This month, I was supposed to finish CinderEddy.
Write Unforgiven.
Finish editing Do You Take This Quest?
Write draft 2 of The Ankulen
And write at least 100 words a day on The New Division.
Well ... I didn't finish CinderEddy, though I did make a little bit of progress. Not much though. Sigh. Short stories are supposed to be easy, aren't they?
I didn't even touch Unforgiven. I'm not sure how to start it. The only way I've ever completed it is in play format, and you introduce plays in a very different way than you do stories. Sigh. This little story is one that's very close to my heart ... it just doesn't like getting written. And it's not the character's fault, because both Keely and Carlin are wonderfully cooperative. It's just ... getting it going, since I'm not sure where the story begins.
I'm ashamed to say that I really haven't worked with Do You Take This Quest? this month. Some conversation with my mom and my kindle as we walked down the road, but that's about it. We're on chapter ... six or seven, I don't remember which. Actually making the changes she's suggesting ... I'm on chapter two. Sigh. Since this is a 23 chapter book, that's not exactly good. My brain ... just doesn't want to think about Robin, Madeleine and Arthur right now, though I love all of them dearly. I ought to force it to think about them ... but I don't have the gumption. There's a cold/flu going around, and it's sapping everyone. I'm not sure I've been down with the flu part, but the cold ... ugh. At least I'm not coughing anymore.
The Ankulen, though, is what has mostly captured my attention. I don't think I've ever connected with a character as well as I have Jen, nor has there been a story so close to my heart. I thought I loved the story the first time I wrote it ... but now ... oh! There's depth to this story I hadn't even glimpsed the first time, plot twists I hadn't noticed, character quirks I'd barely guessed. I think I just crossed the half-way point chapter-wise, but I'm not sure. I don't know how close I am to the middle of chapter 13, and this is a 25 chapter book. It's almost 30,000 words long at the moment, so I'm pleased to say that I'm fully expecting it to be a full-length novel. About 8,000 of those words have been typed up into the computer.
However, with only three exceptions, I have managed to write at least 100 words a day on The New Division. Not all of those words have come easily, and most of them have been horrid, but they are words. This is a story that I've been wanting to write, but haven't had the courage to actually do so. There's a lot of heavy stuff in this book, and a lot of uncharted waters to wade through. I don't even know how it's going to end, which is scary for me since, usually, that's the one thing I do know for certain.
Interesting fact, last night I was on my mom's computer and had The New Division on the screen and The Ankulen on the desk in front of me, and, yes, I was working on both at the same time. (One of my weapons against writer's block. Have two things to think about. Your brain will be forced to come up with something). Within seconds of each other, I had knocked both Chris (TA) and Jaqob (TND) unconscious - for completely different reason, and completely different ways, and I'm not sure I was planning either of them until they happened.
There was a whirring sound, a flash of light, and
Jaqob fell over, unmoving.
For a few seconds, Alistaar just stood there stunned,
as he gazed at Jaqob’s body, then he whirled on the man, opening his mouth, but
was unable to form any words.
“Oh, fear not, youth, I didn’t take his life – Elonodi
forbids the taking of life, even if it belongs to a cursed Harsha,” said the
man.
- The New Division
Then she cocked her head to the side. "This may be painful, Chris, but not as painful as your betrayal is to me."
Without hesitation, she struck Chris on the forehead with the Ankulen. He winced, and I could see the pain in his eyes before he collapsed, unconscious. He didn't even let out a whimper.
- The Ankulen
Oh, I've also been plotting on a Secret Project. I can't tell you what it is until it has a title, but it is related to the Secret Project that some of my readers may have heard mentioned on another person's blog. That's all I can say.
So ... there you have what I've been up to, and, hopefully, within a month or two, I'll have my own laptop again. I've been babysitting for an aunt every other week, and I've almost saved enough money to buy a successor for Algae. Then I'll take the new computer to my computer-fixing uncle, and he'll transfer all of Algae's old files, and I won't have to rely on mom's computer, and can access my own pictures again.
Because, really, trying to use a combination of your mom's, sister's, and brother's computers, and a android isn't exactly the most convenient thing in the world.
Oh, and no, I haven't even thought about book three. Okay, well, I've thought about it, but not the scene I'm stuck on. Who knew a crazy dream sequence could be so hard?
I knew a dream sequence could be hard! I had one I struggled with for days and then I ended up never using it.
ReplyDeleteA cold, eh? I wonder if you can catch colds over the internet. My family has been passing around a nasty cough that involves a fever. Being a big family, it's kinda like an epidemic. :)
~Robyn Hoode