Day Seventy - 129,525 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

The Bryony sections always seem to be the easiest for me to write. I've spent longer in her voice than any other character's, and I believe it is one of the more distinct voices. That being said, I've often discovered that there are unexpected challenges that come from writing about events that Bryony doesn't have direct knowledge about.

As an author, I want to be able to hint to the reader what is going on, as well as to Bryony. The reader has information she doesn't have, and can draw conclusions she cannot. Sometimes those conclusions are correct, and sometimes they are not. As a reader myself, one of my favorite surprises is the feeling I get when I'm sure I'm smarter than the author, or at least the author's characters, and discover that I'm not.

But back to today's section. I've already established that the ducal city of Eldercroft is several days away from the capital, so this is not a trip that they're going to finish in one night. Let's see how I can pull this off.

*****

Oh, the old "attack the stagecoach" ploy. You have to love it. In case you're wondering, here's what the dialogue said: "Is that the girl?" followed by "Quiet! They might speak (name of language)."

(A note on grammar for linguistic types. "Menodg" is the command form of the verb "menod" meaning "to look (at)." In this form, it has the basic meaning of "behold," but when made a question becomes something more like "is that ____ that I see?" "Gar" means girl, but not in a nice way, and "hekl" is a reflexive, something like himself/herself. In this context, it means something like, "the actual one."

"Heine" is not a command form; it is a noun, meaning "silence." "An" is a clause initial particle that indicates the information following it is not factual, something along the lines of "what if". "Turtenag" is the name of the language. "Dramachelin" is composed of the elements "dramach," meaning speak, and "-elin," a suffix that agrees with "an.")

I hadn't intended to end the chapter at this point, and in fact, I believe that there is one more short scene to finish up Chapter Eleven. Even so, I believe Chapter Twelve will begin tomorrow as well!

Today's Total: 1,738 / 1,689 words (102.9%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 16,220 / 15,201 words (106.7%, 0.6 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 16,220 / 33,780 (48.0%)

Day Sixty-nine - 127,787 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

Finally a switch back to Bryony's point of view. It hasn't been long since we left her, exiting Tynofast's room with visions of magic in her head. It's time we caught up with her to see what she's been doing lately.

*****

The chapter has only just begun. There's nothing like a late-night carriage ride under mysterious circumstances to get a story moving. As to why they're leaving in such a hurry? Well, that's an answer for another time.

Today's Total: 1,789 / 1,689 words (105.9%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 14,482 / 13,512 words (107.2%, 0.6 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 14,482 / 33,780 (42.9%)

Day Sixty-eight - 125,998 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

Today I resume Gideon's investigation into the attack on Bryony. There is a certain amount of information he needs to find out before a certain other event occurs, and as that event is rapidly approaching, it's time for another Gideon scene to move us closer. In fact, this scene should reveal all that is needed for that portion of the plot, at this time.

*****

Okay, so I go a little mired in this one. As in, it has taken several days for me to get started again. But I plan on making up the lost ground over the next few days, and throughout the weekend, if I can manage it.

The problem with the original Gideon scene was that it was empty. There was nothing more to it than Gideon sitting in a chair and thinking. I couldn't get into writing it because there was simply no substance to it at all.

As I've rewritten it, there is some good character substance for Gideon, some dialogue, a bit of a twist at the beginning, and what's more, some direction for this character as I go forward. In other words, everything that had been lacking has been made up now.

I've also planned out the remainder of Book 2. I'm currently on scene 16 out of 46. Or thereabouts... there may be some juggling and rearranging, and perhaps an added scene or two, but that gives you the idea that we're about a third of the way through the book at this point.

I need to decide what to do about the previous day's section of writing that included some now-discarded material from this scene. There were 332 words in all, and I think I'm going to redo my count for that day as if I didn't write it at all.

*****

Thus concludes Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven begins with a different POV and perhaps an interesting turn of events. We shall see!

Today's Total: 1,911 / 1,689 words (113.1%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 12,693 / 11,823 words (107.4%, 0.5 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 12,693 / 33,780 (37.6%)

Day Sixty-seven - 124,087 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

I think part of what made yesterday's writing selection so difficult was the lack of a clear way to get Devan to the testing room. I hadn't really spent a long time visualizing that section, and looking back, it was done a little jerkily. Now that he's actually there, I expect things will go a bit more smoothly.

After that I've got another POV shift, but I don't know if I'll manage to get to it today. Either way, that shift should finish out Chapter Ten.

*****

I like that I've gotten the chance to talk about the way people think about the marks when they grew up with it. It's a totally different perspective than Bryony's, and that's important.

I did manage to get to Gideon's section, although it didn't end at a good stopping place for the day. That's all right--tomorrow, I should manage to finish out Chapter Ten, and perhaps make it to Chapter Eleven.

EDIT: Gideon's section has been rewritten, and today's part of it removed. The totals below have been updated to reflect this.

Today's Total: 1,434 / 1,689 words (80.3%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 10,782 / 10,134 words (106.4%, 0.4 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 10,782 / 33,780 (31.9%)

Day Sixty-six - 122,653 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

Of all the scenes I've written since I resumed the story, today's scene that ends chapter nine is the one I've been looking forward to the most, rubbing my hands and cackling when I think about it. Now that I come to it, I'm trying to figure out the best way to carry it off. It's a cool moment, after all, and I don't want to spoil it by doing it badly. But I can always fix it later, can't I?

*****

I finally got the opportunity to use the term "the veil," which I've had for a while now, but had no way to introduce. It's about time!

I found it hard to switch gears and get back involved in the Devan story. We just had a nice long three chapter swath of Bryony time, plus a little Tynofast coda that should have been a surprise--it was a surprise to me when I thought of the idea. Now we're going back to the market and watching Devan test. We've already seen Bryony test. Well, this is more what it's supposed to be like, with the candidate well aware of what's coming.

What helped me get into the scene was the idea of seeing the testing from a different point of view. Essentially I've got Devan walking the same path that Bryony did, but noticing different things. It's not every story that lets you do that.

It's hard to believe that I've already crossed the 25% mark for the month, though of course it is a short month. Tomorrow I'll hit the 10,000 word mark for the month, and in a few days, I'll top 125k for the grand total. Things are actually moving along!

Today's Total: 1,807 / 1,689 words (107.0%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 9,348 / 8,445 words (110.7%, 0.5 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 9,348 / 33,780 (27.7%)

Day Sixty-five - 120,846 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

I'm so tired this morning. It's really, really hard to get motivated to write right now. But we can't leave Bryony hanging, can we?

I think I need to talk a little more about Bryony's emotional state through the early part of all this. She's just been through a hell of a time, after all.

*****

Oh, I'm laying the groundwork for soooooo much right now. I knew this would be an important scene, but I didn't realize it would be such a pivotal one. Now all that build-up I've written over the last few days seems much more justified.

I don't know how well I managed to carry off the emotional roller coaster that Bryony endured in this section. That's going to take some distance and feedback to see it objectively. I needed to put her in a place emotionally to justify the action of the next part of the story arc.

Bryony's part of the chapter is over, but the chapter itself is not. There is a slight coda, on which I will begin the section for tomorrow. After that, I should have room to begin Chapter Ten!

Today's Total: 1,813 / 1,689 words (107.3%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 7,541 / 6,756 words (111.6%, 0.5 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 7,541 / 33,780 (22.3%)

Day Sixty-four - 119,033 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

Today. Today it will be, I promise. I absolutely guarantee. In fact, I'm about to do it right now.

I admit, I've got a little trepidation at finally reaching this scene, which I've been building up to for so long. I think I'm a lot better at the build-up than the climax. (Out of context, that would mean something entirely different.) That means that when the time comes, I often find myself struggling to make the payoff mean as much as the buildup that led up to.

I'm going to try to treat this as just another scene, or perhaps the build-up to a bigger payoff down the line, and see what happens.

*****

Such hard going today! Every word has been a struggle, which is surprising, since I know just what's going to happen. It feels like I've got a kink in my writing hose, and it just won't come no matter how much I turn up the pressure.

*****

Well, I got the kink out, but it took most of the night to do so. I think a scene this important, with such emotional highs and lows, deserved a bit of extra time. The scene continues tomorrow, with what I hope will be a bit more in the realm of interesting revelation. He chuckled deviously.

Today's Total: 1,750 / 1,689 words (103.6%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 5,728 / 5,067 words (113.0%, 0.4 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 5,728 / 33,780 (17.0%)

Day Sixty-three - 117,283 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

This is shaping up to be a long chapter. In general, most don't go beyond two days of writing, or perhaps three. This one might just reach into four, which I believe will be a record. There's nothing wrong with a long chapter, now and then, but in general I think 3,000 - 4,000 words is a decent length for a chapter.

This one may be in the 6,000 - 7,000 range, and that might make it a candidate for cutting or splitting later. But that's in the editing process, not now. Now time is composition time.

*****

I've finally gotten Bryony and Illiantine to meet, an event that I've been intending since Illiantine was introduced way back in Chapter Eight of the last volume. Okay, so it's not a meeting with the Patroness, but it's important for the story.

So as it turns out, this did conclude chapter eight, although I did about a third more than I had to, just to make it there. So it's a long chapter, but not an immense one. And I don't see any more distractions ahead between Bryony and the Patroness.

Chapter Nine will be another Merona chapter... just kidding. I wouldn't do that.

Or would I?

Today's Total: 2.220 / 1,689 words (131.4%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 3,978 / 3,378 words (117.8%, 0.4 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 3,978 / 33,780 (11.8%)

Day Sixty-two - 115,063 words and counting

I'm writing a novel. All my progress can be found on my private blog. The commentary for each day's work can be found below.

The music selection is much better this morning. I just got through rocking out to "Chain of Fools" a la Eva Cassidy with the Starbucks crew. We have fun here.

So yesterday, we left Bryony with an impending appointment with the Patroness and the whole morning at her disposal. Gessica's letter essentially gave us an idea what to expect as the chapter goes forward--a little exploration, followed by a meeting with the Patroness.

I've just finished adding index cards to the chain, so I've now got the next eight scenes lined up and ready to write. I'm thinking that will probably last me all the way through the end of December, based on my current plan.

Now, it's time to start writing for today. I believe there will only be one important meeting in the library, and it's not a new character.

*****

I'm suffering from a case of the shes in this section. In narrating the action, I'm starting to fall into the pattern of "She did this. She did that. She did the other thing." The problem is, I'm having a hard time figuring out what else to do when I'm dealing with the actions of a single character by herself, who isn't really thinking about anything other than what she's doing. I don't want to throw in lots of extraneous description for the sake of description, so until someone else arrives, I guess I'm stuck.

I wonder if this often happens, and I'm just not aware of it?

*****

I just keep finding more things for Bryony to do, don't I? I know where Chapter Eight ends, and we're not there yet. We should be tomorrow, and I might even begin Chapter Nine. We'll just have to see what happens next!

Today's Total: 1,758 / 1,689 words (104.1%)
Dec. Progress to Date: 1,758 / 1,689 words (104.1%, 0.0 days ahead)
Dec. Total Progress: 1,758 / 33,780 (5.2%)

The State of the Novel - December, 2009

Wow! It's been a long month... or rather, thirteen months, since I did my last State of the Novel post. For the purposes of this post, I'm going to pretend that the last month of writing was contiguous.

That being the case, I had a very productive month, at 58,248 words. That's more than in my first month, and I'd like to do the same with December, but because of the holidays, that's just not going to work out.

So instead, I'm proposing to do 19 days of writing in December, plus a bonus day at some point thereafter. That's a total of 33,780 words. If I stick to the letter, will put me around 147,000 words; more than likely, I'll hit the 150k mark around December 17th or 18th.

How much text is that? Well, if I look at the first book, that's about eleven chapters of text, at my usual chapter length. It took Bryony all the way from her appearance out in the snow, to her conversation with Jorik about her reading ability. As for how much further those 34k words will take me this time, I really don't know. I haven't been awfully good lately at predicting how quickly I'll get to certain things--after all, Chapters 7 and 8 were originally supposed to be just one scene, and now I'm wondering if it will bleed over into Chapter 9. The answer is looking like a yes.

The important part is that I'm making progress. This isn't a race where I know how many miles there are to run. But it is a race where I know the finish line, and whatever path I take to get there, I intend to finish.