The Writing Retreat(30)

“Another small-group setting.” Roza sat back, folding her arms.

“Maybe because of this retreat?” Taylor suggested.

“Could be.” Roza tapped one red-tipped nail against her bicep. “Poppy? What do you think?”

“I love it.” Poppy grinned at Wren. “I think it sounds super intriguing.”

“Keira, how about you?”

“I like it too.” Keira gazed at Wren. “I would definitely read it.”

Wren nodded graciously, then her eyes went back to Roza.

“Alex?” Roza’s green eyes fixed on me.

“I think it sounds cool.” And I did. Wren had her issues, but coming up with creative ideas wasn’t one of them. When we’d stopped talking, I knew she’d been finishing her novel. While stalking her social media, I’d waited for the post that would reveal she’d gotten an agent, then a book deal. But, so far, no news. It had made me relieved; at least there was one thing Wren wanted that she hadn’t yet gotten.

Roza crossed her arms. “Well, I think it has promise, Wren. I really do. But actors are not my favorites. It’s not just that they’re shallow and selfish. That’s fine. In fact, that can be a good thing. But the problem is that, as protagonists, they’re often boring.”

“My protagonist won’t be boring.” Wren’s expression darkened.

“I mean, we have to give a shit about her, don’t we? This starlet who’s jetting off to some remote location to work with a famous director? I’m sorry, but… puke.” Roza sniffed. “Make her a failure. Make this the last chance she has to get a job before she throws herself out a window. Okay?”

“Okay,” Wren echoed.

Roza sat back suddenly, her chair scraping the wooden floor. Her good mood was gone and now she seemed borderline annoyed. “Girls, please work hard to make your work compelling. If I have to read boring shit every day, I’m not going to be able to make it, believe me.”

Everyone shifted, uncomfortable. Roza’s rapidly switching moods were giving us all whiplash.

“Alex.” Roza grinned at me. “You’re up.”

My chest squeezed in fear. Roza had given Wren a hard time, and her idea had actually been good. What was she going to do with mine?

“The End of the End.” I cleared my throat, but to my embarrassment, my voice continued to waver, strained. “Rebecca and Elyse have been best friends for ten years, since they were sixteen. After both their first loves break their hearts in high school, they band together to punish them. They continue this cycle through their teens and into their twenties; whenever a man hurts one of them, they make it their mission to destroy him. They both get jobs out of college at the same publisher. Rebecca is soon promoted. She falls for her new boss, who is married, and who quickly dumps her. Rebecca knows that revealing any of this to Elyse will make him a target. However, Elyse knows her better than anyone. Elyse takes the secret affair as a betrayal and decides to punish both of them. Rebecca must stop her before it’s too late. She knows what Elyse is capable of… at least she thought she did. It turns out that all this time Elyse has been holding back. Unfortunately for Rebecca, that’s no longer the case.”

Roza sat back and let out a long sigh. The room was silent. Outside, flakes of snow had begun to gently fall. The sun descended in the sky, casting a silvery veil over the landscape.

“No,” Roza said.

I blinked. “No?”

“I’m sorry, Alex.” Roza shook her head. “It’s not going to work. It’s too similar to Devil’s Tongue. Only it’s less interesting, because they’re adults.” She sighed. “Even the names. Elyse? As in, Devil’s Eliza?”

I froze, horrified at my mistake. I could sense the others looking down, not wanting to witness my humiliation, as if it were a disease they could catch.

“You know, if you were writing dime-store pulp, this could work,” Roza went on. “It could be sexy. But I expect more from you. And frankly, I’m tired of stories where women fight over men.”

“Okay.” My face grew warm and I knew it was candy-apple red.

“Any other thoughts?” Roza looked around.

“I actually like it,” Keira said. I glanced at her, grateful. “Having female characters who fight over men doesn’t dictate whether a story is feminist or not. Alex’s story actually subverts the idea, because the women gain control by punishing their exes. It subverts it again when Rebecca actually falls for someone. Ultimately, it’s about the futility of self-protection in heterosexual relationships within a patriarchal society.”

“Oh my. How very clever.” Roza chuckled. “Anyone else?”

Silence. No one—besides Keira—wanted to disagree with Roza.

“I appreciate your thoughts, Keira dear, but I think we can do better.” Roza tilted her head, studying me. “Did you have any other ideas, Alex?”

It was all I could do to keep the tears of embarrassment and frustration tamped down.

“A lot,” I managed to say. “All of them terrible.”

Everyone chuckled weakly. Roza smiled.

“What about Daphne?” Taylor said. “Weren’t you looking at those books in the library?”

“Like, historical fiction?” Wren’s voice held distaste.