This was one of multiple chapters written AFTER completion of the novel. Yeah, you read that right. I got to the end of the main story … and it felt incomplete. The wrap-up of the story was okay, but this felt a bit disjointed when rereading. Not only did the story feel disconnected, but it also felt short, and especially felt like it was missing some necessary pieces.
Hey, give me a little bit of a break, again, my first ever attempt at a novel.
But my good buddy,
, was my first beta reader. He came back with some small suggetions, one that I slightly adapted, and it became this and one other chapter. Rod had the idea of using a flashback. And while I liked the basis of the idea, I didn’t want to get into possibly confusing the reader. Again, with this being my first novel, there’s a learning curve with trying to write that type of sequence.What I took from that idea was turning the flashback into a dream. So, in essence, we get Jake enjoying breakfast and conversation with his mom. Now, at this point in the story, we already know she passed away almost two years ago. But this gave me the opportunity to show that he’s still grieving, while painting a picture of the special love between mother and son. It also helped me add a moment of healing and learning, since even in the afterlife, his mother is still providing wisdom to her baby boy.
This was a fun segment of the story to write. When writing the scene, especially the dialogue, I envisoned what my mom would have said to me and dug into the feelings. I wanted something that felt authentic to me in hoping that the reader might be able to sense the emotional connection, despite the fact that this was a dream.
Reading this chapter still stirs me a little bit. Again, these characters were written based on my childhood, my familiar experiences, and definitely my emotions of anger and sadness, though obviously not in this context. If anything, this chapter made me a little bit jealous of Jake Jansen. What I wouldn’t give to share some moments with my mom again.