After my post yesterday, I didn't want anyone to think that I was against the concept of world building. Far from it, actually. Having a fully realized world is a big part of fantasy. A good world is a character itself, one that the reader wants to get to know.
The bigger question is how much world building is enough? For me, the dividing line is the story. If the world that your characters are living in starts seriously getting in the way with the story you want to tell, there's a problem. Either your story should change, or the world should. Both approaches are valid, but both come with a warning.
Let's say you've done a huge amount of world building, and it all hangs together as a huge, coherent, historical whole. Well, great. Are your readers going to feel the same way? They only see this world through your characters, and perhaps through your narrative voice. They follow those characters to find out what happens to them. So if suddenly, the thread of your narrative is broken because of some esoteric fact about the way your world is built, it feels unjustified. It's a deux ex machina, no matter how real that world, and its rules, seem to you.
You can do it, but it will mean a thorough reworking of what you've done up to that point to justify the plot going in that direction. That's something that Tolkien did very well. For him, the world came first, and the story came second. When the story conflicted with the world, he adjusted the story. But Tolkien did it right: every action his characters took felt justified because by the time it happened, we knew the world well enough to believe it.
On the other side of the spectrum is someone who does little to no world building. I think of Terry Goodkind as an example of this. The Sword of Truth simply doesn't feel like it's set in a real place. Each place met along the characters' journey feels like an obstacle put there specifically to make the next section of plot happen. I think savvy readers pick up on this too, and it feels just as unjustified. It breaks the illusion of a real place, and turns it into the creator tormenting his created.
I believe that Robert Jordan is a good model for world building. Before he started The Wheel of Time, he had a sketch of the personality and culture of the many nations in his novels. As the characters arrived in that national, he developed those cultures, made them whole and fully realized places.
Tolkien had the advantage of writing his entire trilogy in advance of publication. If he wanted to go back and change things to make it work, he could. Jordan did not have that option. He had to make sure that the first book, and each subsequent book, could adequately set up anything he wanted to do elsewhere in his world. Tolkien's approach would not work here. Goodkind's approach would be the easy way out. Jordan took the middle road, the harder road, and to me, the more rewarding road.
In the case of Bryony's Market, I did only a small amount of world building at the beginning of the story, because the story was small. Initial chapters take place only within the walls of the market itself. As it became natural for the characters to make references to the world outside, they did, and I sketched out where these places were, and what they were like. Whether my characters ever visit those places or not is irrelevant; those notes form the backbone of my world building.
But that doesn't mean I have to develop an entire history of each of these places. When it becomes important that those places have a history, I'll give them one. Until then, they are only important insofar as I know they're there and how they affect my characters.
I think about it this way. Let's say you have your eyes closed. You stretch out your hand and touch a smooth hard surface. You automatically assume that there is a smooth, hard obstacle there. If it doesn't move, you decide it has weight and substance. It is a thing.
You open your eyes and discover that the "surface" is really just a handprint, placed exactly where your hand went. But you believed something was there, because that's all you touched.
Story is like that too. World building means knowing where the boundaries are, what they feel like. It means knowing what the results will be when your character interacts with the world. If the story causes the character to explore that boundary in greater detail, then create it. But if you only introduced elements of your world when they make sense for your plot, you might discover that your characters had been walking through places that should have been walls all along.
19 October 2010
18 October 2010
The Freeze
Writer's block really isn't the inability to write, in the cartoony blank-page-on-the-typewriter sense. Not for me, at least. What I get is the certain conviction that the scene I'm about to write won't be any good. Instead of writing it, I feel like I should wait until I can write it well.
Except that time never comes, and the scene just gets built up in my head as an insurmountable obstacle of suck that I'll never get over.
It's the Freeze. Last year, I got distracted from my writing on Bryony's Market because of a Devan scene I just couldn't get a handle on. I put it off by a day, two days, and suddenly it was ten months later. I wound up changing up the whole scene anyway.
I hate the Freeze, because it's what's keeping me from getting to the better parts of my story. If only I could get past this one scene, I think, everything would be all right.
The freeze can hit at the beginning of a project, too. I spent months developing the project I call Dairhenien's Library, working out elaborate world-building and character outlines and the like, without every actually starting the story. Eventually, the bulk of all that world-building weighed me under so much that I backed off of the project.
What was I thinking? I was so afraid that the finished story wouldn't live up to the really cool stuff I had developed, and as a result, I just didn't start. I've got lots of great notes out there. Someday, maybe after I finish Bryony, I'll pick them up again.
And that brings me to today. The upcoming scene is one that I don't believe I'll be able to write well. And so I've been spending the last twenty minutes writing this blog post, and started thinking about researching magazine fiction markets instead of writing today. If I were a cat, I should get squirted with a spray bottle for that kind of thinking.
I'm going to write the scene. And there is a very good chance it won't come out well. I'll shake my head and move on. A year from now, or whenever it is that I revise this story, I'll come back and do it right.
But here's the thing--I'll have accomplished so much in that year. For the last year, I stopped until I felt able to tackle the scene, and did nothing on the story in the interval. I was trying to compose the story linearly.
The reader may read the story that way, but why do I have to write it that way? It'd be like building a car front to back, or painting a picture like an ink jet printer, top to bottom.
All right, enough of this small talk. Let's write.
Except that time never comes, and the scene just gets built up in my head as an insurmountable obstacle of suck that I'll never get over.
It's the Freeze. Last year, I got distracted from my writing on Bryony's Market because of a Devan scene I just couldn't get a handle on. I put it off by a day, two days, and suddenly it was ten months later. I wound up changing up the whole scene anyway.
I hate the Freeze, because it's what's keeping me from getting to the better parts of my story. If only I could get past this one scene, I think, everything would be all right.
The freeze can hit at the beginning of a project, too. I spent months developing the project I call Dairhenien's Library, working out elaborate world-building and character outlines and the like, without every actually starting the story. Eventually, the bulk of all that world-building weighed me under so much that I backed off of the project.
What was I thinking? I was so afraid that the finished story wouldn't live up to the really cool stuff I had developed, and as a result, I just didn't start. I've got lots of great notes out there. Someday, maybe after I finish Bryony, I'll pick them up again.
And that brings me to today. The upcoming scene is one that I don't believe I'll be able to write well. And so I've been spending the last twenty minutes writing this blog post, and started thinking about researching magazine fiction markets instead of writing today. If I were a cat, I should get squirted with a spray bottle for that kind of thinking.
I'm going to write the scene. And there is a very good chance it won't come out well. I'll shake my head and move on. A year from now, or whenever it is that I revise this story, I'll come back and do it right.
But here's the thing--I'll have accomplished so much in that year. For the last year, I stopped until I felt able to tackle the scene, and did nothing on the story in the interval. I was trying to compose the story linearly.
The reader may read the story that way, but why do I have to write it that way? It'd be like building a car front to back, or painting a picture like an ink jet printer, top to bottom.
All right, enough of this small talk. Let's write.
14 October 2010
Index Cards and Ambiguity
Last year during my composition of Bryony, I moved to a system of using index cards to represent scenes. I went back to everything I did in 2008 and put one scene on each card. Then I created cards for everything I had been doing lately, and every scene I had conceived of for the future of the book.
The thing is, I've known from the beginning what some of the big "set piece" scenes are. I also know what some of the smaller moments should be. With the index cards, I've been able to first, put them in order, and second, figure out how to connect the dots. I've noticed that my writing tends to be the best when I can make the smaller moments do double duty as the connective tissue between big set pieces.
Let me define some terminology first. I think of a set piece as the big events that move the plot along. Bryony being set middling is a scene like this. Sure, there are some great character moments that come in along the way, but the purpose of the scene in the narrative is to accomplish that plot point.
The smaller moments are targeted character development. Usually, my index cards for these scenes involve listing the characters in the scene and how they're interacting. "Bryony meets Illiantine," for example. These two characters need to have met for later elements of the plot to work, so this small moment involves these two interacting for the first time.
On the card, I did not specify where they were, or what sort of interaction they would have. The setting arose naturally from where the characters happened to be when that scene was placed. If I moved the card to another point in the narrative, then the setting would be entirely different. As for how they interacted, that has to do with who the characters are, what they want at that moment, their mood at the time, that kind of thing.
That's how I'm trying to balance the need to keep the story along the pre-determined path, while still allowing room for creativity. It's how I can know where I'm going, yet still make discoveries along the way.
One of the things I enjoy most about writing is figuring out how something I had set up earlier in the story, without knowing exactly how or when I was going to pay it off, has surprising relevance to the present moment. Occasionally, a plot point is introduced earlier than I anticipated, because the interaction between characters is driving the story towards it without my help. If it happens too early, I have to figure out how to divert that flow without making it unnatural. If it doesn't happen when I want it to, I have to figure out if it makes sense to do the introduction there at all.
I say all of that to say this: I have just finished revising the outline for the part of the story I've been calling "Book 2," although at this point, I'd have to say it'd be more accurate to call it Part 2, or even Chunk 2. In order to write some of the upcoming scenes, I need to do the same for Chunk 3.
So... time to write some more index cards, and tape them together.
The thing is, I've known from the beginning what some of the big "set piece" scenes are. I also know what some of the smaller moments should be. With the index cards, I've been able to first, put them in order, and second, figure out how to connect the dots. I've noticed that my writing tends to be the best when I can make the smaller moments do double duty as the connective tissue between big set pieces.
Let me define some terminology first. I think of a set piece as the big events that move the plot along. Bryony being set middling is a scene like this. Sure, there are some great character moments that come in along the way, but the purpose of the scene in the narrative is to accomplish that plot point.
The smaller moments are targeted character development. Usually, my index cards for these scenes involve listing the characters in the scene and how they're interacting. "Bryony meets Illiantine," for example. These two characters need to have met for later elements of the plot to work, so this small moment involves these two interacting for the first time.
On the card, I did not specify where they were, or what sort of interaction they would have. The setting arose naturally from where the characters happened to be when that scene was placed. If I moved the card to another point in the narrative, then the setting would be entirely different. As for how they interacted, that has to do with who the characters are, what they want at that moment, their mood at the time, that kind of thing.
That's how I'm trying to balance the need to keep the story along the pre-determined path, while still allowing room for creativity. It's how I can know where I'm going, yet still make discoveries along the way.
One of the things I enjoy most about writing is figuring out how something I had set up earlier in the story, without knowing exactly how or when I was going to pay it off, has surprising relevance to the present moment. Occasionally, a plot point is introduced earlier than I anticipated, because the interaction between characters is driving the story towards it without my help. If it happens too early, I have to figure out how to divert that flow without making it unnatural. If it doesn't happen when I want it to, I have to figure out if it makes sense to do the introduction there at all.
I say all of that to say this: I have just finished revising the outline for the part of the story I've been calling "Book 2," although at this point, I'd have to say it'd be more accurate to call it Part 2, or even Chunk 2. In order to write some of the upcoming scenes, I need to do the same for Chunk 3.
So... time to write some more index cards, and tape them together.
12 October 2010
The 1,689 Habit
In the past, I have had a daily target of 1,689 words. That has been... let's just say, difficult to maintain if I want to live any life other than writing. But that's pretty much what I have to do if I want to win at NaNoWriMo. I need to find a happy medium.
So, for my statistics, I'm now looking at aggregate writing production. That means my actual goal for each day is not to do 1,689 words--it's to reach a cumulative level of 1,689 a day on average.
That's a much less scary proposition. I have a graph with a cumulative production line and my target line, and so long as I keep close to that target line, I'm doing good.
That being said, I haven't written anything for the last three days. And chances are, I won't be until Thursday (getting to that in a minute). But at the same time, I'm unwilling to count blog posts and outlines toward my word count. Only finished product, man.
My compromise is to set a target of 500 words for those days. Writing is a ravenous beast always hungry for more. I owe it something every day. So that's my goal: 500 words on non-writing days, and 1,689 on writing days.
Now, this Thursday is something special. I have enough time left here at the end of the year that I can afford to take a day to write. Today and tomorrow, I'm going to get back into the swing of things, Bryony-wise. Then Thursday, it'll be time to write. I kind of got mired down in plot last time, and it will be nice to have several hours to throw at the problem, then use that momentum to push forward.
In fact, I'm going to set myself a new target for Thursday: 3,000 words. 1,500 before lunch, 1,500 after. I think I can do it.
So, for my statistics, I'm now looking at aggregate writing production. That means my actual goal for each day is not to do 1,689 words--it's to reach a cumulative level of 1,689 a day on average.
That's a much less scary proposition. I have a graph with a cumulative production line and my target line, and so long as I keep close to that target line, I'm doing good.
That being said, I haven't written anything for the last three days. And chances are, I won't be until Thursday (getting to that in a minute). But at the same time, I'm unwilling to count blog posts and outlines toward my word count. Only finished product, man.
My compromise is to set a target of 500 words for those days. Writing is a ravenous beast always hungry for more. I owe it something every day. So that's my goal: 500 words on non-writing days, and 1,689 on writing days.
Now, this Thursday is something special. I have enough time left here at the end of the year that I can afford to take a day to write. Today and tomorrow, I'm going to get back into the swing of things, Bryony-wise. Then Thursday, it'll be time to write. I kind of got mired down in plot last time, and it will be nice to have several hours to throw at the problem, then use that momentum to push forward.
In fact, I'm going to set myself a new target for Thursday: 3,000 words. 1,500 before lunch, 1,500 after. I think I can do it.
04 October 2010
October... Again
So somehow, I've gotten into a yearly habit. That's tough to do, but I've managed it. I start writing in early October, I push all the way through the month of November, make it partway into December maybe... and then I fizzle.
I started this post intending to brainstorm how to extend that time, but you know what? I've got a good thing going. I've got a solid six weeks where tradition and habit tell me it's time to write. And that's awesome. The reason I fizzled out in December last year was because of the holidays, and that's not going to change.
See, I love writing in the fall. Something about the cooling weather, the rainy vistas, the darkness of the early morning, has gotten encoded into my DNA as Writing Time.
So what I need to do instead is to start new yearly habits starting in January, lasting another six or eight weeks. Then another, and another. I need to write in seasons, each with their own traditions and habits.
I am about to start the Fall 2010 writing season. And when it's over, I'll start planning the Winter 2011 season, and so on. I look forward to writing in the fall, and with a bit of effort and planning, I can capture a feeling for the other seasons. Not the same feeling--that's the point. A different, individualized feeling I can look forward to.
--
I'm going to continue keeping statistics about my writing, but not necessarily in the same form. A cumulative word count graph, NaNoWriMo style, will definitely be in there. I'd like to see a graph of my daily word count too, with a trend line and boundaries above and below to indicate standard deviation. Then there will have to be a target graph, with its own target line, and perhaps a few more esoteric ones, like a graph showing what percentage of my writing comes from each day of the week.
Why do all these graphs? They do kind of sound like a distraction from the business of writing, don't they? Early on, at least, I need to have things that show I'm making progress. The feeling that I'm not accomplishing anything is one of the things that kills my writing the fastest.
So here's my plan. This week, I'm going to work on a project for Writers on the Verge, where we take turns writing in the style of each member in trun. This Sunday's meeting features Abbey, and I have to do an extra special job given that she's my fiancée and all.
Once I'm finished with that, I'll start plotting out my graphs, and then worming my way back into writing for Bryony. I plan to hit the ground running on Monday, October 11th.
I started this post intending to brainstorm how to extend that time, but you know what? I've got a good thing going. I've got a solid six weeks where tradition and habit tell me it's time to write. And that's awesome. The reason I fizzled out in December last year was because of the holidays, and that's not going to change.
See, I love writing in the fall. Something about the cooling weather, the rainy vistas, the darkness of the early morning, has gotten encoded into my DNA as Writing Time.
So what I need to do instead is to start new yearly habits starting in January, lasting another six or eight weeks. Then another, and another. I need to write in seasons, each with their own traditions and habits.
I am about to start the Fall 2010 writing season. And when it's over, I'll start planning the Winter 2011 season, and so on. I look forward to writing in the fall, and with a bit of effort and planning, I can capture a feeling for the other seasons. Not the same feeling--that's the point. A different, individualized feeling I can look forward to.
--
I'm going to continue keeping statistics about my writing, but not necessarily in the same form. A cumulative word count graph, NaNoWriMo style, will definitely be in there. I'd like to see a graph of my daily word count too, with a trend line and boundaries above and below to indicate standard deviation. Then there will have to be a target graph, with its own target line, and perhaps a few more esoteric ones, like a graph showing what percentage of my writing comes from each day of the week.
Why do all these graphs? They do kind of sound like a distraction from the business of writing, don't they? Early on, at least, I need to have things that show I'm making progress. The feeling that I'm not accomplishing anything is one of the things that kills my writing the fastest.
So here's my plan. This week, I'm going to work on a project for Writers on the Verge, where we take turns writing in the style of each member in trun. This Sunday's meeting features Abbey, and I have to do an extra special job given that she's my fiancée and all.
Once I'm finished with that, I'll start plotting out my graphs, and then worming my way back into writing for Bryony. I plan to hit the ground running on Monday, October 11th.
09 December 2009
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%)
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%)
08 December 2009
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%)
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%)
07 December 2009
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%)
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%)
06 December 2009
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%)
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%)
05 December 2009
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%)
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%)
04 December 2009
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%)
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%)
03 December 2009
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%)
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%)
02 December 2009
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%)
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%)
01 December 2009
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 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.
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.
30 November 2009
Day Sixty-one - 113,305 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.
It's an odd feeling, getting back into my writing after so long away. There is so much that is identical to last year, and so much that's different. I find myself falling back into the comfortable rhythm of composition, and I wonder why I ever stopped.
But those are thoughts that I can save for State of the Novel post tomorrow. For right now, I've got to get started on composing a scene that I've had in my head for quite some time: Bryony's meeting with the Patroness.
The trick here is to both meet and counter expectations. I want the scene to be satisfactory, but at the same time surprising. Also, first impressions being important, I need to make sure to give the Patroness a good one.
*****
Oh, this Christmas music is killing me. I'm going to have to start bring headphones to listen to my own music, because it's making it really hard to concentrate.
*****
Well, the Christmas music ended, which is good. I'm hoping that at my normal time of the day, it won't be on at all.
I'm happy with today's section, although I do wonder if the story is moving fast enough at this point. I've decided to take advantage of Bryony being where she is to introduce a couple more characters, but that won't happen until tomorrow, as I continue with Chapter Eight.
Today's Total: 1,774 / 1,689 words (105.0%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 58,248 / 50,670 words (115.0%, 4.5 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 58,248 / 50,670 (115.0%)
It's an odd feeling, getting back into my writing after so long away. There is so much that is identical to last year, and so much that's different. I find myself falling back into the comfortable rhythm of composition, and I wonder why I ever stopped.
But those are thoughts that I can save for State of the Novel post tomorrow. For right now, I've got to get started on composing a scene that I've had in my head for quite some time: Bryony's meeting with the Patroness.
The trick here is to both meet and counter expectations. I want the scene to be satisfactory, but at the same time surprising. Also, first impressions being important, I need to make sure to give the Patroness a good one.
*****
Oh, this Christmas music is killing me. I'm going to have to start bring headphones to listen to my own music, because it's making it really hard to concentrate.
*****
Well, the Christmas music ended, which is good. I'm hoping that at my normal time of the day, it won't be on at all.
I'm happy with today's section, although I do wonder if the story is moving fast enough at this point. I've decided to take advantage of Bryony being where she is to introduce a couple more characters, but that won't happen until tomorrow, as I continue with Chapter Eight.
Today's Total: 1,774 / 1,689 words (105.0%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 58,248 / 50,670 words (115.0%, 4.5 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 58,248 / 50,670 (115.0%)
29 November 2009
Day Sixty - 111,531 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.
So yesterday, I got Bryony and Merona up to the gates of the ducal city. Today, they go inside.
I'm never quite sure how much of the ceremony to go through. I had to give a taste of it when the Kindelbrys came to the market in the last book, and there too I felt like I was doing too much. Here again, I could probably write several chapters if I went into complete detail about the kinds of ceremonies that are part of ducal life, but what boring chapters they would be. Instead, I want to give the flavor of it and then gloss over most of the actual content to get to the action.
*****
I liked hitting the note about Bryony's past here. I like to keep that plot thread in mind every so often, and this felt like a natural place to put it. It will also motivate some of the drama that happens later on in the chapter.
I hope the end of the section, which also ends the chapter, is something of a surprise. I promise, an actual meeting with the Patroness is coming soon, and will take place in Chapter Eight, but for right now, I think stretching out the tension is a good thing.
Chapter Eight begins tomorrow!
Today's Total: 1,899 / 1,689 words (112.4%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 56,474 / 48,981 words (115.3%, 4.4 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 56,474 / 50,670 (111.5%)
So yesterday, I got Bryony and Merona up to the gates of the ducal city. Today, they go inside.
I'm never quite sure how much of the ceremony to go through. I had to give a taste of it when the Kindelbrys came to the market in the last book, and there too I felt like I was doing too much. Here again, I could probably write several chapters if I went into complete detail about the kinds of ceremonies that are part of ducal life, but what boring chapters they would be. Instead, I want to give the flavor of it and then gloss over most of the actual content to get to the action.
*****
I liked hitting the note about Bryony's past here. I like to keep that plot thread in mind every so often, and this felt like a natural place to put it. It will also motivate some of the drama that happens later on in the chapter.
I hope the end of the section, which also ends the chapter, is something of a surprise. I promise, an actual meeting with the Patroness is coming soon, and will take place in Chapter Eight, but for right now, I think stretching out the tension is a good thing.
Chapter Eight begins tomorrow!
Today's Total: 1,899 / 1,689 words (112.4%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 56,474 / 48,981 words (115.3%, 4.4 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 56,474 / 50,670 (111.5%)
28 November 2009
Day Fifty-nine - 109,632 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.
Now I'm finally up to the scene where Bryony meets the Patroness, although that meeting may not occur until late in today's section, if at all. There's lots of preparatory work to get through before I get there.
I did a bit of misdirection in the earlier scene with Lord and Lady Chasset, so I hope this will be a surprise of sorts. Enough putting it off! Let's get to it!
*****
Well that's it for today! I didn't get as far in the action as I expected, but it's because Bryony and Merona had more to say to each other than I thought. The action continues tomorrow as Chapter 7 continues.
Today's Total: 1,710 / 1,689 words (101.2%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 54,575 / 47,292 words (115.4%, 4.3 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 54,575 / 50,670 (107.7%)
Now I'm finally up to the scene where Bryony meets the Patroness, although that meeting may not occur until late in today's section, if at all. There's lots of preparatory work to get through before I get there.
I did a bit of misdirection in the earlier scene with Lord and Lady Chasset, so I hope this will be a surprise of sorts. Enough putting it off! Let's get to it!
*****
Well that's it for today! I didn't get as far in the action as I expected, but it's because Bryony and Merona had more to say to each other than I thought. The action continues tomorrow as Chapter 7 continues.
Today's Total: 1,710 / 1,689 words (101.2%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 54,575 / 47,292 words (115.4%, 4.3 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 54,575 / 50,670 (107.7%)
27 November 2009
Day Fifty-eight - 107,922 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.
Now I'm up to another Devan section, which should round out Chapter Six. It's going to end with a bit of a cliffhanger for Devan, although not too too much of one. Still, it should be enough of a hook to pull us into the next chapter... in which Bryony finally meets the Patroness.
*****
I'm happy with the content of this section, though I'm not awfully happy with the writing itself. It felt clumsy to me, and I think it's going to need considerably revision to make it tolerable later. Still, I'm past it now and can get to the next scene along the line.
Tomorrow begins Chapter Seven. Six was a long chapter with three different viewpoints. I rather think that Seven will be just as long, but with only one viewpoint--maybe two, depending where I draw the line.
Today's Total: 1,955 / 1,689 words (108.6%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 52,865 / 45,603 words (115.9%, 4.3 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 52,865 / 50,670 (104.3%)
Now I'm up to another Devan section, which should round out Chapter Six. It's going to end with a bit of a cliffhanger for Devan, although not too too much of one. Still, it should be enough of a hook to pull us into the next chapter... in which Bryony finally meets the Patroness.
*****
I'm happy with the content of this section, though I'm not awfully happy with the writing itself. It felt clumsy to me, and I think it's going to need considerably revision to make it tolerable later. Still, I'm past it now and can get to the next scene along the line.
Tomorrow begins Chapter Seven. Six was a long chapter with three different viewpoints. I rather think that Seven will be just as long, but with only one viewpoint--maybe two, depending where I draw the line.
Today's Total: 1,955 / 1,689 words (108.6%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 52,865 / 45,603 words (115.9%, 4.3 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 52,865 / 50,670 (104.3%)
26 November 2009
Day Fifty-seven - 105,967 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.
How do you pick up from the place where you left off one year ago? Pretend you're picking up from yesterday.
That's what I'm doing today. When we last left our heroes, Bryony had just been told off by Merona for being awesome, and then she asked a very important question about magic, which has not yet been answered. And I think it's time.
*****
I think the following question is one I'm going to be asking myself constantly, at least at first--how would this scene have gone if I had written it last year? I don't think it would have gone back to that mantra of Merona's, but it arrived there very naturally this time. In fact, for the first time I think that I'm happy about how it turned out right now. I don't think I could have done better a year ago, and might have done it less well.
In other words, I now have confidence that the author I am now can finish this story as well as the author I was then.
I hadn't intended to do a Gideon section here, but it's been a while and I think it's a good point to do it. The audience already knows that Carver is Tynofast, but Gideon doesn't know that. So this section really only accomplishes one thing--to move Gideon's plot forward. But I've also made it give us some more description of the Avenue, and some insight into Gideon's character, both of which help texture out the novel.
Today's Total: 1,834 / 1,689 words (108.6%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 50,910 / 43,914 words (115.9%, 4.1 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 50,910 / 50,670 (100.5%)
How do you pick up from the place where you left off one year ago? Pretend you're picking up from yesterday.
That's what I'm doing today. When we last left our heroes, Bryony had just been told off by Merona for being awesome, and then she asked a very important question about magic, which has not yet been answered. And I think it's time.
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I think the following question is one I'm going to be asking myself constantly, at least at first--how would this scene have gone if I had written it last year? I don't think it would have gone back to that mantra of Merona's, but it arrived there very naturally this time. In fact, for the first time I think that I'm happy about how it turned out right now. I don't think I could have done better a year ago, and might have done it less well.
In other words, I now have confidence that the author I am now can finish this story as well as the author I was then.
I hadn't intended to do a Gideon section here, but it's been a while and I think it's a good point to do it. The audience already knows that Carver is Tynofast, but Gideon doesn't know that. So this section really only accomplishes one thing--to move Gideon's plot forward. But I've also made it give us some more description of the Avenue, and some insight into Gideon's character, both of which help texture out the novel.
Today's Total: 1,834 / 1,689 words (108.6%)
Nov. Progress to Date: 50,910 / 43,914 words (115.9%, 4.1 days ahead)
Nov. Total Progress: 50,910 / 50,670 (100.5%)
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