YUP. There’s a bedroom scene in my new book.
Not so much that kind of bedroom scene. It’s 50 shades of innocent, I promise. But still…
It’s a scene in a bedroom. In a bed. With a girl and a guy. And I will admit, I had my worries that some readers might be a bit tsk-tsk-y about it.
So far, if there’ve been any raised eyebrows, I haven’t heard them. (Not that you can hear raised eyebrows…?) And I’m glad because it’s one of my favorite scenes in the book.
Partially because Colton, my main male character, says a hilarious line near the end of it. (At least, I think it’s hilarious. But I’m probably slightly biased.)
But mostly because it took me five thousand tries to get that scene right.
Okay, fine, five tries. But still…
*****
This is Kate and Colton. 🙂
For those of you who’ve read the book, I thought it’d be fun to share what that scene used to look like in its early stages.
For those of you who haven’t read the book, two things:
a) To continue reading this post, you’ll need to know this one teensy tiny spoiler: The bedroom scene happens early in the book and it’s the scene where my hero and heroine, Colton and Kate, first meet. In writer terms, this is called the “meet-cute.”
b) Or you could just consider skipping this post and go buy the book and read the actual scene…just a thought.
*insert wink*
*insert apologetic smile*
*insert “but seriously” expression*
So here we go, before there was “the bedroom scene” meet-cute, there was:
- The breakfast meet-cute. Yes, originally Kate and Colton met over breakfast and Kate didn’t know Colton was in the house and Colton was all cute and stuff while making waffles for Kate’s niece. Some of this scene still made it into the book. But it just didn’t feel right…it was just too quiet or something. So then there was…
- The parade meet-cute. Because parades are the opposite of quiet, right? Didn’t work out, though. At all. In fact, I might’ve scratched that version of the scene before I even finished it and moved on to…
- The porch meet-cute. In which Colton was climbing up the lattice leading to the porch roof. Honestly, I can’t even remember why. Maybe he’d locked himself out of the house? And anyway Kate thought he was a burglar…because, really, what else are you supposed to think, I guess, about a guy climbing up your porch lattice? Still not right, though. So then we had…
- The strange guy in the house meet-cute. Which is exactly what it sounds like.
But somewhere during that last version of the scene, I got the idea for the bedroom scene. And I knew I’d finally found my sweet spot.
*****
You know what’s crazy and fun and frustrating about writing a book?
It’s that processes like what I just described—writing and deleting and rewriting and completely reworking—don’t just happen with a couple scenes here and there. Often, they happen with many scenes in a book. I’ve been known to tear out entire acts and start over.
It can be a sloggy feeling.
But it can also be energizing and awesome and even a little exhilarating.
Because the story isn’t over.
Because as the author, you hold the reins. You steer the ship. You chart the course. Insert your cliche of choice.
Oh, it’s true, your made-up people love to start telling the story on their own. That’s one of the most magical parts of writing—that moment when your story starts telling itself.
But still, you as the author decide when something needs to be reworked. Revised. Up until that last set of galleys, you get to rewrite until your heart’s content—pretty it up, flex your wordsmithing muscle and stretch the story as deep and wide as you can.
I just started rewrites on my 2016 release. Barely started…like, looked at the first few paragraphs of my editor’s notes and then spent an hour laying on my bed staring at the ceiling fan while I thought about all the things I still want to do in this story. Big, core story changes. Small, minor scene changes.
And then I started thinking about life. And faith. And who I am. And how it’s all kind of like rewrites. How sometimes growing as a person means digging deep, past layers and subplots to reach the heart of my personal story. Sometimes it’s doing hard things—starting over, facing the past or braving the future, stretching.
And how other times it’s little changes that make worlds of difference. Lingering in the present scene.
And how unlike book rewrites, there’s not really a final set of galleys. It’s never published and in print forever-and-ever-amen. I get to keep rewriting.
God gets to keep rewriting.
And maybe that’s a little tiring. A little frustrating. Because I like to finish things. And Melissa Tagg the person won’t ever really be finished, will she?
But it’s also energizing.
And awesome.
And even a little exhilarating.
Comments 21
im sure all your scenes are perfect Melissa. My books arrived this morning! may i keep in touch here?(or instagram?)
Author
Thanks, Angie! And sure, feel free to keep in touch anywhere around the internet. 🙂
First off I would just like to say that I loved that bedroom scene. I was quite literally laughing out loud when I read it (and lots of other scenes for that matter). You are one of my absolute favorite authors and such an inspiration to me. I love reading these posts as well because you just put things out there in ways that a lot of people don’t.
Thank you for being an encouragement to me. I’m currently working on writing a novel that I want to try and get published. It seems whenever I’m wanting to give in and give up that God puts someone in my path to tell me to keep moving forward. That’s been you multiple times, Melissa.
So thanks for reading my long, somewhat rambling comment.
God bless you.
Heather (a.k.a. Elizabella Tanson)
Author
Oh thanks so much for your kind, kind words, Heather. I’m so glad these posts have been encouraging to you. Sooo glad! I often feel like I’m writing them more for myself than anyone…if someone else is inspired or encouraged, it’s like icing on the cake. 🙂
Love that you’re writing a novel too…and that God keeps encouraging you to move forward. Saying a prayer right now for writing energy, a well of creativity and open doors!
I loved that scene! And also the one in the shower – they had me cracking up! 🙂
I think the awesome part about God’s rewrites is that they are always better than what we could have imagined. We might have this sloppy scene in our lives that just doesn’t fit, but God can fix it. And it may hurt at the time, letting the changes happen. You might wonder where God is in it, but looking back over it later on, you can see His fingerprints everywhere. Maybe it hurt, maybe it wasn’t what you wanted or expected at the time, but God just looked at your mess and said, “No. Let me. I know exactly what you need here.”
Author
Love that you love the bedroom and shower scenes, Sarah. They were by far some of the most fun to write.
And yes, God’s rewrites are always better! And you’re right that it’s so often when we look back that we see God’s fingerprints all over things. I love that God takes our messy moments and weird seasons and uses them to shape us.
Melissa,
I loved that scene. It was one of my faves. I also loved the bathtub one too! So funny!! Great job Melissa. Can’t wait for the next one in the series!
Author
Thanks so much, Dana! I’m glad you like those scenes. I’m pretty excited for the next one in the series. I’ve had a LOT of fun with it. 🙂
Your book turned out perfect!
Author
Thanks, Shannon! I’m so glad you think so. 🙂
Can I just say one thing: You’re adorable. When are you coming to NYC? We need a Starbucks catch-up. Hugs and keep writing!
xo
Raj
Author
Aww thanks. We DO need to catch up. You know, my brother just moved to Maryland and I’m pretty sure he’s not far from NYC. I should visit him and plan a Starbucks date with you while I’m there.
Melissa, even though I saw what was coming in that scene, I loved it and laughed out loud… and then had to tell my mom why I had randomly laughed while she was working on a screenplay (in silence, until my outburst). Honestly, you kept me laughing throughout the book… until I started crying. But then I started laughing again. I love books like that!
This article turned into something much deeper than a meet-cute, though, didn’t it? I love how it morphed from deleted scenes in your book (OUT of your book?) to the rewrites of life. Because even though we don’t get a do-over in life, we can tweak ourselves (or better yet, let God do the tweaking; He knows what’s best for us, after all) along the way and become something much greater than what we are today. That’s not to say we should get the big-head about ourselves. Much the opposite, actually. My favorite God-tweaks are the ones that bring me to my knees. Why? Because I know it’s Him shaping me into who He wants me to be. The journey may be difficult, but I wouldn’t rewrite it if given the chance.
Happy (re)writing, my friend.
Author
Yay for randomly laughing out loud! That’s the goal…and it’s even better to hear that the book made you cry. I mean, not that I want people to cry…but I kinda do…lol!
And yes, this post went deeper. Which is awesome…I think so often with writers, God uses our creative journeys to work in our hearts. He’s got such a cool way of doing that.
I didn’t cry till about halfway through the book, and right when I thought, “All right! I’m gonna make it without tearing up,” you sucker punched me. And I loved it. 🙂
So, I should be thanking Jessica Patch for all those rewrites she makes me do?? 😉 I actually enjoy rewrites…sometimes. 🙂 There really is a freedom in being able to change things up until the story sings. I used to think all the versions that didn’t make the cut were a waste of time. But that’s sooo not true. Through each scene, we’re honing our craft, nurturing the joy of writing, fanning creativity. And though I sometimes wish I could rewrite scenes in real life too, I know those moments aren’t wasted either. They’re shaping our lives, even when they don’t seem ideal. Thanks for your continued encouragement along this cah-razy journey of writing & life. 🙂
Author
Haha yes! Actually I think it’s a good idea to always thank Jessica Patch for EVERYTHING she does…whether it’s giving you rewrites or sending me singing texts. Which she has been known to do. Which is awesome.
And yes, I LOVE that freedom to change things in stories. You’re absolutely right–each version of the scene helps us grow as writers and gets us closer to getting it right. And it’s so worth it to dig deep, to keep working on a scene until it sparkles rather than just settling for a few surface changes.
Hugs!
Beautiful post, Melissa – as always! I didn’t have a single concern about how your leading couple met. It was CUTE (the very definition of a meet-cute in my book) and one of my favorite parts of the book. It was a great day when you found it (although your other options sounded fun too). Thanks for working so hard to make it right. It paid off. 🙂
Author
YAY I’m glad you liked that scene. It can be interesting being an author in the inspirational market–there’s a wide spectrum of what’s considered acceptable and what isn’t. And I’ve heard from author friends who got zinged for things that seemed completely innocuous to me. So I wondered if that might happen with this little scene, even though the characters are only in bed together for all of two seconds. LOL! So glad you liked it!
Golly gosh, I’m so happy God gets to keep rewriting. Me. You. All of us.
Great post as always, Melissa.
Author
I’m glad, too. It’s the best knowing he’s never done with us!