My latest theory is that maybe writing is like sculpture: You just chip away everything that doesn’t look like the story you’re trying to tell.

But I think it’s kind of fun.  Happy Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day.  I hope you enjoy.

The Faire, Ophelia, and Ranulf
By Jenna Waterford

(more…)

This is good. I think this is good. I think I’ve found the threads that will weave this story together at last. I hate feeling like I’ve said that over and over, but I’ve been here before, slashing through the underbrush with my dull machete. Eventually I find the trail.

*dusts hands and returns to fully outlining La Cause*

The metaphor extends: Or doesn’t find the perfect outfit and one has to go out shopping again the next day.

I made good progress this weekend, pushing through the point in the story where I need to shift from how things start to how they will no continue.  I like it.  I’m happy.  The characters are all miserable, but my three main POVers are all together in the same room at last and the part where I reunite two of the characters (a reunion that’s been giving me fits because it is very delicate and important for the rest of the book) fell into place at last, and it hits exactly the notes I need and want it to hit.

And so, chapter four ends with the word “treason.”

In the grand tradition of Being Me, I started the novel too far into the story.  I do love to in medias res things up, but this happened in early drafts of SanClare Black, too, where I started so far into the story, I would have ended up having to do  a lot of klunky flash-backing to get certain scenes to make any sense at all and then they make no sense because you’re flashing-back every few sentences to explain things.  Awkward.  So what do I do while working on La Cause? The same damn thing. So yesterday and today’s wordage was all about going back and putting a new beginning on the story. 

It all starts with a game of hide ‘n’ seek in the woods–a sort of mutant version that bears much more of a resemblance to the game “ghost in the graveyard” my brothers and friends and I used to play when we were little which was sort of hide ‘n’ seek meets tag but played at night. There were other rules, too…

Childhood used to be so much fun. I feel sorry for modern kids who don’t seem to get (or even want) to roam the neighborhood, playing all kinds of crazy, made-up games and only coming home when their dad’s shout or whistle called them in for supper.

Flight confusion did not result in my being abandoned at the airport in Albany, thankfully.  The driver had sorted out the details and waited for me patiently.  This worked out well for another, too, and the driver was able to offer the extra space in our car to Martin H. Greenberg who’d been on my flight but had arrived much later than he’d planned so his shuttle plans were all messed up. 

So I rode to the convention with Martin H. Greenberg.  (*squee*)

(more…)

I’m averaging about 1000 words a day so far for my Nano book; not on target for the Recommended Daily Average, but as I was a bit busy during those first few days, I’m doing pretty well.

WFC was so much fun, but to do a proper report takes energy, and I’m still very tired-out.  All energy regained was used up with errand-running and catching-up-from-weekend today.  So maybe tomorrow.