I tried to tell someone the other day that there is a Regency Pixie in my computer, messing with my novel.  They looked at me puzzled and said “I have no idea what you are talking about”.  So I felt this would be a good place to explain.

First, I wrote a novel called “The Virtuous Viscount” and it takes place in Regency England (early 1800’s).  It could be called a Historical Novel or Regency Romance (except it’s technically too long for the latter designation and does contain quite a bit of action).

I wrote it and then went to do a re-write. It’s part of the process of writing a novel.  Then I went back again to do another re-write and found that things I had changed the first time – were not changed after all!  I do save on a regular basis and I back up my novel.  So something odd happened between my re-write and coming back to my work.

I have had my proof-reader/editors/ friends combing through the last revision and I was ready to prepare some work to send to a potential agent last week. I found that this time, the first chapter was rearranged.  Paragraphs were out of sequence.  It totally did not make any sense! I’m glad I read it before just cutting and pasting to send for consideration!  My back up copy however – was untouched.  Weird.

Hence, my “Regency Pixie” at work.  Not sure why she is determined to undermine or sabotage my writing efforts and I do find it frustrating and time consuming to clean up after her mess.  I would be far happier if she picked up train tracks in my living room, washed my dishes or perhaps swept the kitchen floor.  Far more useful role for a fairy, don’t you think?

Now, I don’t really believe in fairies.  But I am a fiction writer and while I write historical and contemporary fiction, there does come a time when the imaginary has to come into play.  No less so in real life.  Maybe it’s just a coping mechanism. Maybe it’s just a way for me to relax and laugh at some weird technology thing that seems to do this to my document.  I don’t know – but it’s far more fun to blame it on my pixie than myself (I have no idea how I would have done what has happened there in that novel – totally beyond me!?).  So I explain the unexplainable with a make-believe character to help describe a very real issue I face as an author.

Got it now?  By the way, if you meet up with my Regency Pixie, tell her that I have some work she can do in cleaning up my bathroom.