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I was searching through some old files, and I found my original blurby type thing I wrote when I was considering writing the book that eventually became BROKEN.
I’m going to post it here so if you’re interested, you can see how something starts (and if you’ve read Broken, you know how it ends.) I haven’t edited for content, typos, nothing. This was what came out of my head and into the document.
Cheater –
There is a man who is incapable of being faithful. He’s known as The Cheater. He meets a woman on a park bench.They meet every week, the same bench, for years. They never share their names but they get to know each other very well. They talk about work, their lives. He’s always seeing someone new, she’s always single.They have a friendly, superficial relationship. One day he tells her he’s getting married. She congratulates him and says, “no more cheating?” – he’s confessed to her every time he starts to stray, when he does it, everything. He says nope, no cheating.The wedding plans continue. A few weeks before hand they meet on the park bench and she says, how’s it going, and he confesses, he’s thinking of cheating. She tells him she’s not surprised but counsels him against it. The next week he comes back, says – he can’t help it, he has to do it. He has to sleep with another woman before he gets married, he can’t stand it. Once more and then he’ll get married and he’ll never cheat again. She tells him it’s a mistake, he shouldn’t do it, and they have their first “fight.” A week later he comes back, says he did it, and it was awful. It was the worst, ever, he felt so guilty he confessed – and his fiancé forgave him! And he says he can’t marry her, he’ll only cheat on her again and again and again – she says, why do you think this is? Why do you cheat? Is it the sex? And he says he doesn’t know. She says the next time he feels like cheating he should come to her and she’ll give him what he needs.He’s shocked, they’ve never had that sort of relationship. She gives him her address. Sure enough, he shows up, she takes him in, but instead of making love to him, she just lays down with him and holds him, and says “isn’t this what you really want? Someone to hold you, for a change? Someone to make you feel loved?” and it’s like a revelation – yes,that’s what he wants. She tells him to go back to his fiancée and tell her what he wants. They meet again on the park bench, but things are different, now. He says he’s still getting married, she says good. He says…”doesn’t that bother you?” “why should it bother me?”She wishes him luck. “No more cheating, remember!” he says, no more cheating. The day of his wedding he calls it off, shows up at her door. She’s been crying or eating ice cream,and she opens the door to find him in his tux, soaking wet, a little drunk. He stumbles in. She says “don’t tell me you’re cheating already?” he tells her he called off the wedding.”Why?” “Because I love you. I’ve always loved you. For years. Every time I cheated with a woman, I wanted it to be you.” “That doesn’t make me feel better!” – or, he blames his cheating on her,says she’s the one he’s always wanted to be with. They make nuclear love and when it’s over, she holds him while they sleep. Cut to the park bench, where they meet again. They sit down. She says “who’s it with this time?” And he says “nobody, still only you.” And they share their lunch. ☺ The end
So…at it’s heart, it’s the same book. And yet what Broken became was vastly different. Different, the same. Beginning and end.
If you’re trying to write your first book, don’t be so caught up in what you think the book IS…just write. Let the book become what it will be.
M
October 27th, 2009 at 4:45 pm · Link
Wow. And ahhhhh that just made me re-think how very much I love Broken!
I’ve been meaning to re-read it again…
October 28th, 2009 at 7:55 pm · Link
@limecello: thanks!
October 27th, 2009 at 5:00 pm · Link
I like how they make nuclear love. Bombs away…
October 28th, 2009 at 7:54 pm · Link
@Karen Erickson: heheheheheheh, I know, right?
October 27th, 2009 at 9:18 pm · Link
Like Lime….Broken remains a fav, and it turned out so much better than your original thoughts. Much more powerful, love that book!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:54 pm · Link
@Booklover1335: Yes, I like how the book turned out better than the original plotty thing.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:39 pm · Link
OMG… This just brought tears to my eyes reading this. The memories of Broken flooding with me with the raw emotion of this book and how it still holds to be my favorite book of all time. OMG… Megan, I so love this book! Thank you for sharing this insight with us!! I feel very lucky to have found your books!! Thanks!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:54 pm · Link
@Cecile: thank you Cecile! Thanks so much.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:18 am · Link
Broken’s my favorite. No contest. I love it and I recommend it to everyone who will listen. Thanks so much for sharing. I’m so interested in other writers’ process, how the book starts out as one thing and becomes another and all the fun you have along the way. Like how Joe wants to be loved in this blurb, but in the book he wants someone to know him. That was a key moment for me…it’s different from traditional romance. Being known and being loved aren’t always the same thing. And I really love how he wasn’t a cheater, but a rogue. So different, LOL – so cool!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:53 pm · Link
@Anne Calhoun: thanks so much! yeah, he wasn’t a cheater, really. But he definitely was a rogue.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:05 am · Link
People always ask me if plotting a book before hand doesn’t take away from the fun of writing it because they seem to think that you’re not allowed to stray from the outline or change anything.
For the most part the basic plot of my stories stay the same but surprises and twists happen that still make writing a joy so that the finished project while similar to the original outline, it’s not a paint by numbers carbon copy. That’s what’s fun about writing to me, having the roadmap but taking the fun little detours…and maybe picking up the hot hitchiker on the side of the road…(remembers Sean Bean’s hot but crazy ass in The Hitcher)…maybe not.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:53 pm · Link
@Nancy: I agree. I love those “aha!” moments.
October 28th, 2009 at 1:56 pm · Link
Oh I just love love love this! Fab! Gosh I think I’m going to cry, sooooo much emotion in so few words.
Broken is my next book to read, I’m so looking forward to it, made all the more special by reading this. Thanks for writting such wonderful emotional stuff.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:53 pm · Link
@adrienne: I hope you like it!
October 28th, 2009 at 5:48 pm · Link
Wow, this turned out a lot different. Joe sorta seems like a dog in this version, haha. I love how it turned out for the final copy. I’ve read Broken so many times and everytime I do, I cry my eyes out. But in a good way. It’s by far my favorite book of all time. It’s so much more than it seems. Even though I just read it again last week, I want to read it again. Thanks for writing, you are extremely, extremely good at it.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:52 pm · Link
@Alicia: Thank you, Alicia. Joe IS a dog in this version. He’s sort of a dog in the final version, too…but my hope is that I was able to at least redeem him a little bit.
October 30th, 2009 at 5:43 pm · Link
You deff. redeemed him in the final version. I fell in love with Joe, Sadie and Adam.
October 31st, 2009 at 2:11 pm · Link
WOW..I love Broken and this version sounds nothing like it. I’m glad the final version was different because I would have hated Joe to be a cheater..it would made me question whether or not he could still stay faithful to Sadie in the future. I also really loved Adam and I actually hope Sadie would end with him in the end but at the same time I wanted Joe and Sadie together. But this version’s ending is more sweeter than Broken…LOL
Megan, I asked this question long time but I’m going ask again, are you going write any short story for Sadie and Joe?*warning spoiler from Deeper* I really was happy when I that they end up getting married in Deeper but would love to see how that happen…LOL
October 31st, 2009 at 2:40 pm · Link
I’ve just finished Broken, it didn’t take me long to read b/c I just couldn’t put it down. Awesome Megan just plain awesome, I’m glad Joe wasn’t the cheater , I loved him as he turned out.
Like Kaly I’m interested to know if you’d consider writting a short story sequel? Also you mentioned writting Sarahs book, I’d love to know if you’ve thought anymore about that as I liked her in Broken
October 31st, 2009 at 9:05 pm · Link
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for posting your blurb.
As a new writer, I love to see the journey a book takes,and this is the perfect example. You’re right – the heart of a story stays true, even if the body of it ripens.
At the risk of sounding like a complete fanatic (I swear, I’m just a really big fan), your books were the inspiration I needed to start my own writing journey.
I can never thank you enough for starting me on the wonderful path of writing, as well as giving us books that twist our souls inside out.
Julie*
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:25 am · Link
Broken was the first book I read of yours and still my favourite. I read many books but only your books I cover in clear contact so they’ll last a lifetime. I’m also glad that Broken turned out the way it did, Sadie a married women and Joe not settling just with anyone. I will be reading this book over and over again. I would also love to read what happend after Broken and before their reappearance in Deeper