Ny Leslie Lindsay

As I wrap up this manuscript for the second time in six months, I realize there are a few loose strings that need to be tied up.  Again.  “Will this ever be over?”  she says with an exasperated sigh.  So, I am going back in and adding journal entries from our protagonist’s point-of-view.  These serve a purpose: to get inside her head a bit more, to foil the readers (on some level, I best not give too much away), and to flesh out some important pieces at the end.  Oh, and it adds a little mystique to the whole thing.

Here’s a stab at one of them:

Annie

Journal Entry

Love

          Madi stands a few feet away from me at the grocery store.  She is clutching her beloved Clarabel, a pocket-sized beanbag stuffed basset hound as she inspects the flower display. Purples and yellows bloom from their pots.  I glance to her and then to the cashier, handing over my Dominick’s card as the transaction wraps up.

          Madi toddles over to me and wraps her arms around my legs.  I reach down and rub her back.  Clarabel peeks out from under her arm.  The woman behind the counter leans forward, a giant smile develops across her face, “I bet you love your doggie, don’t you?”

          Madi nods her head, “Yes.” 

          “Well, does your puppy love you?”

          Madi frowns slightly before a glimmer of a smile twinkles in her eyes.  She shakes her head impatiently and looks at me.  “No, of course not,” she seems to be saying. 

          My daughter is not confused about love.  She knows already that love is mostly a thing between people, not between people and stuffed animals. 

          When we get into the car and all is settled, Madi says, “Momma, I wish Clarabel did love me back.”

[this is an excerpt from Unhinged.  It is an original work of fiction. Please do not copy, or make your own.  Thank you.  Image source: http://www.swap.com/item/G/29139009/?gclid=CPLdnuKHj7oCFZFFMgodIUIAkg]