new to the country would overlook.

So without further ado, here's a blurb describing my wip, tentatively title The Other Side:

Mateo's one goal is to make a new life on the other side. His first attempt to cross into the US ended with him in a border patrol holding cell, so he turns to his sister, who already made it across, for help. She tells him where to find a coyote, a man who sneaks people past the guards for a price.

Mateo doesn't realize that the coyote is part of a smuggling ring being tracked by the US government until he's already in their hands. When the crossing goes bad, he finds himself alone in the desert, with nothing but memories of home and dreams for his future to keep him alive.

Let me know what you think!