Writing on writing

Beth -- 26,352

2009-09-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hurm. Well.

I feel... done.

It's a little... short.

But I don't want to add anything else to the end. I think I'm going to sit on it for a little bit and then go back and see if there are any parts I want to flest out. My other shortest 3-day was last time's which was about 1000 words more than this. I would like to add another thousand or fifteen hundred if I could.

Hm.

Susan -- 26931

2009-09-07T16:18:00.001-07:00

I know there are aproximately 3000 words left in my story, hell there are probably more... I just don't want to write them.

Beth -- 25,161

2009-09-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure that my story has another 5000 words left in it...

Susan -- 23795

2009-09-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

It's cool that Beth and I are keeping relatively the same word count. I'm impressed by her mad catch up ability yesterday.

Marissa came home after a stupid long shift, Paladin fucked up and she had to stay four hours longer.

I just ate some garlic toast for some reason when making it I'd put some kind of significance on the toast, dunno what... just did.

I'm going to keep writing. was about to write desparaging stuff but that doesn't help. I'm wondering if there are really 6000 more words in me before 6pm when I have to leave to go belly dance, come home, eat dinner then go to bed to wake up at 6am for an 8am shift in surry.

This seems to be what's nagging at me lately. The fact that I have so many domestic whatsits waiting on the wings. Day one I didn't even consider them, Day 2 they were on the back burning, but today, Day 3, they keep trying to butt their way in.

Blarg.

Ok, time to get moving. I like to mauveitmauveit...
Pink Floyd.

PS accidentally posted that to Reformations as I was logged in to google under that title. Oi.

Beth -- 23,694

2009-09-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have to take a break or else I'm going to combust or something.

I'm just ready for this to be over. Yesterday was bloody exhausted. I wrote twice as much in day two as I did in day one. Day one ended in an emotional mess way behind schedule. Day two I worked something of a miracle. I still don't know how I did that.

Today I am exactly on schedule. I am exactly where I should be. I think this should make me feel better than it does.

I'm still so tired. I slept for ten hours, out like a light. I only woke breifly once, and that was because I couldn't find my Nina-shaped pillow. I fell back asleep and when I eventually woke up it was with a moan and me thinking "I need to do another day??"

I'm tired, my wrists hurt, I'm fairly sure my story is crap, and I just want it to be over -- but hey... all of that is perfectly normal for the third day :-D

Susan--20 606

2009-09-07T09:59:00.001-07:00

That's where I ended things last night and then promptly abandoned my computer. By the way, my wrists hurt, bad.

Went out into the world to a walking distance restaurant last night, this in an attempt to remember what the strange things attached to my hips are for. Guess what, they're legs!

I insist that this is a very boring story, but at least it's getting written and at a good pace, and maybe just maybe, it's got enough... depth? Hidden depth... undertoes... to be worthy of existance. I am learning while I'm writing this, what I'm learning will have to wait until I'm able to focus on myself and not my characters.

Beth -- 20,069

2009-09-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

Oh my god. I can't believe I pulled that off.

I'm totally going to collapse into bed now...

Beth -- 16,722

2009-09-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

A random seeming number, perhaps, but a significant one.

This means I've written 10,000 words today. It's the daily goal. I didn't meet yesterday's goal, which is why my count isn't closer to 20,000.

But that means the rest of tonight is catching up. Closing the gap between where I am and where I should be. I don't think it's too important at this point that I actually make 20,000 tonight. I mean it would be nice, but I'm going to try to not be disappointed if I don't get there.

I should have another couple of hours left in me. I'm wildly jealous of Susan's word count and whatever it is she's doing right now. But for the rest of the night I'm catching up. I've done my 10,000. That's oddly comforting. Right now, after completely the 10,000, I think I deserve a short break. So I'm taking one.

Beth -- 15,288

2009-09-06T19:26:00.001-07:00

It appears to be dinner time. I would rather not break just now, but food is actually a fairly good idea.

Susan--17570

2009-09-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

I can't help escape the idea that what I'm writing is really boring... whatever.

My neck and wrists are not happy with me. Not at all. In fact, my body in general can think of a few things it would totally rather be doing.

Beth -- 13,132

2009-09-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Okay. It's about perspective, right? I'm only at 13,000 words. The chances I'm actually going to hit 20,000 today are looking pretty slim.

However. I have already matched my word count from yesterday, which was only about 6500. So everything from this point on is better than what I did yesterday. Which means improvement, right? And improvement is good.

I would really really like to be at least at 15,000 by now. That's the half way mark. But that's only 2000 words. I feel like I've been chasing 2-3000 words all day. If I could just magically inject that many I would be happily on schedule. But it doesn't work like that.

I need to take a typing break. I've reached the end of my outlined bit. I need the next part to happen interestingly. I could probably wing it and have it be boring. Time to channel all those stupid crime shows I've watched over the years with my mother. The good guys never figure it out in the library. It's got to be exciting.

I'm actively avoiding yesterday's mood by clinging to the brightside. I still wish it would bloody well stop raining!

Beth -- 11321

2009-09-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hm. Well it looks like I've slowed down again. And I'm taking a break. I took a break after my last post too because I was crampy. Have I mentioned I'm writing this year through my period? So after my last post was an orgasm break. That helped. Then I wrote about 1300 words and am now breaking again. Because I'm hungry. Need food.

I'm not exactly despairing at this point, but I'm not thrilled. My mother doesn't help matters. She asks how far along I am, I tell her, and she says "You're never going to make it to 30,000 words!" Um. Way to be supportive?

Food should help. I'm going to need to do more outlining soon. I've only got a couple bits more to write before I have to figure out what happens next. Again, I know who did it and why, I just need to figure out how the good guys figure it out!

Susan--15 213

2009-09-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Half way through overall, thank heavens. Been looking at beth's update and agree, she's doing pretty good. Way better head space than the one she was in yesterday.

I'm enjoying my occassional emergances from my room. People tend to follow me about the house, curious as to my mental state when I emerge. Robin got me some green tea stuff yesterday after his failed late night bike ride, think I'll go and partake in that...

Beth -- 10,018

2009-09-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

Okay. I just hit 10,000. That's where I should have been when I went to bed last night.

However... I mean say I had stayed up late to finsih the word count. It's possible that then I could have done something like sleep in until noon or something right? Considering it's only 1:15 now... maybe I'm not so far behind schedule as it feels like I am. I mean Susan's only like 2500 words ahead of me. That's not that much really.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit better about life in general. I focussed hard and wrote out a bit of an outline that should take me through another really good chunk. By the time I get to where I finished outlining I'm going to be ready for a good break, maybe a walk or something. And then I can continue from there. I then put in a solid three hours of work in which I produced about 3400 words. That's not bad time. Right?

Oh, and my boyfriend is still amazing. I got a string of encouraging texts this morning including one that said he feels oddly personally invested in this. I found that amusing. I'm writing the novel, not him! And Audere said "grr." I said I'd try to incorporate that :)

12 535--Susan

2009-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Yay 1/4 word count break now. That took a bit longer than I thought it would, but I also had to go through all my very latest work and make sure that it was all right.

Going to go stretch now.

Beth -- Going to bed

2009-09-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

At 6686 words.

On the bright side, it is almost exactly 1000 words from when Susan told me to write 1000-1500 words before going to bed.

On the not-so-bright side, it's still a little more than 3000 words below the daily goal. They're also not words I'm especially thrilled with. The last scene I wrote was a sex scene and I hadn't been intending to go there. In fact, I was actively planning on avoiding that. But I did a sex scene. And even that I struggled with a bit. I was just getting into that when the text message exchange I talked about in my other blog took place. I was in a very much not good headspace prior to that, but then I was cheered up and was able to at least finish the scene without too much trouble.

I don't like the scene over much, but I do like that it's done. I'm going to go to bed now. I hope, before falling asleep, to come up with a bit of direction for tomorrow's writing. I might even try to put together something of an outline tomorrow morning before I start producing words. I just feel like I need to have direction and then I might stand a better chance of getting things done.

I like my characters. I like my concept. I like what I know of my plot, and only wish I had more details about it. There are enough "I like"'s in this paragraph that this piece should be going somewhere good. And yet it's been such a struggle. Hopefully over the next two days I am able to utilize the potential that I feel my premise etc is working with, and maybe I can even catch up on the word count.

Incidentally, last time I wrote this contest I went to bed after the first day approximately 3000 words ahead of schedule. This year I'm going about 3000 words behind schedule. Well. There's a nice mirror there. Considering I didn't actually win last time, maybe this apparently negative inverse will actually work in my favour?

Good night.

10 211--Susan

2009-09-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well there ya'go ladies and gents. 7pm rolls around and I've met my goal. Might go back to it but I think I've left myself in a good place for tomorrow, who knows who knows. What a good girl am I. Time for my rightful breaks.

Beth -- Back to work

2009-09-05T18:41:00.001-07:00

Well. That break took a little longer than I'd have liked. And I wasn't able to think so much about the plot as I was kind of otherwise distracted. Now, not only do I have to make up for lost words, I have to quell the almost unignorable desire to either blog or call Susan/Alex to talk about what I did over my break. And I had two glasses of wine (one of which was the essence of the joy of the earth). What's with wine and this year's 3-day? I swear it's not helpful!!

*breathes*

I have bugels. And I have come up with a little bit of plot. I just need to get from where I am now to where I figured out. It's... a little unfortunately.

I'm going to eat bugels and try to keep going now.

Susan--7649

2009-09-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

At this rate I might get to cuddle one of my people before the disappear for the evening. Three of the four people I live with will be running away to go cycle somewhere tonight. Dave and M to work, Robin off to his anarchist cycling group. I'll be lonely tonight, but I'll live.

Really feel like I'm getting past the daldrums of the text now, of course, that'll make it harder to write, but at least I'm starting to find subject apropriate music on my iTunes.

Susan--Back to work

2009-09-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

The trouble with comfy cozy homes? They're super comfy cozy, nearly ended up napping, but that has happened in the past. S'ok, this is going to be the struggle of the day but I can totally handle it.

Arg, total mood shift starts now!

Beth -- 4859

2009-09-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm about to leave for a few hours break. Pretty close to 5000 words. A good place to stop too because I don't really know what happens next. I need a chance to think and it's kind of hard to do that while trying to produce words...

Susan--5156 words

2009-09-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sweet deal, I totally made my goal time for that :)

If I keep at the pace of a thousand words an hour I'll be done by about 8 tonight, giving me till about midnight to fuck around, you know, if I want to. I might not...

Things are about to get difficult and this break may last longer than I'd like it to.

Beth -- 3938

2009-09-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hmm. I was hoping to be at 5000 words before I was whisked away. I don't think I'm going to get there. Not quite anyway.

I really have only the slightest barest most skelleton like idea of my plot. Which really needs to begin now. So... hopefully I'll be able to draw enough of it out of me to reach about 5000 and then have inspiration hit me for the rest while I'm out.

I just went through a crisis of "What does one wear to a gnostic mass???" which, again, is not something that is tremendously helpful to be thinking about right now. But I'm dressed. I think I'm being picked up between 2-2:3o ish. I'm going to try to power through a bit before that happens.

Susan--3826

2009-09-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

That's not bad I don't think. I should meet my 2pm 5000 word goal at this rate. Going to shower then take a walk... then maybe shower again... eat something... when I hit 5000. I'm kind of struggling, this story isn't as cut and paste as last year's entry was, but at least it won't be as emotionally draining as ANARCHIST was, god that was a bitch to get through near the end.

I should be able to do this... Wondering how beth is doing, I know she's trying to power through, what with her 2pm interruption that'll last her till some time around five. Thinking about it though, it probably won't put her too far behind, not really... well, maybe a bit.

I'm at 12.753% done this novel. Hey, that's kind of cool. Zokuto word meter no longer works, alas, I'll have to do my percentage counts myself.

Susan--2576

2009-09-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

That's how many words I've got now, it's kind of nice having a character who rambles... I'm also posting my updates on Twitter, but not much difference from what i do here.

Beth 3-Day 2009 -- DAY 1

2009-09-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

10:34 am

2300 words

Okay so it appears the world is not interested in making this easy for me. Not only am I feeling the struggle that is the result of so much creative inactivity over the past several months, there are other things working against me as well. I have to go out around 2:30 today. That's probably not a good idea no, but it is for an activity that I am otherwise very excited about and it makes my boyfriend so happy that I'm going. It is just a few hours. And I will get bugels. I've had an okay morning so far, but I am more tired than I would like to be. This is because I was awake at 5am sending consoling text messages to my darling Alex who was dissolved in tears because his little sister is moving away and it had just hit him. I was able to fall back asleep, but the interruption was not helpful.

I'm a little worried I've gone a little heavy on the exposition early on. Hopefully things will get moving swiftly now.

Suse--1st day Good morning

2009-09-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I started my night off with cuddles, then a shower, then writing. The first 1000 words actually came quite nicely, but I have fears for the rest, can I really continue to prattle on at this rate? We'll see.

I don't think I've really challenged myself with this piece, or at least, not the beginning of it, it's simply a matter of stringing it all along cohesively. Alas, that may be a challenge. Was thinking of the people I could offend with this novel... hurm.

Beth 3-day 2009 -- The first night

2009-09-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

That's it. I'm going to bed.

Wow... feels kind of weird to be posting in here. It's been a damn long time. But... it's three-day weekend. I kind of feel like I have to.

Anyway, I'm turning in a bit earlier than I'd like. I haven't accomplished all that much. Only about 1500 words. So long as I'm at about 10,000 by the time I go to bed tomorrow night it's okay. Still though, I'd have liked a fair bit more on the first night.

That being said, I don't want to push it. I'm only just starting on my story now, having gotten through what I wanted by way of introduction. I can already feel this is going to be a struggle. I didn't write the three day last year. I have some creative catching up to do.

I hope to sleep well and wake early-ish, refreshed and ready to go. I have a couple of hours worth of break planned tomorrow afternoon, and I hope that will also help to refresh and energize and not to distract or interrupt.

Okay. I'm off to bed. See you in the morning!

Fifth annual go at the 3day--day 3

2008-09-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

9:33am

I am about to set off on the last 10000 words. Of course, it need not be that many, though it'd be nifty if I could hit it. I've got to close up some ends, make some points, etc. I was not otherwise inspired last night towards anything other than a bath, a glass of some of the best white wine ever, and copius fluff-reading. I think it was inspiring at least, and my wrists thanked me.

I've many a Chinese pastery left over, and think that perhaps they are turning my stomach to liquid. Hm.

11:41 25.2%

I was going to post to gloat earlier about how I was even ahead of my word count yesterday, but instead my internet was shut down by a daddy who was reinstalling his anti-virus. Very inopportune time that. But I'm ahead of the game at the moment, which is good. Time for my quarter way through break. I seriously need a stretch. No joke. Everything is starting to get sore.

12:49 40%

Just wrote about lice. Everything itches now. There is so much about my novel that is gross.

1:36 55.5%

The last stretch after a break. I know exactly what I'll be writing, about what, and how I want it all to come together *sigh*. Noodles... I need noodles.

2:57 66.2%

I think I'll probably go to about 28000 this year, progress is going well. I'm just feeling really finished right about now. 10 000 words a day is sometimes just a bit much.

3:22 90.5% of my pre-ordained total is completed. I probably won't reach the magic 30000 though. Just don't think it's going to be done.

3:57 100%/94.4%

I am done. Done done done. You hear me? DONE FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

28,307 / 30,000
(94.4%)

Fifth annual go at the 3 Day -- Day 2

2008-08-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

9:35, 10 066 words

I've had a shower, I've had food, I'm ready to go, and yet the reluctance is here. Day two is always a bitch. You just finished a whole day of this, and you know you have one more day of it to go. It's a little disheartening sometimes. I'll get over it. It'll just be typical day 2 "I dun wanna"s. Eeeerg. Chinese pastries and other starches in abundance have made tummy go ICK. I've found grapes in my fridge. I'm all over that news. Green is good.

11:14 13%

Ok, so I didn't get started till about ten actually, or so... I got distracted by things like... well things. It won't happen anymore. Seriously.

12:18 26.3%

So I'm doing pretty well. Trucking along. I think I'm going to break my breaks up by quarters this time, especially since I don't plan on a two hour break in the middle of things. Yup, sounds good. Short break though. Beef curry bun ahoy!

1:26 35.5%

Sigh, I really want to hit my next break. That'll be the ultimate half way point you know. 15000 words. That'll feel good and not good. Though it does mean downhill from here right? The big struggle is past? I don't know what's keeping people reading this story. It's cleverly strung together anecdotes. I put a forward before the title to see if that might change things a bit and it does give it purpose. But I'm still concerned. I know that I've abandoned all hope of winning with this one. I thought it could be a winner, but I'm lacking story, I'm laking movement with the exception of some interesting connections. It's a little like a game of word ball though.

It's doing me good to write this one. It's helping me suss and order some things around and about. I think some of the actual writing is pretty good, and it'll help me with the larger project over all. I can't wait to be 50% done. my next break is gunna be sweeeeet.

2:52 58.6%

I have to take a small break after that. That was just too hard. OK, not too hard but certainly emotional. Chinese pastries and a good does of Laurell K Hamilton should fix this.

3:42 61%

Dear god, my wrists, dear god.

4:04 68%

I am ahead of yesterday by a very little bit. How nice, I didn't even get a 1000 word lead today, but then I didn't take a nap either.

4:31 75%

Well, still doing better, and I get another QUARTER DONE break. Only a few thousand more words to go and I think I know what they'll be.

5:52 90.6%

Fingers hurt. I know you know that. Only ten percent left. Thank Christ. That, I can do.

6:05 95%
Woot almost a whole hour ahead of yesterday... owie.

6:24 100.2%
Biofiction is a harsh bitch, and my arms hate me. Done for the night unless otherwise inspired.

20,042 / 20,000
(100.2%)

Fifth annual go at the 3 Day -- Day 1

2008-08-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Don't have a title yet. This piece makes me nervous, it's so easy to write because I've already lived most of it. It's like an expose.

start of day.
I dunno, it's hard, it's easy. I don't think I'll go through any devistating writer's block moments, but finding a plot... a point... is going to be difficult. Maybe I don't need one. Maybe this year any hopes of winning should just abandon ship right the fuck now. I think that's going to have to be the case. Whatever, it'll be for the best.

I'm going to write now. Because I have to, it's the only thing left to me that doesn't result in a blow. Irony.

11:25
I was going to get started around 9 today, but dad had to have a deep conversation with me.
So I'm well past a quarter of my day's word quota, which is GOOD. Very good. I've decided to take a real break at 1/3 done, 2/3s done, and finished... of course.

12:04
I hope that things keep writing at this steady pace. I'm tired, and ahead of schedule. I might have a nap.

1:58
Just about done a two hour break. Boy did I need that! I had a nap, which I didn't think I really needed until I hit the sheets EXHAUSTED. Headache mostly gone now, and I'm consuming last night's leftovers plus a mini beef curry bung. TASTY! The world looks pretty bright right now, I'm not righting in nearly the morose voice I was... I hope. Time to get started again.

2:50
Well, I'm at the half way point for my day's quota now. That's pretty dang good. Pretty damned good indeed. Material wise I'm fine, it's direction that's tricky... but I've wanted to write this stuff down for a long time, so it's not so bad. Not hard at least. At least, not in the way that getting it down is hard. Thinking about it is another thing.

3:23
I'm going to kill my neighbours. They're doing this stupid clicking thing. Spray painting or something. It's really obnoxious.

3:29 -- 58.8
It occures to me that I haven't been documenting my progress very well. I looked back at last years going. I'm doing way better time wise. Hopefully I'll get to spend time with the folks tonight then.

4:09 -- 67.5
My neighbour kids are stupid noisy. They'll have to die. I'm going to have my 2/3 break now. It will not last nearly as long as the 1/3 through break. Oi vey! I need some consideration time anyways. Only 3300 words left to write today. Piddly.

5:13 -- 71
Yeah I'm doing pretty well. My eyes are just not cool with staring at a screen though. I'm really going to have to get some sleep tonight. I've already got dinner planned and I'm conserving my Chinese pasteries quite wisely if you ask me. I wish we had better tea around here... I'll try that mandarin stuff when I'm not busy writing. Wouldn't want it to distrupt the flow. Oh, and guess what, we have grapes! I'm very excited. They've proven useful in the past. I had no idea they were even here.

7:01 -- 95%
I'm going to finish up that last 5% and then take the rest of the evening for myself, and my wrists... my poor wrists. But hey, WAY ahead of schedule or what?

7:26 -- 100.6%
I'm pretty proud of myself. I don't know where this story is going, or if it's even a story, I hope to get that all settled eventually. Tonight, I ice down my wrists. I wish my parents liked my lover better. I'd get him to come over and have a little fun before I settled down. That's the unfortunate thing about the 3Day, lots of people to see and talk to, and you can't see or talk to any of them.

This is writing well, because I have so much to write about. But, it needs shifting and movement and a purpose. I feel it lacks purpose but has plenty of material. Erg. How frustrating.

10,064 / 10,000
(100.6%)

Oh for fuck's sakes...

2008-03-09T17:07:00.001-07:00

How bad is that. I hadn't even realised there'd been a post until just now. In March. Dear god.

I am posting here to announce the fact that I 'wrote' today. Not on the main project for which this account is meant, but on a number of smaller pieces that I've been meaning to knock off my 'to-do' list in terms of editing and sharpening for later sending out to editor sorts.

Beth and I have been so busy. She's had a number of school and work related things to do. I've had the same. We've both been dealing with crap, and yet I insist that if we were writing we'd be a little happier all the same... it's just a matter of TIME. Always time. Always.

Things will sort themselves out. I can't give up on Ishalia. There is a fantasy writer in me, crying, right now. Right this very second. There are embers, and they won't go out. We've just got to remmber to give them a stir and one day they'll become flame again. ONE DAY SOON!

We totally fail

2008-01-28T21:28:00.001-08:00

This is a step in the right direction, right? Writing in the writing blog?

Too long. Just... too long.

We will discuss. We will write. Soon.

Very soon.

3-day 2007: Day 3

2007-09-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last Update: 5:58pm

Seven People, a Dog, and a Child who May or May Not be God

27,407 / 27,407
(100.0%)

5:58pm (27407 words; done)

I'm done. I did it. I ended up finishing somewhere extremely satisfying. It might seem a little cheesy, but a the end of 72-hours of intense writing, cheesy doesn't seem too bad. They made it. I'm so proud of them.

Also amazing is the fact that Susan and I finished at nearly the exact same time. Dude.

No, it's not 30,000, but that was just a rough goal anyway. I'm close enough. Who knows, maybe some paragraphs will be added tonight when I edit. I haven't really re-read any of it yet, so some kind of editing is a must. I had only about 1000 words more than this last year.

I can't believe I have to go to school tomorrow...

I finished, and I'm satisfied. Right now I'm in a kind of eurphoric place where I'm thrilled to be done, and determined that this year's novel is the best one I've done so far. I'm pretty happy with it. Sigh. Completion.

4:22pm (25399 words; 84.7%)

Okay. I think I'm ready to do this. Write the ending that is. I wrote a scene, and while "uplifting" isn't exactly the word I'd choose for it, it was about healing and moving on. They're ready now. My characters have learned all that they were supposed to on their little life boat. It's time for me to take them off of it.

2:28pm (24200 words; 80.7%)

It is still very sad. The end is in sight. They will be saved and move on, but I would really like to put in something light hearted first. That might be kind of hard, considering. If I move right into the end bits now... well for one thing it would be a little short (I suspect the end will take me about 3000 words), and for another, it would end pretty sad. I don't want that.

I stopped for macaroni and cheese. I am now very full. I think I might have a shower and try to figure out a way to evoke smiles again. There might be a Bonnie Tyler moment.

1:17pm

I'm lying in bed. I'm listening to the greatest hits of No Doubt waiting for it to get better. I've been lying there for almost an hour. I wrap the blankets tighter aroundmyself.

"Okay," I think. "It's time to start writing again." It's been nearly an hour.

So now, after my brieft but deep depression over the death of my character, I will move on. There is light. It will be okay.

12:22pm (22980 words; 76.6%):

Sigh. I did it. I killed my character. I teared up, but I didn't actually cry. I rocked back and forth for a while though. I almost couldn't do it. I kept stopping at the end of paragraph and barely bringing the strength to go on because I knew he was going to die.

At least I gave it something of a purpose. I added a deeper theme here that I had not originally meant. It gives it some more meaning. But he's dead. And now I have to figure out how to write 7000 words without him.

There are no longer seven people, a dog, and a child who may or may not be god on the boat.

I got a late start today (damn sleep) but churned out some words. Blared evanescence. Now I have to decide what to do next.

Day 3 -- Anarchist [3 day]

2007-09-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

5:46

Anarchist

26,000 / 26,000
(100.0%)

5:43--done.

I'm not fooling around with the exact number there, it just kinda happened.
So sad.
To much to say, and my fingers hurt too much to say it. Maybe tonight I'll run through and check my mistakes--I caught some pretty nasty ones this morning when I did a look through, so it's probably a good idea. I'm hungry... I've only eaten the one bun and a seasame ball today. I had to finish.

I don't feel bad, at all, for not having achieved 30 000, because, mostly, the story would have suffered under the weight of it. I'm satisfied with where it is. Sure, it could use some polish, and overall there are probably a lot of scene expansions. But I am done. My foot is down, and my fingers ache.

4:23

I've come to the conclusion that I'll only be writing about 26 000 words for this story, which is just fiiiiine with me. It means the actual writing is almost done, thank god. I just need to make Caleb happen. He may have a small role, but it's important.

This is what my word meter should actually be looking like, sans the optimism.

24,448 / 26,000
(94.0%)

Of course, this actually makes more sense on the whole. I would rather send something in that is working for me, than that has a lot of filler. Right? Exactly.

Writing this is making me so nervous I have stomach cramps (that may also be the eating habits kicking in, but I attribute it mostly to nerves.)

3:15

I've just put the damned end in my document. Yes I've written the end. The last five pages, the last one thousand something words as they exist in my mind. Why, you ask, did I write the end when I've yet to flesh out the parts between where I was, and where I will be. Because I knew that part, that's why.

First I have to figure out Caleb's deceptions. I have to figure out Anarchist's motives (figures she'd choose now to be non-communitive) and I have to guide Mercury through it all.

The end isn't exactly motivational, so now I have to go "ok children, time to do something please". I kind of hate Caleb, but I think that that's because Mercury... excuse me, Asta, does too...

Basically, it's kind of a strange ending... but maybe it will not be the end. Who knows, nothing is printed, thus it is not written in stone.

1:38-- 22, 532, that's if you count every word soon to be used, and written today and the like, not what's currently in the manuscript

My stomach aches. I think I need to eat something nutritional soon. Like STAT soon.

1:20 -- 22070 (this is a total lie, it's more like 21 594, the math doesn't add up 'cause I added words)

Whatever the case that is approximately where I am. It's not writing as easily as it had been. but I think I know where I'm going. Not I happy ending I guess. Shit. Whatever right, the object is to finish.

Mercury is so confused, and I really don't blame her.

12:45 -- 20,957 +588

I think I might need Bonnie Tyler--but Gwen Stephani is doing just as well--as well as she can. The problem is that there's going to be more killing, and I don't know who's going to die, and I think I'm going to have a stupidly arty ending, that isn't going to give any of my characters any kind of satisfaction... not really.

I mean, men love her. Does that mean she loves men? The only person she loves is Anarchist. Is she going to kill Anarchist? Maybe... but I don't think that sounds right.

Oh ew... what if I have him kill Anarchist, and the kid learns what hate means... oh ew. I mean she's grown up in a Dystopia, she doesn't know the meaning of horror because she's seen too much of it. Is she the strongest? She might be... is she strong enough to live entirely in hatred of someone? Probably.

I really don't want Anarchist to die, but I think she might have to. That sucks, but she'll be able to see David again, probably.

It's all on Mercury now, and neither of us is entirely sure if that's ok. Her and I, we know eachother, but we both know her limitations--I don't want to bend her like I've been forced to ben Anarchist. I don't want to have to create another utter chaos.

it's all designe it's all designe[...] kids with guns, easy does it---they're turning us into monsters, turning us into fire.

12:15
It's not that I don't have words... I have pleanty of those. But I also have aches, pain, and IN-HIB-ITIONS.

As well as those small hindrances I'm having structural difficulties. Grrrr... I'm not putting up a word count yet because at the moment my count is: 20 658... but really it's 21 462 (which isn't so bad)... you see, I had to remove a scene that I wrote straight off the bat because it was too soon. I'll add it near the end of the book--we are talking total end game here folks--but not right now. So my word count is fucked.

Day 2--Anarchist [3 Day]

2007-09-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

10:05

Anarchist
AKA the most depressing story ever

10,042 / 10,000
(100.4%)

10:05 -- 100% (20, 042)

I've left myself enough to do I hope. Mercury and Anarchist are finally allowed to interact. I don't know how much easier this is going to be on me.

I want to give them a happy ending really I do. I just don't know if I can.

Tomorrow is going to be... well, it will be.

Moby is my god.

9:26 -- 92.6% (19, 261)

I know I have to keep writing... 731 pages left but... I feel so alone now. We--Anarchist and me--don't know what to do without him. It flows through my body, and yes, I'm crying. I feel the revulsion that his death brings to me--I feel it in my gut and now I wonder. How will we move on.

And that's why she is Anarchist.

8:46 -- 85.5% (18554)

Oh god oh god oh god

8:36 -- 84.4% (18442)

No one that I love is EVER allowed to become a freedom fighter, nor are they allowed to live through a dystopia... or die. Ever.

6:29 -- 72.6% (17, 262)
It's still the TOO FAST thing that bugs me, but I think that I may yet have a handle on it. On the total total (out of 30k) I'm almost at 60%. At the moment I'm at 57% to be exact.

I need a break. Something horrible, and yet hopefully beautiful and really significant is about to happen. She's going to get her name. I want that to happen, yeah, but I kind of want it to span like, the rest of the section I'm writing today. Along with that needs to go some explanations and some parts need some beefing, but whatever... I'm rambling at you.

Basically I need a break. By the end of the weekend I betcha seeing sticky buns will give me panic attacks.

5:18 -- 60.8% (16,084)
Mmhmm. I just don't want to go too fast now... damn.

3:53 -- 50.4% (15, 044)

I'm going to call Beth now. I'm haveing some rough patches, but should be hitting a fertile spot again soon enough. I just have to get another thousand, to two thousand words in here. Those will be the hard ones.

1:27 -- 33.8% (13, 380)

I'm going to go have a break and think about this next bit. Government institutions always throw me for a loop. I may have to come up with a stylistic way to portray this. It's not a copout, it's art!

Sticky bun 2 and maybe a shower...

12:54 -- 26.5% (12, 650)

Doing well. Very well. Added the total count to the bottom.

12:14 pm -- 22.7% (12 267 words)

I'm a little conflicted and maybe think that I should have two words meters up? One for total progress and one for the day's progress? Naw, too complicated.

I took a good long break yesterday which was super great. It let me have a brain break and I think I'm better for it. The only thing that's not cool is that my left hand is crapping out... I don't know how long it's going to last, but let's just say I'm already dreading work on Tuesday!

It starts with my left pinky finger which I think may be stuck in a permanent claw like state... distressing. I'm coming up on my next break, only about 1 100 words. That means lunch/a shower! Woot! Maybe I'll even brush my teeth. I am a rancid individual right now.

At the moment the writing is going smoothly. I think I have enough to get me through the day, I am though, struggling with the end. Here's hoping that the notes scattered on my desk come up with something good.

So far I have eaten nothing but left overs and chinese baked goods -- and when I say left overs I mean a half a seafood conolli... and oh yes, one piece of pie as my half way there treat yesterday.

The complete total

20,042 / 20,000
(100.2%)

3-day 2007: Day 2

2007-09-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last Update: 12:14am

Seven People, A Dog, and A Child Who May or May Not be God

21,096 / 23,000
(91.7%)

12:14am (21096 words; 91.7%)

Okay. It's time for bed. I is sleepy.

There are two ways to look at today's final word count. On one hand I reached the 20,000 mark, which is the really important thing. I finished day two at least two thirds through the story. On the other hand, I only wrote 8000 new words today. I was supposed to write 10,000. I stopped 2000 words before my actual goal for today.

But that isn't a terrible thing. This is nice part, the reward, if you will, for yesterday's productivity. I hit quite teh wall today, and that took time. I think I have almost all of the issues cleared up, and it should -- should -- be more or less clear typing from here on out. My goal for tomorrow is to hit 30,000. Only 9000 words. I can do this.

Unfourtunately I got tired in the middle of a scene. Hm. Susan had advised me to go to bed, but I was stubborn and wanted to write more. I wrote a scene and a half. The first one was short and easy, but the next is one of the most important scenes in my story. I got tired. I know I can't finish it right now and do it justice. This means I'm going to wake up and the first thing I'm going to have to do is kill one of my characters. That may not be pretty. I think I can do it though. He'll get a better death if I'm well rested than if I try to write it now. My fingers and my head aren't quite coordinated right now. I tried to write "blew" in my story, and that was the word in my head, but "blue" came out of my fingers. They only half got it. It's time for rest.

Good night!

9:02pm (18479 words; 80.3%)

It is coming out veeeery slooooowly. Susan has just past my word count. She's getting very excited up there in her updates. I'd really like to speed this up a knotch. Oh I got a little distracted looking at Xena Warrior Princess on Wikipedia. Don't ask.

I was totally lulling to the Decemberists. I turned them off. I'm going to try writing without music for a bit. Sometimes that gives me focus. If it doesn't work, it'll either be something a bit faster or another power ballad moment.

Oh -- and Blogger's being a bitch. To me, anyway. I don't know what I've done to be undeserving of spaces between paragraphs. I will win! *inserts dots*

6:34pm (17756 words; 77.2%)

So I was having a little bit of a plot crisis. I knew I only had so much more to write, and I was worried about needing to insert filler. So. I asked myself -- WWJWD?

What would Jeanette Winterson do?

I added a scene of filler. It's entertaining filler though, so I don't feel too bad. What I wanted most to avoid was "And then they sat in the boat. It was hot. The water was pretty though. Someone coughed. We hoped we'd be rescued soon." That wouldn't have been good. I know there are other parts that I've already written that people will think are filler. I don't think they are, but I also don't think I can give a hugely good reason why not. Just accept it. At least this scene I wrote has some personality.

It's coming along all right. I had a couple hours of despair, but I think I'll be okay. Oh, and I've decided how it's going to end. That's a relief to have figured out. Hmm... I still don't know how that one character is going to fall out of the boat. We'll see.

4:23pm (15804 words; 68.7%)

See last post. Ditto.

2 renditions of Total Eclipse of the Heart, and a phone call from Susan and I think I'm about ready to go. I bring up the word document. Put my hands on the keyboard. Change my mind. I smell too bad to write right now. I'm going to have a shower, then I'm going to eat bugles and write SOMETHING.

3:10pm (15804 words; 68.7%)

"Golly," says you. "Beth forgot to update her word meter."

"Sorry," says I. "Beth hasn't written any more words."

Okay, I think I'm there. I think I hit the blasted wall that I feared I was going to find. I'm about where I was at 9pm day 2 last year. Well that doesn't be do me any good if I don't come up with anything for the next six hours.

I had brunch break after my last update, and now I don't know what to do. I have a couple of scenes in mind, but they're not ready to come out yet, and there's a detail (small but important) for one of the most important scenes that I'm going to write that I don't know and it's driving me crazy. That's the scene that isn't going to happen for at least another 5000 words, and I'm obsessing over it because I don't know how one of the characters is going to fall out of the boat! I have another scene in mind, fairly insignificant, which can come soon, but I'd prefer not next.

Also, I don't know how the story is going to end. Yesterday I tried not to think about that too much, but now I'm half way through it and I feel like I should probably be ready to start thinking about that and I have no idea.

I think I'm about to do it -- I think I'm going to bring out The Power Ballad. At very least it should calm me down so that I'll be able to think at normal speed again.

1:57pm (15804 words; 68.7%)

I just wrote a fairly imporant scene. It involved the poem I mentioned in my last update. I feel like today is maybe moving a little slower than yesterday, but it's only two o'clock and I've gotten to 15K so I'm happy.

I'm going to have to stop for food soon. I guess that's okay. I need a little bit of a thinkie break anyhow. I don't exactly what to write next. I still have a number of scenes I intend to write, but I need one of them to not happen for at least another 5000 words.

Things are going well. Day two music, as it turns out, is Sarah McLachlan. I'm doing the solace album right now. It's working well. I seem to remember this album being a part of last year's 3-day as well.

11:20am (13667 words; 29.4%)

Well that kind of sucked -- changing my word meter from 130% to 59%... you see I added another 10000 words to where I finished yesterday. I'm not going to ask that I meet yesterday's word count, only that I make 10,000 again. Anything more than that is gravy.

As you can see, I've just started today. I woke up about 10:30, and made some food and stumbled into the computer chair. I wrote the rest of the scene that I had thought I'd finished last night. Though it seems premature, I'm about to take a break, though it isn't exactly a "break" per se... It will be absolutely on task, but not situated in front of my computer. You see, I have to write a poem. We all know how I feel about my poetry, but that's okay, because it doesn't have to be a particularly good poem -- in fact, if it's kinda crappy, that's even better.

Happy wishes to all for the day!

3-day 2007: Day 1

2007-09-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last Update: 12:11am

Seven People, a Dog, and a Child who May or May Not be God

13,139 / 10,000
(131.4%)

12:11am (13139 words; 131.4%)

Well I can't say I'm not pleased with my progress. 3000 words is nothing to get too excited about, but I do like the wiggle room it promises me for later on. Last year I hit 15,000 at 6:00 on day two. I'm almost there at the end of day one. I just might need that.

As I can see, this can go a few ways:

1. I dry up soon-ish and need this time to figure out what to do about it

2. It keeps up at this pace and I end up with the longest 3-day novel I've ever written, longer too than most submissions end up being

3. I keep this up and it draws to its expected close of around 30,000 at what? Maybe noon on Monday.

Lol, I really doubt it will be that last one, and am rather better on option number one. I have two more long(ish) scenes planned, and at least one other that is required but I'm not sure of yet. There can be a number of shorter scenes as well.

I'm coming to be quite fond of my characters. I think that's a good thing.

I had thought I would stay up later than this, but the word count is good and I'm kinda sleepy. I'll think about the next couple of scenes as I drift off. Good night!

Lol, and maybe I'll actually speak to Susan at some point tomorrow!

7:30pm (10360 words; 103%)

Woot! Day one goal is met! This is a good thing, because I'm not done for the day, which means I will certainly exceed the day's goal. The reason this is important is because I can sense some struggle on the horizon. I know I probably have enough for another 10,000, but another 20,000? Hmm. Maybe. I might need to come up with some more plot points though, and that could take time. Last year, I had 400 words more than this when I went to bed on day one, around 1 in the morning. I'll probably stay up just as late, but I'll hopefully get more than 400 words done in that time!

(though keep in mind I do have to stop for dinner, which tends to be my longest break of the day. Oh, and when I say "short break" I kind of fail. Both lunch, and the other break ended up being just over an hour each. Sigh. Oh well. I really can't bitch about my productivity today.)

I'm on decemberists album Picaresque. Soon I'm going to whack something if I here these people sing any more. Actually... I sense a break on the horizon, so I think I'll turn them off right now.

Wha ha ha. I win. (the decemberists are gone now)

Oh, my chair randomly fell apart during a fit of productivity. That was fantastic. I fixed it. It's all good now. But dude -- that was annoying.

By this point last year I was experiencing some severe writers block (have I mentioned that I love this blog???) and I don't have that scheduled until tomorrow, at least. ; ) Yeah, I figure I'll hit that eventually, but so far it's been like a freely flowing tap. It's kind of a beautiful thing.

4:31pm (8425 words; 84.3%)

I have to say, I'm feel pretty good about this. I was at about this many words at 6:30 on day one last year, so I'm about operating about two hours ahead of last year's precedent. That's got to be a good thing. I think I can definately say I'm going to make 10,000 for the day.

I still haven't needed a power ballad.

I am getting a little bit sick of this decemberists album though... I wonder if their other one will work too.

Yepp things are coming along nicely. I can't say that I'm not still a little worried about running out of plot, but so far things are working all right for me. I think I'm going to take another short break right now.

1:35pm (5836 words; 58.4%):

I guess I'll take on the same format as Susan for the three day updates. I think I'm doing alright. I might look like I'm doing really well, but I would like to get a bit beyond the 10,000 mark today. Historically, I slow down on day two quite considerably. That's where Susan caught up to me last year. She ended up seriously surpassing my word count, even though I started higher than her then too.

Right now is lunch break.

Things are coming along nicely. Do I have another 25,000 words worth of plot? I don't know. That could get a little rough later on, but for now I'm okay. Physically I'm not in pain yet, which truthfully surprises me. That will only last so long. The music all morning has been the Decemberists album "The Crane Wife". It's working nicely, because it has a little bit of a nautical tone. It's tone matches nicely the story I'm writing. I haven't broken into the power ballads yet, so I must be doing okay.

Day 1--Anarchist [3 day]

2007-09-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Last updated: 5:35pm

The title of the piece I'm working on for this three day novel writing contest is Anarchist.

I'll be posting my progress day by day in single posts with update times, much like I would on other spaces with my essays.

Anarchist

10,016 / 10,000
(100.2%)

10:04 pm (100% -- 10 016)
Today has been pretty good. I've had some hard parts but I think I mostly know where things are going for tomorrow, hopefully by the end of tomorrow I'll know where the rest is going. I think everything should turn out well. I'm a little concerned by formatting, as some of the story parts deviate from the other bits and pieces. Maybe a little integration is in order.

I've had to research suicide by electrocution, that's not pretty. I can't believe Wikki has a list of suicide methods... I finished the day off with Blue October, which worked well. For now I have to rest my wrists and fingers. Good night all.

5:35 p, (58.5%--5, 849)
Good going. Mom bugs me. Started with the new NIN.

4:53 pm (51% -- 5, 113)
I'm a little annoyed, I was on the verge of genius and mom decided to come in for a new book... oh yeah a little annoyed, to say the least.

I'm still confident that this book is going to be exactly the length that I need it to be, I just don't think I can premonition the next bits. It writes nicely, but it's hard to predict how the next section will go. Very much an impromptu work. My break went nicely. So far it's been snippits of Decemberists, both albums, Evenescence "Eternal" over and over, and the whole ripped album Alex gave me, plus a lot of NIN--the fragile, and Halo fourteen which was last year's music too.

2:12 pm (35% -- 3, 466)
I'm very happy with the way things are going. Again, I wish I could speed up a bit. But again, because of the nature of the piece... the pages don't really feel like the correspond with the word count. I'm on page fifteen already, double spacing. It's not a bad thing, because that's what's demanded, it just feels a little strange is all. Now it's time for my lunch break! Yay! Well earned. I definitely think this had more and more room to grow.

1:19 pm (25.% -- 2, 532)
Things are going well. I'm liking the word meter. I'm about 800 words away from a well deserved break, and then it's back to work for another third, and then back to work to fill the day's quota. Everything after that is bonus work. The goal is 10 000 words a day. I think I can handle that!

11:56 am
I've been working since about 10:30am today, I got a few things down yesterday morning/evening (12-1am). The obscurity of the way in which this novel has to be written is somewhat of a hindrence on speed, but the way I'm plodding that's not so distressing. I've been fairly steady (so far) and can only see things to tinker with. The challenge of the piece is to give enough, but not too much, away in order to keep it interesting. As well, to tie in the various elements so that they piece together cohesively.

I had a moment of panic, but I think I've quelled that. I see that Beth is ahead of me, hm. Well, I'm sure I can fix that in due time. *wink*

Before bed check in

2007-09-01T02:39:00.001-07:00

2732 words. Not a whole lot, but enough that my introduction is pretty well done. I'm a little bit worried, but I think it's going okay.

Bed time!

---- I assume we'll be using this blog a bit more in the coming days.

da duh... da duh... da duh

2007-08-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like we need ominous music or something. The 3-day is merely days away -- thus Writing on Writing is merely days away from the 72 hours when it is flooded with posts... way more than it sees for the rest of the year. I must admit that I'm excited. A little scared, but mostly excited.

I've written only a few pages this break. I'm a horrible person. I've been kept pretty busy though. I feel like I can't really justify working on something that isn't my Institute of the Humanities project. They're promised to pay me for, so I just need to write the darn thing. It simply isn't coming out. I'd rather be writing something else. Specifically, I'd rather be writing my 3-day novel. Or even Ishalia. But probably the 3-day novel.

I might write some more over the next couple of days, but lets face it: all writing efforts are really to be chanelled into what is going to begin on Friday at midnight.

Quite Apt

2007-08-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Susan,
The only thing you can look forward to over the course of the day is change. You may be starting to feel a little apathetic at work so find yourself a new project to work on. You might even go to the extent of moving to a new department. You will do a much better job if you are enjoying yourself.

That was my horroscope today. It actually describes quite aptly what happened today in terms of work as I'm calling it at the moment. During vacation my true work is, of course, my writing. So I tried to get myself into Ishalia, I sat at this computer for a good long time and produced the scant side of a page of text. It gets us somewhere, but it will likely be modified in the future. Instead I switched several hours later and fleshed out a shorter piece I'd been thinking about for awhile. Barely and hour and a half later I've got five pages and something that I'm actually quite happy with. Go frigging figure eh?

I'm going to try again with Ishalia, I think I'm going to try and put aside an hour of Ishalia time every second day or so. It's not too much to ask if we ever want to finish that which is such a promising story.

The sum of the matter is as follows: I wrote today but only one sixth of the pages were on task.

Balance

2007-08-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

I can understand the issues that Suse was having over there with book two -- we've said time and time again that book two is the dark book, mostly everything (especially now that we're rapidly approaching events that will pave the way for the climax) is rather dark. Beyond even that, these are important scenes, and not, you know, the "easy" stuff (ie witty dialogue, or palace prattle). But I'm glad she got a bit of book one done, because as I said before I fully support grand plans in the goals for that book over this break. It's hard to get a good handle on events happening characters when we're simultaneously creating events that could have bearing on who they become... it's not like we're plainly re-writing, we're totally re-crafting the plot, at least in certain areas.

In other news, I too wrote yesterday. This is getting rediculous. I did about 3.5 pages when I didn't want to read Henry V, and then yesterday, when I didn't want to write my Henry V essay, I wrote another four pages. Okay, so to be fair, I probably wouldn't have written any of my essay at 1:30 in the morning anyway, but I might have gone to bed earlier to wake up fresh in order to tackle my essay! I've still only got a page of the essay done, by the way. Sigh. I'm going to go work on that now.

A little bit

2007-08-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

I wrote a little bit today. I've been out of the headspace so long that it really took some effort. I just wasn't up to writing the keniving nitty gritty amazing shit that I needed to pull out, instead... I wrote book one stuff, to get me back in the groove of things.

Two pages and a half, I'll keep thinking about it though. It's in my head now.

Semester break approaches

2007-08-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

Indeed, I did write in July. It was nothing so substative that I felt blogging it would do much good, but I guess it is a record of our productivity.

I am inclined to agree with Susan though -- we have to get a lot done this break. I would love to see book one come to its next point of completion so that we can begin submitting it again. I think that should be what we concentrate on. I have one more essay, due on Tuesday. After that, I am devoting myself to writing until September.

Pinky swear.

run more duck it and dodge it

2007-08-01T13:33:00.001-07:00

Well, I know that Bethie wrote in July. I know she did because she did that instead of her homework, not that I'm complaining mind you! I'm just fine with that arrangement... for the most part... of course to look in this our poor abandoned blog we'd never know. There's also the matter of the paragraph I dragged out of her a little earlier in the month, which was a rather comical situation I must admit.

Aside from that July has been a bust. How have we slid so far? Don't ask me Things should pick up now that it's August though and we'll both have a chance to sit doen and be with our characters. I plan on giving Ishalia a bit of attention (a lot of a bit of attention) this break.

Bethany's work beat mine this month, I must admit, since I've been traitorous and working on other projects. I'm officially a bad person.

So there it is, a line up of what is and has been and what's to come. I hope my predictions are accurate. I'd say that I'd work it and that I'd even get done book one/book two this summer break but that is entirely unreasonable. A girl can dream though, can't she? I sure can... Who knows. Maybe I'll be able to convince Beth of one of these goals. Also unlikely.

Meh. Happy August loves.

Not a good sign

2007-07-01T11:52:00.001-07:00

Not a single post in the month of June. That is not a good sign.

In For A Penny

2007-05-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

So I've finished up my bit of the beginning. It's pretty good I think, I'm actually pretty happy with it. Yay!

Beth sent me the next installment of book two at the same time. I'm interested in getting started on that, I'm getting some great madness imagery going on with Laleena's story line. The only problem is that we really need to get going on Taryne, though now I think maybe I know what I'm doing? I don't know, but when I re-read Emery may be giving me some pretty great scope to do something great. Here's hoping that the shared brain effect starts to really click.

I'm pretty excited actually. Beth's writing was pretty damned great, and now I feel I know what to do. I hope she has the same reaction to what I've given her!

So we're a rocking and a rolling away, how excellent is that?

Page count for the day: six and some. Twenty and total for that installment. Forty one for the new beginning.

Old trappings

2007-04-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

While blogger sorts itself out I'm going to try and write a post while hoping that it doesn't get deleted!

I've been writing the beginning pieces, and I really like some of the things that have been happening with them, but I am worrying about maybe having rushed the last few pages that I wrote. I'm getting them to the scene with Taryne's arrival on the page, and getting them to a point where Laleena can divulge who she really is. I want the tension to really be there for the two of them, and I'm just having some trouble writing this scene and not falling into the trappings of the first book! There was some great stuff from that book, to be certain, but I really feel as if I need take those elements and make them into what they were intended to be, something worthy of continued reading. I know that if we don't figure out who Laleena is SOON people will get pissed off, but I also know that if I don't do it in the right way it will be way what we were trying to avoid from the old book. SO here I am between a rock and a hard place: Wanting to keep the integrity of the first finished copy so as to be able to retain the ability to only have to tweak the rest of it instead of COMPLETELY rewriting again, and trying to get rid of the parts that made it nothing but an extended prologue.

Rock vs Hard Place.

I've gotten about four pages down, and done some editing to the first few I did. My other goal is to finish these up in time for beth to read and comment on them tonight so that we have something to discuss tomorrow at the gym.

Self doubt at the keyboard

2007-04-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

I'm having some issues. I'm feeling a little inadequate. I hate that. It's the writer's self-esteemios. I have liked almost nothing that I've written so far, and I'm not entirely convinced that the ideas that I have for the rest of my section are any good.

It really is the bad place.

After Susan and I talked book, my dad drove her home. In the car on the way back my dad asked me if we had had a fight. Well no... far from it. We had just talked book, which, unusally, put me in something of a bad mood. That almost never happens. I usually love talking book. I find it invigourating, creativly stimulating, and down right fun! We talked important book tonight, even roughly outlined the rest of book 2 for goodness sake, and yet I left the book talk feeling inadequate. I left, thinking thought like "am I really good enough at this? Am I not just slowing Susan down? Obviously she's the one who's actually good at it".

It's a pain. I'm not always my biggest fan, but usually I can see some merit in my contributions. I also hate writing when I'm like this, because it's a process of self-doubt, with a heaping bowl of self-esteemios. I don't know any other way out of it, though, but to keep writing, and hope the mood has gone away by my next writing!

I think maybe I should seriously consider school's creative writing class in a coming semester. I don't know that there is a lot that I can be taught about my craft that I'm not already fully aware of, but it might be good to be in a space where I'm expected to write regularly, and to get feedback from other people on it. Even if they're all just doing it to be polite, they're bound to say something nice about what I've written, and that's got to help at least a little, right?

Gah! I just feel utterly incapable! My muse feels like a crippled leper. I keep wondering if perhaps our book would be better off if I didn't write these scenes, if I... I don't know... researched moats or something instead. But I have to write them. I know what the scene will look like, and if I had capable actors, I might even be able to direct a meaningful scene in real life. I am just totally doubting my ability to make it into words... accurate, resonating, captivating words. There's a word: captivating. I don't know that I've ever been convinced that my writing is captivating. Elegant? Sure, I'll believe it. Creative, intellectual, meaningful? On a good day, sure. But captivating? Am I writing something that someone would actually want to read, on purpose, because they enjoy it? I really don't know.

But once I get out of my rut, I know I love to write. Not everything I write is crap, because if it was, someone would have told me by now. No real friend lets their friend continue to pursue a goal that they can only fail at. So with this knowledge (that not everything I write is crap) I will continue. I will push through it. I'll glare at my words, and maybe even crumple more of them up and throw them in the garbage can, because that is remarkably and surprisingly rewarding, but I will go on.

But not tonight because I have to wake up early-ish tomorrow (erm... like 9:30, but that's earlier than lately) and I want to read a bit. And I'm feeling inadequate. I'll probably feel inadequate tomorrow, but I suppose I'll just have to ignore that.

Crying to sleep

2007-04-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

So I hear this blog cries itself to sleep at night.

Well here I am, not neglecting it. I have written. 5 and a half pages or so. Okay, so that's not the most impressive amount, but I'm on it, right?

I even brought my first writing spurt, printed out, to Susan so she could see with her very eyes that I was on it. I then wrote a bit more. I finished with my Taryne scene. Depending how exausting the Fraser - Laleena - Fraser (I'm pretty sure it will work in that order) goes, I may or may not do another Taryne. Suse may have deal with that on her own.

I've [oh lord... papa just got here... there's my productivity cut in half...]

-- I don't even remember how I meant to end that sentence. I had to go make papa a "wee cup of tea" and have a conversation about Canadian content laws, Elvis, and #1 hits that we've had about 436 times. *rolls eyes* And I don't even know if I can write now because leaving him alone out there seems incredably rude. Sigh.

Too much and too little

2007-04-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

The writing took very little writing. Apparently these beginning scenes are exactly where my head are. I actually enjoyed what I wrote, and while I fear that the beginning scenes might be a bit much I think that they were what was needed for the character. The truth is that the muse and I have been conversing about these scenes for a little while now and the both of us are rather pleased with what we came up with.

I can't remember how many pages we axed, but I do know that we're up to the thirty page count now. I managed about eight pages today and I like them all so far. A character we created for this recreation is coming in really handy for adding to the tension of the piece.

What did take a lot of effort was signing into this account. Oi Vey! I couldn't remember what email address and password to use, and it took about a million tries before I managed to get it all together. Well, yay at least now I've managed. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting down to work. It's a good feeling, this writing stuff I enjoy thing. Go figure!

Accomplishment!

2007-04-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

OK, so I wrote about a page and a half after having the files back on the computer, then I sent it to Beth. I determined that since we were both in the habit of keeping it with us only to write about three pages after about a month of nothing and then give it to someone else I'd try to break the habit. I hope it works!

I still have the beginning in my posession, but I have ideas rolling for that. Beth and I came to the realisation that we have less than half of the second to go, which is way cool! That means about 40 000 words, and then we're done. It feels strange, but real, and actually good, which is a novilty. I feel affirmed that I can get the Fraser/Laleena story done by then, but I still feel like I'm walking blind with Taryne. That damned academy is really making my brain work overtime.

Whatever the case, I'm feeling super creative lately, and my juices should be running well, after I get some sleep.

Hi Ho it's off to work

2007-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm SICK, and even though I'm IN PAIN Bethie expects me to maintain my writing buzz! What a slave driver no? Ok, so it's kind of exciting and I'm not actually resentful. I have written, writing has happened in the recent past. Because of a number of unfortunate events that include way too much homework at once and various obligations I found myself immediately torn from that beautiful document which is now open on my desk top. I was torn from it and unable to return for those same reoccurring reasons, it was ever so tragic! Now though, now I should be free. I have goals for today, but they are so far fetched that it's unlikely that I'll actually be able to achieve them, AND do my reading, AND go out shopping for some necessary house hold items that my parents hate shopping for on their own now that they don't have a car. Enough said.

Beth was none too pleased when I told her that I'd written in both the open documents at my disposal. I don't blame her one bit. She understood though when I told her that I had to write in book one because she left it as an open scene, and my head was immediately able to finish that open scene that stopped mid-sentence. What's a writer to do?

The second bit was a Taryne part in book two, and I have to say that while my Taryne part a few submissions ago was excellent I'm not feeling as comfortable on this. I feel that now that this part has been written I need to start getting to some serious plot developing action, and while well I know what is going to happen, I'm having a hard time developing that catalyst for evil deeds. I'm good at mid-evil and ending evil, but every now and then it's hard to get a villain's project rolling, especially when there's so much red tape standing in their way. I'm so happy dabbling in their world and manipulating details that I must keep in mind the prime objective of getting that girl out their and wreaking some havoc! Of course, she'll be wreaking havoc while having an affair with one of the most beautiful men at court. WOOT!

I've got to think of some further Fraser to start writing as well, simply because I'm metaphysically really understanding what's happening and where he is. I'm getting the poltergeist/land spirit phenomena and I'm in tune with the Torhenbah way or being (spell check just told me that I had spelled Torhenbah incorrectly, and I tried to ask it how to fix it, only to realize that I made the word up... you'd think I'd know that).

Needless to say, hopefully I'm back on track. I've got to get into my writing habit again. So hard to develop, so easy to break!

spurt?

2007-01-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

When Susan was politely bitching about her homework over the weekend, she said at one point that what she really wanted to do was write. You know, our book. Not an essay. I was sitting in class today, and out of the blue had a massive desire to write Laleena book 2. I don't know why. It's actually been quite a while since I've written her perspective in that book, and currently I'm on book 1 duty... but dude it was weird. So right now two things are going to happen.

One: I am going to tackle the scene I've been putting off in book 1, the last one I'm doing before I hand it over.

Two: I am going to ask a question.

If book two is the gothic novel, and book three is the war novel, what is book one?

A Bit Jumbled to Say the Least

2007-01-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Bethie actually doesn't have my sample of the latest book two writing, what she's discussing in her post is my first chunk for book one. I actually liked it, there was action, character development and certainly a humorous lift.

Now I'm set to working on book two. The arrangement was that (on Tuesday this is decided) I would put my book two work on hiatus -- it was eight pages through -- I would start on book one opening, which I needed to write because it was in my head and I didn't want to give that opportunity up. In order for us to be on schedule and to not have a Bethie riding my back going "Would you just finish ONE of them!" as I tried to juggle the two pieces, or worse, finish book two work than move on to book one while she sat there writingless, we made me little Ms Writer of book one. I was to promise to finish it by Friday. I did. So now Bethie has it and I'm oh so glad that she likes it. Seeing as how she didn't get to bed till like quarter after three I don't know if I should phone her right now at the crack of noon to get an update. Probably not wise.

So I finished the seven pages of beginning, have eight pages to go back to for book two, and am waiting with bated breath to see what Bethie has in store for me with the beginning of book one. I'm so nervous about this. It feels like we're connecting puzzle pieces from a different puzzle, and while we know that the picture will be prettier, it still feels like we're doing something dirty! I'm going to try and break out the writing fingers for some book two work today, and I know that Beth is jazzed about focusing on her book one work, so we should have some product -- the good kind -- flying. It's going to be interesting, having two of us working at the same time and then exchanging. So many words!

Seriously.

2007-01-06T03:14:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to write tonight. I was all jazzed to get going, and totally motivated by the impending school -- it was totally set to happen.

Then my mom said she needed my help with something quick. Oh the fateful last words. I had to just help her "attach a document to an e-mail". Okay, no big: my mom's technologically inept, this should take no time. Well the "document" ended up being a form from her specialized tax progam that I absolutely hate dealing with. It took for freaking ever to figure out how to do. I ended up converting to PDF and yadda yadda. In the middle of this, she decides we have to try copy-and-paste to word. Lo and behold, her new laptop is decidedly Wordless. So we have to find the copy of our MS Word disc. Of course, we can't find it. Of course, she assumes it's in my room seeing as it was the last computer we'd have needed to put word on. Meanwhile, I ask her if she knows where the big black CD wallet is, and she says it was emptied into jewel cases and thrown out. I was pretty sure it was there. So I search my room as she panics and looks it up to find that Word is a $500 program (I neglect to mention what she paid for it the first time...). Finally we find it. In the big black CD wallet. Which was in the living room. Gah. Then I have to answer an e-mail that her client sent her. Her client is having a baby, and needs to know what to name it. My mom way didn't care, so I got to take that one. Then we needed to make a list for Office Depot tomorrow. My theory: she missed me 'cause I was out all day (at least for that last bit... she actually needed me for the first part, though it took waaaaay longer than she'd promised.)

So I didn't get to start reading Susan's pages until 3:00am. I just finished them. They're great, and I can't wait to write, but now I have to sleep.

*Growl*

Edit-a-thon '06 Summary

2006-12-22T00:47:00.000-08:00

Well now, that's done.

That's right folks, we actually finished it. All of book one has been edited. We found enough pages to double what was left in the edit-a-thon but still we prevailed. All in all we did, what was it... 80 or so pages in two and a half days. For most of that, that was both of our individual edits as well as the together computer edits. It was intimidating. It was intense. And now it is done.

We celebrated by watching an episode of the OC -- a show we've not really watched for oh so long, but thought made a perfect guilty pleasure reward for such hard work.

So let me say it again: book one has been completely edited. We are fairly confident that most of what is in there is decent writing that is more or less gramatically correct. Sure, most of the writing is fine... but. There's always a but, eh?

Now there's the re-writes. We're not entirely sure how this is going to work. We certainly don't know how long it is going to take. We have to re-do at least the first 50 pages. We have to read the damn thing. Sure, we've now read this thing many, many times between us, but neither of us have been able to sit down and read the thing start to end without changing a word, without squabbling over commas... we need to read it for story, we need to read it for flow. We talk about building tension, but how can we really judge it's tension when to read the whole thing through has always taken us many, many months? And been done with pen in hand/fingers at keyboard? We also are beginnning to make cautious remarks about getting other people to read it -- you know, people who aren't us, and don't necessarily have a mother's complex about it all.

And then there's the publishing process. At what point do we start sending out queries again?

However, none of this is being worried about until after Christmas. We have a few busy, non-writing-related days ahead of us that can now be guiltlessly enjoyed as we have completed a monumental step in the development of our baby. Sometime after the yuletide celebrations we shall reconvene and determine how to proceed from here.

Not so smug

2006-12-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

So anyhow, you all remeber how I said we only had thirty pages to do? You all remember how I was so happy that we only had to power through those pages and then the world would be right? Well, we found thirty more pages, and are very aware of the general stinging sensation created by finding those pages. Thus it was required that I attend EDIT A-THON 06, DAY TWO, today. It's getting done though, and even though we've been working since two, there is hope that we can finish it all today.

Page 393 must be a bitch though, because Bethany's been editing it for for-freaking ever. Yay it's done!

I caught up to her now, so I'm going to wait until about five of the last ten, need to be hand edited, pages are done by her, then I'll get off of the computer.

Just thought I'd update. I'll probably leave Beth to do the EDIT A-THON 06 summary post.

So soon!

2006-12-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

I know it was only about a week ago that I posted, what ever will you -- my ever neglected little blog -- do with so much attention?

Today is edit-a-thon o6, to big to do that will decide our further movement with this, our novel, Prophecy's Birth. Oh the tension, oh the excitment, oh the lack of something for me to do at this very moment...

We've now edited everything that was edited and ready, which left us with thirty pages in need of attention. If we're smart I'll be able to pace myself enough that I can edit while Beth's editing and we'll somehow finish within five or ten minutes of one another. That's the hope, but the reality is that it'll probably be a much larger time discrepency.

You're probably all wondering why the fuck it's taking Beth and I so damned long to finish the damned editing on this thing. The answer is not that we're just crummy writers and have been completely re-writing this whole thing, that is far from the truth... most of the time. The reason is time, and now that we have time in this vacation '06, we have decided to pay some TLC to our baby, and get a move on. What we've also decided is that the book needs to be finished so that we can re-open its pages and ONCE A-FUCKING-GAIN, do some major re-writes.

Just typing that word, re-write, makes me shudder and feel a little nauseous. It's an unfortunate affect. I'm watching Bethany cut some stuff which is more entertaining, and eerie than I thought it would be... Back to where I was though, the re-writes *shudder* are going to require that we have the part of the book that we lie finished before we get started on them. I'm going to suggest that we each read the whole damned thing, and make a series of notes before we start on the new re-writes. I say we do this so that we can get a broad sense of what's happening, while we do that we can also get a better temperal sense of things. Beth and I are haveing some issues with time, which is putting a cramp in the way some of the characters move through the story. I figure if we each just read, and take careful notes with page numbers, than we can get a better sense of what's needed when we do those spiffy re-writes.

To refute myself: it might not be such a good idea. We might lose some perspective on the actual novel, or we might lose take too much time out of the book and lose our roll. Hm, the arguments to do the read are stronger. We should probably do the read then.

The only problem with this, of course, is that we'll be moving FARTHER away from publishing.I know, I know, there has to be a proposal first, there has to be a good story, start to finish, there has to be all this stuff, but it just feels like this date keeps getting shoved farther and farther away. I know I'm young and all, but that doesn't mean I have all the time in the world to wait, because I don't. There are other stories waiting for voice.

*name* is a woman suffering from obsessive compulsive order, after fighting
her Buhdist heritage for as long as she can remember, she finally gives in to
her father's suggestion that she meditate to find the cause of her problems.
What she finds on her journey is so spectaculare that it changes the very time
she's in, and that she percieves.

Now doesn't that just sound really cool? No one had better steal that. I would be so pissed off. Then again, I'm sure most people don't carry my theory of time with consideration given to Saint Augustine. I also have an interest in a story about about a dystopia I kind of created, but then again, I don't know if it's a dystopia, or just a really undesireable place that happens to be futuristic. I guess they can be mistaken.

Odd that both of those have roots with science fiction. We'll finish, and the series will be done, but I wish we had more time to devote to it. Staring at my next semester schedule is making me wince for the sake of the writing. It's going to take a big hit, but then, when's the writing not taking a hit? I'll say it again, like I'm constantly saying, time has got to be made. YA!

Well, I'll let Bethie respond, or not, depending on how she feels should her break come. For now though, good bye and wish us luck?

Tis the season

2006-12-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be a writing. A writing away I shall be, as soon as I have a space to do so in. It is a victory for this blog and for my life's work (so what if I'm not even twenty yet), that I have three weeks off.

Now that the cursary "I'm going to write" has been said, and the "I just wish" has been done, I can do a real update on the ol' novel thinger.

We've hit ANOTHER hitch in the road to publishing. Admittedly being rejected by five agents isn't a big deal, but Beth and I have always believed in nipping things at the bud. It's going to put a delay in our plans for publishing... I guess we'll just have to take the beats and hitch up our skirts, because you see... the unfortunate thing is that BOOK ONE IS REALLY REALLY BORING!

Beth put it excellently when she said "It's like that mother that one day just has to admit that her daughter just isn't that pretty." We love our baby, we love her passionately and with such a fierce ardeur that we've neglected to help her get over her less pleasent qualities.

I guess it all started when we were forced to split the book into three due to its sheer tomb like qualities. She was huge. So down to three it was! We wrote book one, and as we edited it we just kept saying, "It get's better," which it does, a lot better, it gets down right juicy political, mystical, soap operaey with just a touch of war fare juicy. It's great... in the second book. I think that's where our problem stemmed from. Beth and I just kept saying "Oh don't worry, book two is great" without thinking that to sell book two we HAD to sell book one. Book two makes no sense without book one... we tried to make it make sense and failed.

The good news is that we were able to create a really dynamic new opening for book one that would take care of the first quarter fo the book's hum drums... the bad news is that it doesn't take care of the middle of the book... you know, the important part. We really need to find a story line for book one that sells, and that gets the readers to book two which deserves to be read.

Bethany and I have a plan, so don't worry your little head oh non-existant reader of this barely maintained blogosphere niche. We plan on spending about a week FINISHING the final major edits of book one, and then doing all those book things we promised ourselves we'd do... and never do, do. Thus it's going to be writer-a-thon of a sort. I doubt that we'll actually get everything we want to accomplish accomplished, but we'll try... and christmas shop as we're trying. CHRISTMAS IS SO EFFING SOON!

OK, well that's the official update. Night night my loves.

[note] I'm finally going to read beth's 3-day, which is good because results come some time in January[/note]

Still

2006-11-29T21:43:00.000-08:00

Bethany still hasn't told me about our rejections. Kind of amusing. That does supremely suck that we were rejected by five. Time to look over the work again.

I wish we could go out to more conferences. I just really think that would probably help. Well we must persist.

Publishing update

2006-11-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

REJECTED

So since this blog was last updated we've recieved two more rejection letters. I got the last only today and I haven't actually told Susan about it yet.

This means that we sent out five queries and got five rejections. It all happened pretty quick. They were all form letters, with not a single personalized comment. It's nothing less than we expected, but it still kinda sucks, you know?

Dum de dum

2006-11-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

I was having my Ishalia craving and now it is sated - well the reading part. I have some comments for Bethie of course, but for now I am mulling.

I loved her work, but as us writers are most of the time -- at least when adement -- crap is crap. I've told Bethie before "This is crap" she just kinda gave me a look, she agreed. Now I must agree with her crap. It wasn't that great. Not the crappiest crap, but we can do better.

It's a we because more and more I'm realizing that this isn't "collaberative" in the sense that it's two people one story, its one complete idea using two people.

We need much publishing ya?

Three rejections and more to come.

If I'd had a drink

2006-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

If I'd had a beverage that would have been spew alert worthy.

Unfortunately for my sence of bethany's self esteem I can't get all grumbly and tell her she's a twit.

I can't do it.

Not because I have no faith in her writing abilities, that's certainly not it at all, but simply because I've been there, and I've done exactly that. You think you have more to say, you can see more in the glimmering future, buuuuut... You don't have anything more to say. That's how it works with this peice, sometimes the muse gets aggressive. "YOU! You, what are you still doing writing kid? It's time to move one. Pass it on lovey pass on the love."

It's just how it works. I may not have articulated that pain as well as Beth did two posts down, but I've been there, and felt that pain. Especially with this book... I don't know what it is about this book, but the cut offs for "Thou shalt write no more" are sudden and rather abrubpt. If I'm left mid-sentance I'll understand.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

2006-11-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

I can't do it!! I cannot string together words and be happy with the result!!

I've done just over a page, and it's crap. I kinda know where I want it to go, but so far the path I've taken to get there is crap. It's not entertaining, it's boring, it flows awkwardly, and it might even be confusing. It's crap.

I tried to write an angsty poem for my poetry blog about the crap and couldn't get more than two lines without that too being crap.

I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll write some non-crap.

Gah.

I'm pathetic, leave me be

2006-11-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I can't say I haven't written anything yet. I've written a whole 293 words. Yup, that's about two and a half paragraphs. I stopped mid-sentence. Now I'm going to make dinner. At nine, I am going to watch Reba. After Reba (9:30 or 10:00 depending on whether I've seen the second episode) I will watch the CSI episode that was on Thursday night.

Then I'll write some more.

I really really really need to get this to Susan. No matter what, she will have it next week, at the first time I see her. That might be Tuesday, or it might not be till Wednesday, but she will have it. I will probably stop mid scene as she did for me. My last sentence might be "Either you will have sex with me, or I will kill your brother." But that's just my head space at the moment. That might well change.

It took me way too long to write not even 300 hundred words.

*looks up*

Well evidently I can still write in sentences.

Milestones

2006-10-31T18:50:00.000-08:00

Let us take a moment or two to look at some of the accomplishments that we have seen in the development of our book.

Perhaps the first thing I should mention is that we started it. A friend began a little online game thing that required we create characters. I created one. A much-evolved version of that character inspired me to begin to write. I thought it might be a short story. I thought it might a long short story. I wrote a whole seven pages (of gramatically incorrect, structurally over-done, weakly plotted dribble that eventually ended up 100% re-written and then ultimate tossed all together) and was stuck. I didn't know what to do. So I asked Susan if she'd be interested in writing a bit, continuing where I left off. And thus began something great.

There was a moment, eventually, where we decided that our long short story was actually going to be novel length. It was a little mind-blowing.

At some point, we made a startling revelation. What we were producing was something that could, in theory, be published. We were writing a fantasy novel not that much unlike the kinds of things we liked to read. Our names could theoretically be in print on a bookshelf. Woah. It began as a thought, a footnote to what we were doing for personal fulfillment only, but it grew. Oh did it grow. Because, you see, as we began to let ourselves consider the possibilities, we began to slowly realize that to be published authors wouldn't only be kinda neat, it would totally rock. And it became something of a dream. But it was that kind of dream that sort of felt like when you were a kid and decided you wanted to live your life as a crayon maker, or something utterly random: it would be neat, you spend time thinking about it, but you're pretty sure it's never going to happen.

Revelation number 2: Becoming a published author is an attainable dream. Not only is it something that could theoretically come about, it is a dream that we decided we were willing to make happen. We decided to work towards this. It wasn't a "maybe one day we could get this published!" that we whispered in secret, literally weary of telling anyone. Many of the people dear to us weren't aware that we wrote with some level of seriousness until we had already produced multiple hundreds of pages!

Something that is definately worth noting in the journey of our writing thus far is when we went to the Writer's Weekend conference. Nothing really came of it, directly. We learned some neat things, many neat things, in fact, that are being put to use now, moreso than at the time. But what was spectacular about that conference was that it really cemeted the fact that it was real. I don't think the "we can really do this" thought was completely real to either of us until that point. That conference allowed us to talk to publishing people, the sorts of individuals that lived in that cloudy realm of the theoretical. Meeting them made them real, and made us realize that we really could try to have them publish us. We also talked to authors; these were people that were like us. Sure, we were younger than pretty well all of them, but we knew that one day they were young too -- and they probably hadn't gathered the sort of information that we were getting at our age (in fact, a couple of people were impressed with us for getting out there so young, and mentioned they wished that they would have done similar things). But guess what? Real people were writers. Real people were at similar places to us. And real writers, who partially habitated on the NY Times bestseller list, told us when they were just like us, and that we had to say to ourselves that I am a writer, and I do deserve my dream!

It was acutally during that conference that we began to think of our book in a way that focussed on marketability. Our baby was goliath -- who knew? What we had written as one fantasy novel was long enough for three. So we began to think of things like story arcs. We began to think of how we would one day present our book to agents and editors.

Which brings me to the point of all this.

Today I mailed five query packages to be sent to New York City to be looked at by literary agents who will consider whether they want to take on the project of having our book published. Some time after/around the conference we came out of the writing closet -- we told our families and friends that we wrote, and would even tell them a bit of what it's about. Today it began the journey into the real world. Tomorrow, our query, our synopsis, and our sample pages will be picked up by a truck to begin their journey to the big apple.

First we just did it for the sake of doing it. Then, we realized that it could be real. Then we knew we wanted to make it real. Now it's real.

We know that in all likeliness these query packages will end up yielding us five rejection letters. We know that we're nowhere close to being bound and on a bookshelf. Hell, even if we do manage to land a literary agent, that still isn't a guaranteed outcome. We know that. But now we're actively submitting. It is impossible to get published unless you submit. We're at that part now.

It's dreadfully exciting.

Finally

2006-10-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I wrote today.

*bows*

Some oddness

2006-10-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Admittedly there was some oddness today.

I posted on what I thought was this blog space, but wasn't. As we all know I had some failed blogger attempts when I was still a rookie blogger and there are versions of Writingmyself peppering the bloggesphere. I'm sorry for that, but I accidentally posted in one of those today! How strange is that? I find it very odd - in fact I am down right spooked!

The blog itself was title "never say never," and was basically devoted to teasing Bethany and her lack of writerly thoughts.

I did of course add my sympathy to her lack of time for the whole actual writing thing but I did plead with her to try and give the thinking towards that act a valient effort. Just the thinking would make me a happy camper. Thinking leads to working, but the thinking must happen before the working, so lets get the ball rolling - stage one needs must start!

I've also been wondering of late if our stamps have come in the mail yet.

What, stamps in the mail you ask! Why yes mr blogger, stamps in the mail. Now that we are officially ready to get up and going in relation to the queery process we have a number of submission packages all ready to go, but we haven't the stamps! Darn yankee SASEs! It's awfully hard for a canuck to get herself represented, let me tell you what!

In other news: some out of novel writing shall be taking place in the near future - dear lord I need to read those excerpts from my local news paper's thriller contest! As well I'm getting good review on After Life, the book I wrote for three day. I haven't been able to finish Beth's tomb yet seeing as how I haven't been at a computer for long enough, but now that the urgency has somewhat been sucked out of computer time I think that the next time I baby sit I shall get a good portion of me reading done.

If only I could print it out I'd so be done. I've been consuming books lately, and I just know that I"m going to run out soon. There was a very tragic incident last night that had me losing a Margaret Atwood novel and having to replace it with a Robert Ludlem. I've nothing against Rob, it's just that his work is a three book commitment where as Maggie is only one (I was going to read Cat's Eye). I suppose I just set the book down somewhere last night and when I went to read I couldn't find it - so I had to search the house in the middle of the night - naked no less seeing as how I don't wear clothes to bed, and lord save me I still didn't find it! I should count myself lucky that I found something though. At least there is that. The book so far is very good, and it's got some good action writing, and I tried to read it when I was younger, but it went over my need or want to read, I think over my level too. Books which have letters that are very small and go all the way up to the top of the page were rather intimidating in grade nine.

Total digression.

The need to read is why I would so be done beth's three day if I had been able to print it out. There, done.

Aside from all that though, I thought I'd give this politely waiting blog a cursery October poke. It deserves that much seeing as how it hasn't been touched since september (though that was some touch fest!). I guess now's the time to be bidding you adiu. Ta ta mr bloggerpus!

I'm going now.

Now.

Yeah. Good.

Oh the Glee!

2006-09-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

I got into the room filled with computers that resides in my new school and just about dropped my purse, tilted back my head and let out a deeply maniacle laugh "MWA HA HA HA HA!" I wanted to cackle "I have found the internet connection!"

This is for another blog though.

While I'm here I thought I'd catch ya'll up with my latest doings concerning the International Three Day Novel contest. Jesus lord all mighty is that a marathon or what? I always forget just how physically taxing it is. One wouldn't think that their legs, arms, shoulders, neck, and ass would all come out sore from such a thing, considering you aren't moving much, but then, one remembers that not moving hurts as much as moving too much and a revelation is had.

The first night of the contest I sat in front of my computer - which I had just hooked up - and, after figuring out how to do everything I needed to do without a mouse, started writing. I was about three hundred words in when I determined that the story I was writing wasn't the story that I was going to be sticking to.

When I had been meditating before hand I had been thinking about other stories, and they'd been screaming at me a lot louder, so I gave in and allowed myself to be consumed by the story of John and Emily (my fingers know how to type those words, they cramped just doing it once. I think that's a sign.) The premise was a paranormal romance with an edge of mystery. I enjoyed writing it.

To keep on track I found myself following a system of schedules. By four/five I should have at least twelve pages by six it should be fifteen. By the time I was ready for dinner I needed to have twenty (normally around 8/9) by the end of the night I'd have about thirty. I ended up only writing about twenty six or seven on the last night, but by the time I finished I was so tired that I forgave myself.

That's all I'm willing to get out on this blog, even writing about the damned event is making me weary - my eyes hate staring at this screen...

28,263 words

2006-09-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

DONE!

I'm going to wait an hour or two and then read it through/edit. I want to change a bit in the second chapter.

I just used Word's replace function and changed all my Bonnie's to Katie's. It's gonna feel so stragne to read that.

I'm so done with typing right now.

24,248 words

2006-09-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

NOW I'm feeling it.

I am blaring Evanescence, and I know exactly where this thing is going, and I have less than eight hours to get it there.

Good Morning Blogger

2006-09-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a wake up post to re-teach my fingers how to type and my mind how to create sentences. There's no point posting a word count because I just woke up and haven't even opened the document yet.

Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter, died yesterday day. I was so sad when I heard that. He was filming for some show and got stung by a sting ray in the heart. Yikes. When I heard that last night, a little bit of novel writing inspiration kinda leaked away... I think I have it back, but poor Steve! Not only was he entertaining as all heck, he was a great environmentalist.

I do not count it as a good sign that my wrists and fingers were stiff/sore when I woke up. I am realizing, writing this post, that no, indeed that is really not a good sign. Especially painful is reaching my pinky down to hit the SHIFT button for capitalization or certain punctuation. Oh. Dear.

I am almost certain that I will not achieve 30,000 words this year. Based on what I'm reading on the 3-day discussion board, this year is harder for most -- even vetrans who have easily made their goals in years past are having troubles this year. I wonder why that is. The again, it is sort of silly to judge all 400-ish entrants on the 10-ish that post regularly on the board. As Susan said yesterday, there is a certain comfort in talking to someone who is going through it. That comfort extends to reading their discussion board posts. They say some neat things in there.

Now I'm going to have a long serious conversation with my hands and get to work.

20,413 words

2006-09-04T02:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a little more than 2000 words below my day's goal. I'm going to bed. I'm setting my alarm though; I will only sleep until 10:30. That's eight hours from now. It should be enough to revive me so that I can fly through the end.

I still plan on having about 30,000 words (though this one may come in a little under that) so I am two thirds of the way through, but I'm hoping for some time to edit tomorrow. I'd also like to be done a little early so I can go to bed at a reasonable hour for school. Like Susan, I have class at 8:30 on Tuesday.

My hair is really soft.

I am having more trouble with the writing this year than I was last year. It makes sense to me, and Susan warned me, but it's still a little un-fun -- the trouble, that is. Overall I'm having a blast. Okay, well I'm not too convinced of that at this precise moment, but I maintain that really I am, I just don't know it right now.

Oh, and one more thing: in the past few thousand words I've gotten really sick of my protagonist's name. Genera. Isn't that a dumb name? It is terribly, terribly clever, but it's kinda a dumb name. Oh well. Poor Genera. I'm sticking with it.

19,617 words

2006-09-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

It is past 1:30 in the morning. I am so tired. I am drinking a Ginseng/Taurine/B Vitamin drink, eating nuts and dried fruit, and I'm still tired. If that combo doesn't have me bouncing off the walls, however will I keep writing?

I am way not getting to 22,700 words tonight, as was the plan. It just ain't gonna happen.

I'm gonna go put some more words on the page.

Gaaaaaaaaaah!

15,999 words

2006-09-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, not a lot of words since I last posted. But there were was one break and then a thinking break (I took notes) then an eating break...

I'm ready and rarin' to go. I've got my next section plotted and it can come out now.

Susie misses you Mr. Bloggerman.

15,074 words

2006-09-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

All rightie, so how am I doing? Well that depends just how you look at it. The first way is that I have 7000 words to write today in order to meet my day's goal. That's a lot of words. And there's not that much day left.

However.

The 3-day vetrans seem to agree that you should be half way through by 6:00 on the second day. Well here I am, eight minutes to that time, and I have 15000 words. Last year, I wrote about 30,000, so that has been my goal for this year. There you go. Half way through. I'm also half way looking at pages. Last year's was 105 pages, and I'm currently on page 52. We're talking an almost exactly half-way point.

So I'm either going too slow or right on schedule, depending how you want to look at it.

I am a little worried that I'm only half way through here. I don't know if I have enough story to double this. I may need more thinkies soon.

I'm gonna go make words.

11,980 words

2006-09-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

I started late today. I didn't wake up until 11 and it took a few minutes for me to stumble into the computer chair. My goal for the day is 12000 words, which as you can see is actually how much I have right now. I'm actually 1000 words into my goal, so I'm hoping it will all turn out good.

I actually know what's going to happen. I have conflict, I have good guys, and bad guys. I know all sorts of things that are going to happen to up the tension. I still am not 100% sure on how it will end. I don't know if it's a happy ending or a sad one. Basically the clone with either live or die. I'm not certain yet, though I am leaning one way. I figure I have some time before I have to decide though.

10,759 words

2006-09-03T01:17:00.000-07:00

Goals complete. I think I know how it is going to end, though I'm not married to that particular ending. I at least know what's happening for the next third or so of the novel so I'm okay. I've also reached my 10,000 + goal, and considering my last year's submission came to just over 30,000 words, I think that puts me in a good place.

I was hoping, I admit, for a little bit more tonight. I'm pretty sure, based on last year's blog entries, that I am a little bit behind where I was at this time last year, but I'm really tired right now. I was just listening to Sarah McLaughlin's Rarities CD, it was working really well, but the last song on it, that goes "Just close your eyes... just clooooose your eeeeeeyyes" was seeming all too convincing. I think I might go to bed now and hope I rise early in the morning for a really productive day.

I did meet my goals, so all is good. Good night.

8774 words

2006-09-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

So. The last four hours or so have generated a whopping 500 words. That's way not comforting.

I've got a little block going on. I'm not a big writer's block kinda person -- I think that's largely because pretty well all the major works I do are co-written with Susan. What this means is that whenever I'm stuck, or that uncertain zone just before stuck, I can talk it out with her, and between us we figure out what to do. It's a neat arrangement, and it works both ways. I know that even if I was doing a major work individually, I'd be able to come up with some comperable arrangement with her -- she's my writing buddy, and would be willing to talk through it with me. The unfourtunate thing about this situation is that she too is doing a long work within a limited time, and she doesn't have the luxory to talk me through my block. It might be better if she had regular phone service. I remember last year she talked some of it through with me, or rather I talked it through, saying things like "I wish it could have a happy ending" and then she said stuff like "give it a happy ending then moron" and I did and life was good. We're having check-in points, but no real long conversations because she has the unfourtunate malady of being stuck with her minutes-plan cell phone until her parents hook up the real live phone.

My goals for tonight (because I know that progress can only be made in these situations if one has goals) are to reach 10,000 words and to decide how this thing is going to end. I'd like to know how we get to the end, but at the very least I want these character's final destinations. It's only almost 10:30 -- I should be able to manage. Although... I am feeling the sleepies. Good thing I just made coffee. I may end up having another shower. And perhaps drinking that MONSTER energy drink.

8292 words

2006-09-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

Things are going a bit better, I guess. I want at least another ten pages before I go to bed tonight, and considering it is only 6:30, I should be okay.

I'm getting to the end of the amount of plot I'd had predetermined. I'm soon going to have to start coming up with my own storyline. Hmm... wonder how that will go.

Hey, anyone know what's up with the Blogger Beta thing? I'm kinda confused. Maybe I'll try to find out. I'm on a legitimate break right now, because I just finished a very important scene, and I need to stew about what comes next. I have an idea for the next scene or two, but after that I really don't know what's happening.

My concept last year fascinated me: birth certificates with an expiry date. Living your entire life knowing exactly when you are going to die. It was fun to write, and I was able to throw in some romance. At first I had thought it was going to end tragically, but then I changed my mind and wrote in some Navajo nuns who made it all okay. It was a fun project. This one is kind of different. I also liek the premise of this one: what does it mean if you fall in love with your clone? Where the last one had an actual problem to resolve (the chick didn't want to die...) this one's premise doesn't have one. So I'm having to come up with the conflict as I go. It's getting there, but I wish I had a clearer idea of what it was.

I talked to Susan a couple hours ago. She's doing okay. At that point she was about ten pages behind me, but that last scene I wrote was a slow process, so she quite possibly may have caught up by now. Apparently she's had some rather drastic changes in her original plan.

My mom bought be an energy drink for tonight (but, alas, not more bugles). Let's hope it actually perks me up, unlike that one I had before that made me sleepy!

5650 words

2006-09-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not being too productive, and this sort of worries me. I kind of stamp out a page or two, then I sit and bob my head to the music, or snack on some munchies, or find my water bottle fascinating. I'm on page 20.

This check in is also to report some internet browsing. Naughty me. Not too much, I swear: just some blogs, and my e-mail. I tried to go to happymeal.com but it didn't work. There's some kind of Mario contest to enter but I couldn't get in the site.

I don't really know how Susan's doing with hers. I got a text message a while ago asking for the five stages of grief, so I looked them up and texted them back. Sounds like a cheery story eh?

Well, I'm going back to my novel now.

Going to bed

2006-09-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

I'm on the 10th page and have about 2600 words. It's not a lot, but it's a start, and that's what's important for the first night. I was up early and then I was out all day, walking around, so I'm tired. Tomorrow will be the big day of productivity.

3-day novel 2006

2006-09-02T00:06:00.000-07:00

Aaaand she's off.

This blog will be my internet conscience. Unless for research, I will not go on the internet without checking in here.

I've showered, had coffee, and am now ready to begin!

Got words

2006-08-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am a happy writer. Well, I anticipate becoming a happy writer in the very near future, anyway. I figure a writer can't rightly be a happy writer unless said writer is actively engaged in the act of writing -- which I will be shortly.

I read the selection that Susan wrote, and I am happy with it. There were a couple of scenes of especially that got my all jollied up -- I could sense a little Carey influence, as well as the inclusion of some rather hard-core fantasy stuff. Some pretty killer characterization too.

She left me, quite literally, in the middle of a scene. I must say, it is an interesting tactic -- I cannot exactly say I don't know where to begin! I'm not going to write right now though... I'll take a little break. I have to digest an gather my thoughts. I am awfully excited though.

Hidden Writing

2006-08-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's not that I didn't want to tell the world about my writing, I just didn't wanna give the notion "perhaps I'll write" because perhaps tends to lead to "nah" I didn't want to post anything down in here until there was some substantial writing down on that paper of mine, and now there is.

Seven pages have been accomplished in the last few days, and I like them all. Though there are a few before them that I believe kill tension, or that maybe should have some more meaning engrained into their existance later on, they are pages and that's what matters.

Now on page twenty of my latest set I find myself being able to truthfully say that Bethie will be getting her chunk come monday. We'll be getting together in a group scene, and if this isn't motivation to come on over I don't know what is. I've got a bit of one scene to finish, and then it's on to a possible other, but I feel that I've got quite enough accomplished.

I'd give a more indepth report on my writing goings on and such, but I've a lunch date I'd be best getting to.

While I wait for the world to catch up

2006-07-14T02:13:00.000-07:00

So today was an edit day, and a rather productive one at that. We got through 19 pages, and let me tell you Mr. Bloggerman, that is quite the accomplishment. They were big pages... well okay, they were the normal size, but there was a relative amount to be done on them. And then we rearranged our salad. My that sounds odd. We had to move some scenes about which did really devastating [hold on while I close the door] things to our already questionable timeline. We moved parties and crazy things, and imprisonment scenes and all sorts of stuff.

Then, we went on a nice big walk in a rather dark neighbourhood and Talked Book. This was done with great zeal as we covered a lot to occur in both this book and ones to follow. Good stuff. Now if only I had the time to write the damned things. Oh well, at least I manage the edit sessions.

Suse still hasn't left, and is in fact reading this over my shoulder as I write it -- which is damn strange...

--- FYI she wrote another three pages or so since her last pathetic (read "flippant") entry on this blog.

So I'm outta here to see if the rest of the world has deemed the internet worthy.

indeed

2006-07-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

I wrote. about a page, but i plan on doing more - this is grossly punctuated and capitalized... TAKE IT!

A note for the books

2006-07-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

I have written in the past little while, I just haven't had the time/energy to post about it. Admittedly it was only a little bit, about one page and a half, but enough to get the Taryne scene rolling. On my next aimless walk I plan on decideing just who my next chunk will circle around.

Thanks EE!

2006-06-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

The EVIL EDITOR critiqued the first draft of our query letter yesterday. I'm happy that he did not seem generally appauled by it -- nor did the minions who are known to sometimes have passionate feelings (often of distate) for the letter/premise. The fact that most of the comments were spent talking about an obscure weed that grows in the Southern States I take as a good sign! That you EE -- some suggestions are going to be taken, others pretty well disregarded. As usual, the critique was quite amusing, made even more so because it was ours.

Today's editing went well even though it felt more like work than it has in the past couple weeks. When we began our weekly editing, we felt hugely accomplished to get 10 pages done a day. Today we did 17. I'm thinking this is a combination of the writing getting better, us getting faster at editing, and more leniancy on both our parts. We're really less likely to quibble about things like commas, and if we're opposing on something, usually either one gives in fast or we just cut it altogether. Compromise is our friend.

In other news, Jim Baen passed away yesterday. I am not exactly a science fiction fan, though it is an area I am actively interested in learning more about. The tropes are interesting, and there is much within the SF genre that parallels the nifty societal insights that can be made in fantasy. And I certainly respect and admire what Jim Baen was able to do to the industry of sci-fi publishing -- he did more for it than many others have. He was the founding force for some of the biggest names in SF, main editor of one of the biggest publishing houses in SF Baen books, established the SF lines of both Ace fiction and Tor, and worked for a couple of magazines. Fantasy and sci-fi have a tendency to be grouped together, and surely some of the good he's done SF is good done also to its sister-genre. There is a very touching piece written about Jim Baen here by David Drake -- even most non SF readers have surely heard of Drake.

In the name of Procrastination

2006-06-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

In the name of procrastination (yesterday) I managed to produce one and a half pages of work, or just over that. They were good pages and leave me at a desirable place, I did it to lessen my guilt for not haveing written in so long and to further my procratination attempts. That is in fact what this post is for. Aren't I good at this?

Anyhow, that's what's up, and I now have a chunck of editing from beth to speed through, of course it'll be a miricle if I manage... maybe if I'm not doing anything tomorrow... we'll see.

Woot There It Is!

2006-06-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

A reasonable relaxed editing session managed to spring us forward into the DONE zone for book one part one's editing - which again, is done. Thank god. Now we move onto book one part two's editing and let me say, here's hoping it's smoother going. It'll be more familiar that's for certain as it seems we will be doing both the steps at relatively the same time. I'll be finishing up and then passing off what ever it is that I finish to the Thursday session. Again, here's hoping we're good to go.

A 'suprise down' in 'reward' for finishing our first half, was a half check from my co-hort's mother. "This is what half a book is worth" she said to us. It's for tw- dollars, what that tw- turns out to be is beyond us, but we are of the understanding that it is for shipping, copying etc fees. Again, here's hoping.

We are so close to shopping our book around that I can taste it! I just hope that all this time and effort is ultimately worth it, I believe in it and so does Beth, but let's face it people, it's still a scarey bussiness this publishing thing!

Just thought I'd pass on the good news, now I go forth to recover from late nate talking and such to other persuites of the mind (and possibly a nap).

OnARollAgain/Momentum

2006-06-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today I grasped the momentum that was so quickly slipping from my fingers. I grasped and I wrote, I wrote just the right amount to keep me coming back for more either today or tomorrow, just the right amount... I hope. (4 pages)

The issue of the day is, how do I accomplish all that needs accomplishing without going too quickly? Honestly speeking I'm afraid of going to fast for the novel. When we split it into threes I sat there going "This is a splendid idea" but I knew that there would be set backs, such as the one I am facing right now. My issue with book two is making it a real book and not just a "part of" type of thing. I love the plots, I love where it's going, but I'm so afraid of cutting it off at an awkward point, or hurrying things up and making it too short. Perhaps I am fretting for no reason, view book 1: it is too long, though we are still editing. Perhaps book two will be too long, and will have to be edited down, but really I am still nervous. Are we too speedy? Is this plot moving too fast or have we simply managed "tension on every page" as Mr Rand, Malfy, and McDonald stressed was a necessity to the book? I await the answer to this and simply hope that my baby isn't being rushed, nor slowed down too far.

I'm sure to work through my issues, but until I do I am sure to be a tentative stepper.

Blogosphere revolts!

2006-05-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

There is a power inherent in the internet, and that is that people have the power to communicate, and thus to make things happen, with a short number of key strokes. Thanks to to folks at Making Light, and also to the ineffable Miss Snark, I have become aware of the case of Barbara Bauer and the ceassation of the site Absolute Write which was one of the predominant web-based resourses for new writers. As a new writer, I take offense to this. As a young person growing up in contemporary society, I like to believe that censorship does not occur, or at the very least it shouldn't. The following is a link to the SFWA page that lists the 20 worst literary agents, of which Ms Bauer is reporedly one.

Barbara Bauer

It has become the goal of the writing blogosphere to make the BB case known to the world, to try to have AW restored. Here's to the power of the internet. Here's to people taking a stand.

Technorati Tag: BarbaraBauer

Mo-Momentem

2006-05-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well I got bethie's writing and was happy to see that it ran along the lines of just-what-I-wanted, which is a good thing, a happy thing. Now to finish up our conversation (the one we have between each exchange) and I too can start down the road again.

Here's to momentem.

Momentum

2006-05-21T23:50:00.000-07:00

I finished! I would have come in here sooner to report it, but the finished product was Susie's birthday present (part...3?). I actually stayed awake until past 4am last night to get it done. I did something like nine pages. She's got it to read now. She's going to have thorough notes for me. Most of what I wrote I'm unsure of. There's really only one scene that I know I like... perhaps two -- there could be one I forgot. And that one I'm sure I like is one of the ones I'm not so sure partnaire extraordinaire will necessarily like. But it's done now, so

YAY!

As soon as I get a chunk bitten out of my homework, I can do some editing (B1 pt2). I would really really like to get ahead in my school work. 'twould be be niftiness.

Write one grasshopper.

Dammit dammit dammit!

2006-05-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

I am an idiot. I am a moron. I am ... [cease and desist]

I should have finished the writing before I went away. I should have. I should have abstained from sleep (would have been good practice for the cruise) and just done the part I wanted to do. I tried to write today, but I have school. And school is eating my brain. You have no idea how much work they've managed to put on me in just three little days. I tried to write and was short tempered, feeling guilty for not reading about the life of this random greek dude, and generally easily frustrated. I've had technical difficulties today relating to school and an online course I'm taking, and when I was writing, something funky was happening with the comment function and I wanted to throw the compter at something.

What's happening in my writing brain? I have Laleena's wedding scene to write. I feel no real desire to write that, I don't really know what it's going to look like, but I feel like I could do it if I had to. This includes Ms. Nyoka's appearance. Then, and more importantly, there's the scene I want to write after the wedding scene. This one I really want to write, I know what it looks like, and it has actual importance that will carry the rest of this book, and come into play in the next. It's a crucial Laleena scene. I WILL NOT pass it on until I write it. Then there's Taryne... Again, I could if I had to, but I don't know if I want to. There's the scene with Faron, and I know how to get him there, and I know how to make him leave, and I've got one or two little humorous/mysterious soundbytes to include, but I don't know what the scene accomplishes. As long as the scene is written, I don't care if it's me who does it.

So here's the coles notes:

There is one scene left that I really want to write.

That one scene is preceeded by a scene I'm not so hot on.

There is also a Taryne scene, which must be written, but I don't care if it's me, or even if it's not done for another fifty pages.

So. I'm thinking Taryne's getting postponed. There are two choices for her: a) I describe to Susan the scene components I have and we see if she can flesh it out and feels inclined to write it some time in her next chunk; b) I just put it off, Taryne does whatever she wants with Susan (I'll brainstorm if you want) and I do the Faron scene next time I have the work in my hands.

So now I pose a question. And yes, I want it answered.

Should I write the wedding scene, a seemingly very important scene, even though I'm only lukewarm, or should I skip it and write the "after wedding" scene leaving Suse to fill in the blanks again (I'm so sorry... you're so allowed to pull this crap with me)?

I don't even know what to think anymore. I don't believe I really have an oppionion on the matter as long as I do the "after wedding". Keep in mind that if I'm doing the wedding it'll take me a fair while longer.

Because I appreciate her accademic needs...

2006-05-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Guess what?

What's that? You've guessed already? You've known for a while? Deep down in your heart you knew? Sorry if I'm predictable. Or... wait... what was that? Incapable, did you say? Now that's vaguely insulting. I'm sorry, okay? Very, very sorry!

Yeah... I'm not going to be done before I go on my mini cruise. There's too much for me to get through, and too little time. But come on: The Suse has an AP exam next week -- I don't want this in her posession for the weekend! She has psychology to study!!

At least I'm not absently sitting on it. It's not smouldering under a heavey-weight To Do list as I busily try (but ultimately fail) to make time for it. I've been doing well, I swear! It won't be much longer. Really, it won't.

I'm sorry!

They finally left!

2006-04-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

I just got the man-folk out of Bome. Remeber the scene that wouldn't end? Well I just finished the second part. I'd thought five pages or so for the entire stay in Bome -- it ended up being about 12 pages, over two scenes. And nothing happened that I wasn't expecting. It just took longer. I don't know what that means. I did a few pages today, and whilst walking the dog I cleared up inhabitions that I'd had about coming scenes. I may (will probably) write more after Grey's Anatomy.

[later: 1:20am]

Okay, the final page count for the day is seven pages. This is pretty equally spread between the Fraser part that I finished earlier this evening, and the little Laleena part done tonight. I think next will be Laleena part B... it doesn't seem appropriate to interrupt to cut back to the castle at just this point. Suse posted the first verse of Lacy's song, shall I post the second? The Word document has a comment attatched explaining why I'm not really sure it, but here it is, the second verse:

Darling daughter, morning’s start
Never, never lose your heart.
Victim of a bigger power,
Essence of the Island’s flower.

I'm gong to bed. I was going to blog elsewhere, but writing tired me out.