Session 4
The Bed She Made by EliciaHyder
Reformed bad girl Journey Durant has just received the news that her ex-boyfriend is about to be released from prison. She can't shake the feeling that her troubled past is coming home with him. The town of Emerson, Georgia has forgiven and forgotten her involvement in the most publicized tragedy in the town's history, but only because of her three year absence, her prominent Southern Baptist family, and her marriage to the closest thing her small town has to a superhero. Bullets and emotions fly, leaving Journey to realize that no matter what penance she has done for her past, the mistakes of her youth still carry unpaid penalties. Her father's words reverberate in her mind: Someday you'll have to lie in the bed you've made.
Discussion Questions:
1) The Bed She Made is set in the Southern US, I want it to have Southern flair without being irrelevant to readers elsewhere. Do I accomplish this?
2) On Wattpad, I added a photo on Chapter 1 and a few of the last chapters to gauge reader response. (That's my phoenix tattoo, btw.) I've never really understood the purpose of adding the photos. Do you like them or no?
3) After these first few chapters, how do you feel about Journey's relationship with her parents? How do you think they feel about her?
4) I HATE flashbacks in fiction, but there are two within the first few chapters. I added them for a few reasons: to add some history where there is very little; to show how out of sync Journey and David have been from the beginning; and my own personal nostalgia. Do the flashback scenes work? Are they unnecessary? Do they transition smoothly enough to not lose the reader? I've always struggled with wanting to remove them.
5) Please provide any editorial feedback you might have, i.e. How can I make it better?
***
Welcome back!
Was the week off helpful?
We'd love to hear your feedback, and get your ideas and opinions on a few other things - if you haven't already, head back to the 'Break Week' chapter and leave a comment telling us ALL THE THINGS (that's right - this is ALL CAPS SERIOUS).
Hopefully you've all now got the hang of how to participate in the sessions. If you're completely lost and have no idea what to do, then please let us know!
We'll see you below (in the comments) :D
- Ara & Lucy x
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CBC: The Sessions (a.k.a. The Review Book)
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