Articles in the WRA’s Special Series Category

Friday, November 30, 2012

11.55pm
Aww, NaNo will be officially finished for the Perth :: South crew in a few minutes. I didn’t end up going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight screening. Much as I would have liked to I just couldn’t handle it. My head is still aching. Darn migraines.

I also didn’t get any more written today. *sighs* I kind of run myself over the rails for that too. I’m letting myself, my book, my characters down. If I’d really put effort into it I could have written 80,000 words in November. I could have finished this draft. But once I hit that 50K mark all the energy of it fizzled. I guess part of that is because other people were hitting their 50K and so their energy fizzled a bit too.

Still, I’ll get there eventually. I’ve decided I’m going to keep showing up to Write at the Armadale Library from 12-4pm every Sunday. I’ve sent out a standard invitation so if any of the writing crew want to join me they can.

Even better, the Perth :: South people put together our own little post-NaNo forum where we can support each other all year round. We’re arranging future Write Ins, general hang-out parties, and the like. It’s so great to know there are like-minded people living locally. I still have insecurities, wondering if people really like me, wondering what they whisper about me behind my back. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over that, but I’m trying to get to know people. Trying to trust that I’m the kind of person people can like. And that’s really all we can do, isn’t it? I really like the idea of making local novel writing friends.

Speaking of writing friends, there are a bunch of lovely ladies at the Wednesday, Writer’s group. They’re such an inspiration and every week we write something so it feels good to have another day, another place, where writing is the priority. I also get to meet people nationally who write. This study period I’m doing a course with Griffith through Open Universities Australia on Creative and Professional Writing. The energy of the group on the discussion board is really good so I’m hoping to learn a lot.

So, it’s back to the regular grind. Yes, I’ll still be writing, at least every Sunday afternoon. But these days, I’m also trying to drum up more freelance work as a writer, editor, and Web technology specialist. And, in the long term (hopefully not too distant future) I’m going to go back out into the work force and get a you know *whispers* real J.O.B. *gasps* I’m both terrified and excited all at the same time. But it is so good to feel like I can, maybe, finally, do this.

That’s it for the Journal of a NaNo Writer, at least for this year. I’ll be back next November. *waves*

Meanwhile, would you like me to continue sharing my journals from other months and other days I write?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

9.30pm
I spent today mostly doing house work. Again, I avoided the words. I did also finish a Web Tech gig (aka paid work!) for a client which I’d started on Wednesday. Normally, I would have finished it on Wednesday but the thunder and lightning conspired against me. Blew out my power (and the whole neighbourhood apparently). One of the downsides of Web technology is that it’s dependent on power. Without power my modem and router don’t work. They’re not like my laptop which has battery backup when the power goes out.

Speaking of my laptop, I was able to do some file management after the power went out but my MacBook’s battery only gives me two hours these days. I really should get it sent in for a new battery and a service. That’s why I’ve been doing file management. I’ve been backing up to my external drives and clearing as much off my HD as possible. I really should avoid using my HD for information storage but sometimes it’s so much easier just to hit save without having to make sure I have an external drive plugged in.

Anyway, this isn’t even about writing. Except to say I have another reason not to write (sort of). My sister called me in to babysit. My nephew is gorgeous. Even better, he’s such a breeze to babysit. Even in the daytime when he’s always on the go he’s so delightful, but at night, he goes down to sleep and sleeps several hours. Usually he’ll wake up about 11pm and since his mother won’t be here to give him a feed to get him back to sleep (she’s an attachment parent) he’ll need cuddles instead. Even so, he settled back to sleep on me and he’s so adorable when he’s sleeping.

Isn’t he gorgeous? ————->

Ok, so time to get some more job hunting done tonight. Apparently, you can’t live on unfinished books. Who’d have thought it?

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

5.00pm
I didn’t really give myself the fan fare I deserved yesterday. It was all about how hard I was finding it pushing on after the NaNo energy had started to wane. I’m still facing that demon today. Thankfully, I have not been idle. I did take a dooner (Australian for duvet) day. I slept in (haven’t done that in a long time) and I spent the day just idly turning a static website created by someone else into a super awesome WordPress site. It’s a little tricky for users to manage, but it beats average netters trying to figure out how to edit the HTML. It’s not finished yet. I’ll work on it some more tomorrow and Friday, but it is coming along and I’m really proud of the work I’ve done on it. I’m always amazed at how easy and enjoyable working on Web Tech is because, although I love it and feel I’m called to be a fiction novelist, I hate that terror I feel facing the blank page. I never feel that with Web Tech work.

I guess, running away from that fear really isn’t doing me any favours, but, just for today, I’ve given myself the right to say, I’m not turning pro yet. I want to love the process, not dread it.

Still, I do desperately need the finances so I should knuckle down and finish the couple of books, and the workshop, I’ve got part done. First, I’ll finish this website, because it’s another product I’ll be able to sell when it’s finished.

Oh yeah! I was supposed to CELEBRATE! Yesterday, I validated! So I’m officially a NaNo Winner. I got a certificate and everything!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

6.35pm
I’ve been procrastinating all day. It’s not that I don’t want to write, it’s just that I’m starting a new scene and it’s another blank page and I’m having a total freak out about that. I get this wave of anxiety, heart racing, breath shallow, hands shaking, sick to my stomach kind of panic attack. I don’t understand it. I’m a great writer, but when I face that blank page, I’m terrified.

Unfortunately, the NaNo boards have lost their momentum now so many of the Perth :: South people I was hanging out with have finished their 50,000 and validated, including me. That, added to my shift of energy toward some Web design and maintence issues means I’ve sort of lost that drive of enthusiasm that has been driving me through the month.

I just need to get these two scenes written and then the third act is done. Then act four is only fifteen scenes. I’m so close to the end. Then again, this close to the end means I’m facing that 75% wall. Have you heard about that wall? You go SMACK straight into the damn thing. The only way to get past it is to climb it, brick by brick, with your bare hands and feet.

6.45pm
Screw it. I’m going to keep procrastinating. I just moved the scene I need to write up to the middle of chapter 22 and hopefully a single scene in chapter twenty-three will be enough to flesh out a good sized chapter. If not, then I guess I could move Lucas’ scene back down again.

I really shouldn’t give in to this anxiety.

7.15pm
You know you’re having a bad writer day when you sit down to work on a very, very short story for writers’ group and what you end up with is this:

“There ain’t nothing wrong with being a galaxy rancher, but I’ve been to nine planets in twelve years and it’s starting to show.”
Parker really did look run down, Natasha decided. So she shot his brains out.

Um, yeah, so. I’ve decided NOT to work on Flight of Torque tonight. I think I need a break, some mindless T.V., and an early night.

PS. I won’t be reading that story at writer’s group tomorrow.

Monday, November 26, 2012

10.55am
*sighs* I need about 5,000 words a day to hit my 80,000 word target and it feels far away today. *frowns* I had a late night last night but only ended up with just over 500 words for the whole of Sunday. I really need to get my act together, but because I’ve had a rocky few nights sleep wise my anxiety is high. I get panic attacks when I sit down to write and it’s not at all fun. I have to remind myself that this anxiety is unfounded and that once I get started it will fade.

11.35pm
Um… OPPS! Totally didn’t get much of anything done today. Maybe a spattering of words from a super fast edit of chapter twenty-two (a dismal 16 words adjusted). But then I got absorbed with adapting a static resume website design for WordPress and completely lost the whole day. Really need to make sure I get the writing done tomorrow.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

12.15pm
Ok, settled in at Armadale. It’s a little quiet at the moment but as our last official Armadale Write In it might pick up later.

12.35pm
It just took four words to foreshadow Jozua in the earlier scene. It took me longer to find the place it needed to go than it did to write those words.

12.50pm
*groans* it’s going so slow today. I’m having trouble getting into it. My head hurts, that doesn’t help. Then again, I’m writing that Tori cracked over the head scene again. Why do I do this to my characters and myself?

1.10pm
*grins* Yeah, that scene works really, really, I mean like REALLY, well. *smiles*

Charmer vs. Priestess (1268) 1.15pm
“Originality is the art of concealing your sources.”

3.25pm
*groans* I just spent the past hour and a half pulling the kinks out of the Betrayal of an Uprising scene and only added 464 words to it. *frowns* Still, I do think it’s stronger, and I’ve added new dimensions to Crey that will make the sequel more interesting. It also kind of makes Zara and Crey mirror images of Lucas and Tori.

3.45pm
I’ve barely written anything today. I’ll have to settle in later and get some words written. I do need to finish the Traitors scene. The one after that, back with Lucas, should be an easy scene to write. Hopefully. It’ll have more dialogue, and a little angst from both Tempany and Lucas. I am so close to finishing Act III! Just have to finish the Traitors scene and that will be the end of chapter 22. Then there are two scenes for chapter 23. Then, Act IV! YAY! Hopefully I can push through and get that done today. I really need to get the words happening because I have the whole of Act IV to do before Friday.

10.50pm
*groans* I barely got any writing at all done today. *frowns* And I had such good intensions to get a good roll going. Still, there is always tomorrow. Hopefully I can spend several hours during the day and then some more hours that night writing and work up a good word count. I need to run my eyes over that last chapter and then I just have two scenes / one chapter left to do of act three before moving on to act four. The end is in sight. I just have to keep up the momentum to get there.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

9.05am
Yeah, that final line really brings it together in that scene. I even managed to add 34 words. Next up, we’re back with Lucas in Anna’s house.

12.00pm
Ok, it’s time to settle in and get some words written.

1.00pm
OMG! I’ve just figured out what the damn medallion is. Months back Tori comes in with this concept of a medallion. It was in a photograph of her mother way back in the first Act. I need to make sure the medallion actually made it into the draft because I’ve finally figured out what the hell it is!

1.50pm
*ponders* Finding the writing slow and clunky this afternoon. Not liking the way the sun on the library window notches the temperature up a few degrees higher than I’d like.

This scene has me confused. I feel like it’s a bit rambley and I’m not sure where it’s going. I’m wondering if I should leave it hanging, fade to black style and flick back to Tori then have the search with Lucas and Uriel over when we come back to Lucas later. Then again, there was information in a scene I cut out earlier that I might be able to feed in here if I let the search continue.

Part of my doubt about this scene comes from my fear that it might be coming across as boring. There has been a lot of talking lately with very little action. It’s been chapters since Tori killed anyone. Maybe to liven up this scene I could throw a fight in. Lucas and Uriel should definitely throw more sparks off each other than they do. Lucas almost defers to Uriel and I don’t like that about the way they’re interacting. Yes, Uriel is older than Lucas, but their rank is, essentially, the same so Lucas isn’t the lesser of the two. Uriel has more information than Lucas and he wears his superiority like a shield. That should get on Lucas’ nerves. But is it enough to flare up a conflict? How can I make this scene more interesting?

2.10pm
It’s hard writing story at this stage because there is so much that “I” know but I can’t remember how much my characters know. I’m writing this scene and Uriel obviously knows more than Lucas but he’s said things that might have come as a surprise to Lucas but of course Lucas hasn’t acted surprised because I’m not surprised. I need to go back and find out exactly what Lucas knows at this point.

2.15pm
Ok, so Lucas knows what Michael is. It’s a start.
And Tori knows about Michael and Charlene.

2.35pm
*groans* Pulling teeth! I’m going to need some pain killer to get through this. It doesn’t feel natural. No flow at all. I don’t even know where I’m going with this really. I have thought to have Lucas find the medallion and he and Uriel fight over it. Lucas, of course, would have to lose the fight because that would reinforce his failure theme. I was thinking Uriel’s charge would be Crey but I’m actually thinking it would be more interesting if his charge were one of the children of the Nagaran, or even one of the Four Fathers. His searching for the medallion would then have a greater meaning and purpose, because, he would, after all be trying to find a way to create Serpenthrope.

5.00pm
I made good time despite leaving Byford late tonight. Arrived at the Night of Writing Dangerously exactly on 5pm. *grins*

5.10pm
One of the lovely lady speakers mentioned how sad it is that NaNoWriMo only happens in November because this year she couldn’t participate due to all the chaos of the education fields at that time of year. It occurred to me, that it would be great to have a different NaNo month. On the forums we had already been talking about post-NaNo and there was talk about putting together a forum. But the speakers comments made me think even bigger. So, enter, OzNoWriMo – Australian Novel Writing Month in April 2013. Or, at least, the inkling of the idea for it. I’ll see if I can pull it together over the next few months.

5.15pm
It’s good to see a few of the people from the forums. Batman and jkore are both here tonight. Of course, one of the downsides here tonight is no internet. Then again that could be a good thing.

5.30pm
The two featured writers here tonight are lovely women. It has been incredible to discover so many successful local writers over the course of NaNoWrimo.

5.40pm
It’s odd how much I’m itching to get started tonight. Probably because everyone is all set up and quiet but they’re all focused on the speakers despite the fact that they’ve officially finished speaking. Because no one has really jumped into the writing yet they just keep adding new information. It’s great but I’d really like to get the writing started.

5.45pm
Bother, I thought I was ready to write the next scene. I finished off strongly from the Armadale Write In and thought, sweet, I can just get straight into the next scene. But now I’m looking at the scene notes and can’t help thinking that I already wrote this scene. I need to go back and sort out what I have covered so that I can figure out how to move into the next part of the story. I’m so close to the end of the third act. I so want to get this act finished because I can see the finish line rounding in on me. It’s so exciting to be so close.

6.05pm
I’ve had a few scenes where Tori can be quite volatile. Those scenes are from her point of view so there could be a great deal more about her emotions and her interactions with Torque while these things are going on. I do need a greater sense of her growing control, but I don’t want readers to forget these two entities exist within her. I can’t let myself forget that whenever Tori is in a scene, she is both Tori and Torque at the same time.

In good news, this last chapter came in at a much more reasonable word count. Chapters 18 and 20 were both more than 5,000 words with chapter 19 topping 3K. This one is just over 2,500 and it has two mirrored conflicts between the MCs and people who hold significant respect in their lives. It’s an interesting reflection of the two working together. I really like how that’s come together.

6.20pm
I’m not sure I like how Intersecting Bloodlines ended. Especially since it’s a chapter end. It landed on a weak note. I should go back later and see if I can strengthen that.

This next chapter is going to be a tough one because it has to be a fairly long scene. In a way, it’s actually going to combine two scenes I think, because I’ll need to put the Traitors scene together with this Betrayal one. I wouldn’t mind being able to jump to Corelle, but she’s never had a POV scene in the whole book so doing that now would be jarring. It’s better to stick with just Tori and Lucas. The Betrayal scene is with Tori and so you don’t get to see the betrayal happen. That means I need to create a good lead in to have the betrayal unveiled.

SPOILER ALERT!

OH! I just had an idea. Tori, Crey, and Zara have come to the conclusion about the Angel blood. If Tori were to let slip that Zara was the daughter of an angel then that would give Jess a key and carrot to dangle in front of the High Priestess. Corelle being the bitch she is will take advantage of that to go overboard with Tori. Instead of protecting Tori to avoid the wrath of Charlene she’d be more than happy to make Tori suffer. Knowing Tori was determined to betray them all, and that she can make a new Serpenthrope with Zara and the information she’s discovered could be just what I need to tip the story toward its climax.

END SPOILER

6.35pm
lol Classic. I just created this ironic twist thanks to my beautiful son. His character has really transformed over time. From a pansy nobody priest who is only in one scene for a matter of seconds in early on and never named. To this rather iconic character, he was just going to be a priest, who got named in a later scene, you know, killing Zara, but now. OMG It’s sooooo classic. It’s going to wrack the tension up so many degrees that the climax is going to be epic. I LOVE when stuff like this unfolds while I’m writing it.

6.45pm
Interesting. Ok, I wove together that foreshadowing and it does work. I left the scene on a rather poignant point that ties together Tori’s battle against herself with the external battle about her place in the world. At this point Jess hasn’t put the pieces together about the information Tori had inadvertently revealed but the reader will have. In a way, it works that Jess hasn’t caught on yet because odds are, when she talks to the High Priestess she won’t even realise what she’s telling her. Corelle is quick, she’ll grasp it immediately, and then of course Jess will feel all the more guilty for it all. *grins wickedly* Tightening the thumb screws. So much fun!

7.05pm
Ok, time for a sustenance break. They put on a nice spread for us tonight. Sandwiches, mini quiche (which are YUMMY) and some other assorted treats. I had a chance to talk to Lee, he’s the Rockingham ML and he organised the event. The numbers tonight are a little disappointing. Last year they had close to 50 people and this year there are just over 30. He had planned for more like 70 so he’s actually invited everyone to take a second showbag/doorprize thing so that the draw later isn’t a complete bust with the unclaimed bags winning all the prizes. lol Still, it’s a great event. Next time, as Perth :: South ML I’ll promote the hell out of it and see if we can get a more respectable headcount. (That’s all on the assumption that I can become ML, but I guess, even if I don’t, I’ll do what I can to support the event)

7.50pm
Ok, well that’s interesting. The scene comes in at just over 1,000 words which is too short to be a full chapter, but it also leaves room for the next scene to be bumped up to this chapter. In a way, this could be a good thing. Although, I’m not sure if the scene came together very well. One of those, full of doubt scenes. I think the pressure is on now. Particulary since I hit those 50,000 words now and I’m getting so close to the end that the tension is building up in me too. I’m putting so much pressure on myself to get this right and I think that’s making this drag out longer. Although, as usual, if I consider words per hour I’m probably doing really well.

7.50pm
lol I find it so fascinating to read, even just the last few words because just minutes ago I was having such doubts about how the scene ends. I’m still not sure if it comes together in the rest of the scene but the end definitely does seem to work. Now the trick is to make the next scene work too.

7.55pm
I almost missed it. Headphones in and Lee was talking, if I hadn’t seen him gesturing at the front of the room out of the corner of my eye I wouldn’t have heard a thing. But, we all just got given a really cool book. YAY! I’m not sure what it is yet because I missed most of what he said, still, a book, any book is AWESOME! lol

8.00pm
*grimaces* This sounds so convoluted and far fetched. AS IF people talk like this.

8.10pm
AHHHHHH! Sometimes you just want to scream in frustration. But you’re sitting in a room of 30 or so other writers so it wouldn’t go down well to do it in person. But you know, it’s there, simmering under the surface. Why does it have to be so agonizing? I have to hunt for every single word.

8.15pm
Yeah, right now I’m wishing I was NOT an empath. My character has a headache, a crushing concussion from being hit with a chair of all things. So of course, I now have a crashing headache. Odds are pain killer won’t work, it never does when what I’m feeling is someone else’s pain. But anything is worth trying. Hopefully Tori’s headache won’t last too many words and I can get her through this scene in the next twenty minutes or so.

8.50pm
lol “Crey lunched past him and shoved Carvy into the wall”. lmfao Yeah, um. I’ll have a side of beef with that lunch of yours Crey. LUNGED!

8.55pm
grrr Lee is talking again. I was finally on a roll with this scene and now he wants to draw prizes. I thought tonight was about writing stuff!

9.10pm
Ok, didn’t win nothing, good, now let me get back to my story. lol

9.40pm
Ohhhh, shivers. Yeah, that’s right. It’s a shivers kind of scene. Sometimes you just get touched by that voice that kicks into the back of your head and the words that come out are just that right touch of ooohhhhhhh. Totally the right place to end a chapter. Hopefully I have enough words here to make it a decent one. I still have a page of notes in this section to go over too so maybe there is more I can do to flesh out what I have.

Ok, reading over the notes and there is some great stuff in them. But I don’t know if it’ll fit in this scene. It needs to get put into some scenes from the previous chapters. It’s almost time for NoWD to wrap up and the job of feeding these notes into those scenes is more than a few minutes work so I’ll have to get started on that when I get home later. Meanwhile, today was a good haul. Let me do some math.

Total count for the NoWD is 3,403 bringing my total so far today to 5,478 and my NaNo total to 55,149 words. *grins* Sweet!

10.50pm
Doh! I just realised I forgot to grab a copy of that free book! Still, the rest of the night was a win. I had a great time. I just wish I’d had a chance to get everyone’s details so we could stay in touch after NaNo.

Friday, November 23, 2012

12.05am
It occurred to me as I’m trying to settle into some sleep that Tori’s character arc is all about overcoming the dark inner self. I realised, it’s kind of a metaphor for my struggle with Bipolar. We both share this genetic inheritance which flares into being when it is triggered. It affects the way we have to manage and control our baser instincts and emotions. The story for Tori is about learning to control that elemental self and create a symbiosis between herself and the serpent within.

11.45am
I went to a local author’s talk today, Natasha Lester. She’s a lovely woman and she gave a fantastic talk. She shared her book but she also shared the process of creating that book, the way she came to the initial idea, how that developed into this incredible theme, and the then writing the first draft pantser style before doing the research to get her facts and details right for the second draft. She even talked about how she balances being a writer with being a mother. As usual when I attend these talks I take some notes because at some point I’d like to be able to write up blog posts about it, but this month it’s all about the Journal of a NaNo Writer.

12.50pm
Ok, enough procrastination. Ok, one last thing, I need another cuppa before I get stuck in to editing the rest of the mess I made the other day.

SPOILER ALERT!

1.15pm
*sighs* I’m not sure this Charmer vs. Priestess conversation has gone in the right direction. Has Tori caught on that her mother and the Nagaran are connected? I need to go back over the rest of the book to see if the clues have come together for her yet. Tempany and Lucas have reached that point, perhaps (I still need to check that too), but would Tori have made that leap? From Corelle first implying that her mother was not dead, to the great Mother. It’s hard to know without going back over what has come together so far.

END SPOILER

1.55pm
OHHhhh! Just had an “ah ha” moment about part of the motivation that drives Corelle! Fantastic twisty kind of information. It probably won’t come out of this book but it will definitely be part of the prequel and may or may not come up in the sequel.

2.20pm
Ok, I have to call it quits for the moment. Need to duck to the shop before I pick up the kids from school and stock up on supplies for their sleep over tonight. Still, I’m really glad with what I got accomplished tonight. Those scenes that were sticky are smoothing right off and I’ve had that revelation about Corelle which works beautifully.

I have two more scenes to iron later but then I can settle in and get some new words written. It’s coming along so well. About nine more scenes to finish out the third Act and then I’ll be flying into the fourth. YAY!.

5.35pm
I’m starting to think I won’t get much written tonight. *frowns* The kids are being noisy rather than settling in, fixated with Lord of the Rings like I thought they would be. I really should have told them they can’t have a Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon Sleepover in November. It would be much better in December when I’m not against the clock to write 80,000 words.

Still, I better settle in and see what I can get done.

6.05pm
Ok, pizza is ordered, sent the kids outside to burn off a little energy until the food arrives so it’s decibels quieter in here. Now I have to face the mess that is this next scene. It’s going to need a title change for starters because I’ve already bumped the Tempany/Lucas conversation to an earlier scene. Although, maybe it doesn’t, the Secrets of Friends could be with regard to the secrets Jess is keeping. Not to mention Michael. Still, it’s going to hurt to hack out several hundred words from the beginning of this scene. *frowns* Hopefully I can make up for it by making the rest of the scene awesome.

6.20pm
*grimaces* Maybe I’d be better off scrapping everything in this scene so far. It’s a BIG mess. It doesn’t feel authentic and it’s so painfully clunky.

Ok, I just hacked 832 words from the beginning. I might be able to use some of it, but probably not. The hardest part is the conversation between Lucas and Jess. I still need a reason for Jess to go to the Nagaran. Maybe Lucas can find signs of a disturbance in one of the upstairs rooms, like in the jewellery boxes of both Tori and Anna. What I need is a shower to help sort through the dregs in my mind for the right solution. Unfortunately, I’m waiting on the pizza and answering the front door naked and wet when the pizza man arrives is not a good idea. Maybe when I was in my twenties if I didn’t have children underfoot, but these days I can’t get away with it.

8.25pm
Ok, I was finally able to settle in to it at 8pm and worked through that scene. I ended up lopping out more than 1000 words. *sad* I’m starting to think maybe I could have Jess come to the house, knock on the door while Lucas is there. But I have to wonder why he would answer it.

9.35pm
Ok, I think I’ve put that scene together okay. I did have her knock on the door and he just answers it. He does it with his cop face on so it kind of works. There is a snippet of foreshadowing in their confrontation and of course Jess now knows the police are snooping so she has reason to go to the temple. I even managed to get 595 words back which is good and I shelved the two pages of notes away having used all I could of them (which wasn’t much).

Next up, Recruiting New Blood.

10.15pm
lol I’m actually having a lot of fun playing the Torque/Tori interactions. They are building a kind of camaraderie and there is some humour there. It’s a nice, uplifting scene after so many chapters of the darker side of their union.

10.20pm
Hmmm It would be good to have Jozua come in at some point in a scene where we get to know him a little. I need to have some kind of build up to make his death meaningful after all. He needs to come across as a pretty nice guy if it weren’t for his fanaticism. How could I do that?

12.25am
Wow, I’m wiped out but that ended up being a pretty incredible scene. I got that warm buzz when I finished it. I’m not sure it’ll work but I have a good feeling about it. It accomplished what it needed to which is the most important thing. It did it in 2,534 words so I’ve got a good chunk added to my word count which makes me very happy. I wish I could add more tonight but I’m really tired. It’s gone midnight. I should get myself to bed.

OMG! I’m less than 400 words short of 50,000! If I pushed just a little longer tonight I could hit that mark. But I’m not going to. If I don’t get some sleep I will be too wrecked for tomorrow’s 4 hour Armadale Write In and then 5 hour Night of Writing Dangerously. The good new is, I should power right past 50K tomorrow and be well on my way to 60.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

7.10pm
I’m torn between writing and sleep tonight. I’m really wiped out from a tense day. Had to push myself what with the orientation for my daughter’s new school, my psych. appointment, driving, the heat, everything. I really just want to crash to sleep and sleep until morning. But I’m feeling guilty because I know I should be writing and I have to wonder if this is just the resistance pushing me to avoid the words. It doesn’t help that I know that I’ve left a right mess of chapter 19. I really should just start, once I start it will be easier to keep going.

8.25pm
The fantastic ladies on the NaNo Forums have inspired me to push on tonight. They’re starting a word war in 5 minutes but I need to have a shower and settle in with a cuppa first so I’ve promised to join them for the second one.

8.55pm
*I’ve walked in to a pit of hell.*

9.05pm
Ok, so I’m not going to join them. I thought I would, and then the time hit and I was looking at the last few scenes wondering “How the hell do I go on from this mess?” I relised I need to straighten out the chaos of chapter nineteen. Unless I fix that mess then I can’t build on from it with the next few scenes. Thankfully, since I’ve gotten myself this far in getting started tonight I’m going to work through what I can. While I’m not joining them in the war for new words I am working away at it and letting them know I’m with them in that way. It might not be the slam of words a word war would be, but at least it’s progress.

10.45pm
I actually managed to add almost 300 words to that scene while I was cleaning it up. It was the part where I need to go back and slot in Lucas’ wardrobe change and the conversation between Tempany and Lucas about her plans for what he’s to do when Tori goes back. I think it came together quite well. Moving on.

11.05pm
I managed to work through two more scenes with minor tweaks here and there. It’s just over 2,000 words in those two scenes and they make up the first part of the nineteenth chapter. There is another Tori scene up next and then another Lucas scene after that. Lucas’ scene is a long one so it will probably be the start of chapter twenty. That means I need to build up the third scene in chapter nineteen a great deal. Which I needed to do anyway, I think.

11.10pm
I’m seriously going to have to go back and work out the mess of these characters voices. I’m facing that issue where I feel like everyone sounds the same.

Still, I’ve made treads cleaning up chapters eighteen and nineteen tonight. Even managed to add 399 words while doing it so it’s not a complete bust. I’m glad I got something started. I feel better about myself for having put the time in. While I need the sleep, I really didn’t want to sacrifice my promise to myself to write.

11.20pm
I’m starting to think I may need to rethink my brilliant plan about having Lucas interrupt Jess at Tori’s grandmother’s house. The scene is a little messy and the timing is a lot complicated. I did have a flash thinking that I could have Jess come with Tori when Tori goes back, but then that really doesn’t work. Odds are the only way to make it work is the way I’ve done it. Especially since that suggestion came while I was in the shower which means it was Muse-driven (and you always have to trust the Muses). What it will need then is some serious work to make sure the tension and tone of the Jess/Lucas interaction works.

Maybe that will alter the scene I’m on now, because of the timing thing. Rather than having Jackson take Tori directly to the High Priestess, he might force her to kick her heels a little. That’ll piss off Torque, which is always good for increasing tension and making things interesting. It could also give Zara or Crey time to check in with her. I’m not sure. I’ll have to look at it more closely tomorrow. For now, I need sleep.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

10.00am
I’m having a bad day creatively speaking. I almost blew off Writer’s Group. I don’t want to be working on anything else and so I’m hating what I’m writing here. Hopefully, this bad mood won’t carry over to FoT later.

12.15pm
The library is a bit warm to write. I’d probably be much more comfortable at the office where I can drop the air-conditioning down a few extra degrees. Since no one RSVPed their intent to join me here today I might just head up there for that.

12.45pm
I’ve still not even started. It’s hard here because my family wants to talk to me. I have to make it clear that I need to write and then they get grumpy at me. I feel bad because I love them, and want to be with them, and want to hear their stories and join their conversations, but I really do need to write today. I need to get the words because I’m not going to have much of a chance later and I need to get it done before I start to get too tired or too depressed. It’s been harder since the 24 hour write in because it takes me a while to recover from that sort of thing Bipolar-wise. I knew dealing with the family would be one disadvantage of coming up here to the office at my parent’s house. There is no way to put up my “I’m writing” sign without them feeling like I’m snubbing them.

1.45pm
I’m wondering if this scene I’ve just written needs to go back a step. It’s possible it also needs to be in Lucas’ POV rather than Tori’s. Although there is some deep emotion from Tori in this one that might not work from Lucas’ POV. I’ll have to save a copy and rewrite it from Lucas’ point of view to see which one works better. Since we had quite a long Tori scene before it, then it would work to have this scene be Lucas. Oh! I suppose the other alternative is to move the next scene back. I would need to add a few things to this one to do that. Yeah, I’m thinking that’s the better option. Again, it would need to be a Lucas scene. And I would juggle the Charmer scene and the Resistance scene too probably. I’ll see how the Charmer scene comes together.

SPOILER ALERT

2.20pm
The writing is taking longer than I’d like. Only just over a thousand words in the past hour and a half, and only one scene. But then, I also fixed that scene, I think, maybe. It’s in Lucas’ POV and I hope it does work better. It leads us into the next scene which is what I needed it to do. It also foreshadows a conversation Tempany and Lucas will have soon. It occurred to me as I read over that past section, that rather than focusing on finding answers for Tori, Tempany may send Lucas to find answers about Michael. Especially now she suspects Tori is his daughter.

END OF SPOILER

2.30pm
I’m on the right track here, which is good. I’m kind of regretting that I have to stop. Still, once I’ve got the kids I can go home and keep writing. Hopefully the flow will jump back in when I sit down. Although I’m hungry, so maybe I should grab some food first. lol I can picture my mother going, “Yeah, well that’s because you didn’t eat your porridge when I told you because you were too busy ‘writing’.” Yeah, she doesn’t talk like that.

2.40pm
You know, I haven’t done too badly here. 1,259 words in an hour and a half. Not great, but not bad either.

4.50pm
*grimaces* Procrastination has had me in it’s clutches for the past hour. Time to smack it around and demand it release me. “I’m a writer, damn it! I will write, right now!”

5.50pm
You know something fascinating? I just spent a few minutes going back over old notes, plot cards, and the like that are clogging up my files. I wanted to clear off the junk and make sure whatever notes I’ve written on the pages were dealt with. But as I look over it I realise that very few, maybe none, of the scenes that actually occur reflect exactly the plot sentence that I gave on each of the cards. They’ve all differed, slightly or significantly. Despite my general outline, the story has a life of its own.

5.55pm
One of the notes talks about how Lucas feels her emotions right from the beginning, and yet in these later scenes Tempany shows surprise at this fact. I need to go back and make it obvious that this is a unique ability when Lucas first experiences it.

6.05pm
I’ve given up trying to wade through notes. Some of them require more than a quick tweak here and there. I also need to go through each scene and check the Flesch-Kincaid scores. With so many scenes written now I can picture that being an exhausting process. At this point, it is more important to keep writing new words. I’ll deal with Flesch-Kincaid and edits/notes later. The plot is on course so any changes I could make right now are purely cosmetic and can wait.

6.20pm
I’m having issues. I need to bring Jess back in either the scene I’m up to or the next scene after that. She needs to come back into the story now because she’s going to play an important part in it. I already foreshadowed it earlier and it’s significant. The trouble is, I don’t know how to get her from where she is, to where I want her. I think this is the kind of problem that will demand a shower. Thankfully, now is a reasonable time to take a break for dinner. I’ll come back to it later tonight. 8pm, we have a date!

7.20pm
I’ve lined up to do a word war with some of the people on the NaNo forum. Since we can’t do it in person, online is the next best thing. In fact, it’s probably better because we won’t be tempted to spend hours in between the word wars chatting. lol

7.30pm
*grimaces* I was hoping to have a shower before settling in to write tonight, but the kids are still eating and I’ve told them to shower after. Might not have time before the 8pm sit down and 8.10pm start of the word war. *frowns*

SPOILER ALERT!

8.00pm
As usual, the shower means results and plot solutions. I’ve managed to work out the whole get Jess into the action scenario plus I was able to persuade my son to let me kill him in the story, so Jozua the priest lives! At least for the moment, right up until he doesn’t. *insert maniacal laugh here* And by persuade I mean seriously stack the odds so that he’ll do what I want him to. I played up how Jozua would be big and strong and defy the snake so that the snake has to kill him, or he’d be weak and scared so the snake takes pity on him. Who’s going to opt to be a pansy? Yeah, didn’t thing so. Still, I will have to add an acknowledgement to thank my son for letting me kill him.

END SPOILER

8.40pm
Realised part way through that Word War that the scene I was writing is actually two scenes which is a bit of a pain. I kind of need the Tempany/Lucas bit. But I really need the Jess/Lucas bit to happen now too and the Tempany/Lucas bit is tiny. Not too sure how to manage it. Maybe I could have the Tempany/Lucas bit be something that happens off camera and is alluded to? They have an opportunity to talk while Tori is changing (although Lucas needs to change too). Still, Tori probably takes longer doing that. I’ll have her brush her hair and stuff too to drag it out longer so that Tempany and Lucas can have the talk they need. It’s not really a very long one. It also means I need to change how the Tempany/Lucas/Tori scene finishes, rather than alluding to a conversation they will have, she needs to allude to the conversation they did have and what Lucas needs to do.

10.35pm
We’ve been having some good word wars tonight but I’ve hit a few snags with story. A few of the scenes were a right mess. especially the Lucas one I mentioned above. The Charmer/Priestess one is too short. There needs to be a great deal more tension there. More Torque too. She needs to wind it up a notch. Perhaps rather than Tori coming back in it needs to be Torque. Torque arrogance and supremacy would really grate on the HP and so her anger and resentment would rise. Then when Jess bursts in it kind of crashes to an end. There needs to be more dramatic tension there because it then steps to another Lucas scene before coming back to this one. In fact, I think the Lucas scene needs to come BEFORE Jess arrives. That’s right because that Lucas scene is the difficult one I mentioned before. I jumped past the Charmer/Priestess scene. So I need to go back and move the Jess thing. That means the confrontation I was about to write in this scene is going to be significantly different. Doh! Oh well, getting back on track.

One of the disadvantages of word wars is they make me rush the writing. I get more words, which is good, but I make more mess that I will have to clean up later.

11.00pm
Wow, I’m really fried. Still, I got a really good word count today. It’s just a shame that these scenes will probably need a bunch of work to clean them up. It’s getting there. Slowly but surely. And at the end of all this I will have this book finished. Hopefully, this is just the hump to get us over the hill and back into the momentum of the action scenes coming up soon.

11.25pm
So, I’ve redone all my math to work out what my total word score now stands at and barring no errors my total NaNo count is 46,456 bringing my total for the book to 67,198. 32,802 words short of my 100,000 word goal.

Onward to Brundisium… I mean 100,000 words! (Um, that’s a Caesar III reference, btw, one of my favourite phrases since playing that game many, many years ago).