Victoria Steele wrote:you said, regarding this last chapter and the ending of it ......"While I'm at it, I must give credit where it is due: including that little 'coda' at the end of the chapter with the "Cutlass" references was Elizabeth's idea. ....I read that three times trying to see where she had been the contributor and then realized that you must have forgotten to write " SHE "suggested....... which is just a little different than the way it got written. \
Yeah, I left a word out. But I put the word back in (in the original post) and will only add here that, as Victoria has pointed out, "SHE [Elizabeth] suggested that I add that coda about the Cutlass."
I had originally thought there would be three chapters from this time period, leading up to the circumstances of the Browns' departure from Philadelphia in early 1967. That would have included some reference to the Cutlass. I then realized I need some more lead-in from the other story line, because there is a detail I need to have in place that ties the two story lines together. So I'd originally figured to mention the Cutlass, then decided not too, and then Elizabeth correctly suggested that there still needed to be at least a mention of her presence before switching back to the other story line. (Brace yourself, grady...)
I have been a technical assistant in another situation for many years and you would be surprised how many really good ideas I developed and presented later got promoted under my bosses name. And I know here that your intent was to give her the nod.
The whole reason I brought it up.
Now I have a sort of silly question for you. Did you realize at first how very important that little suggestion would turn out to be? Or did that develop after you had gone in that direction?
The real revelation came back after Martin mentioned the "power supply" business, and I went back to the "cutting room floor" and dug out the "microphone" reference. I now have a very large dent on my forehead.
Submarine. "Non-existent" microphone. Duh.
Elizabeth will probably laugh at me for insisting on mentioning her touch of the muse but I think its important to note that while its important to see things as they float by its also important to recognize that they come from a certain inspired direction sometimes.
Hey, even when you recognize them when they drift by, somebody still has to send them into the ether. The real question is... where did THAT person get it?
Oh, and regarding the townhouse scene. Leave it just as it is. My imagination painted that whole situation quite nicely thankyou!
That's my girl.... thanks.
--PS