Death Is Only The Beginning

This isn't an update...just a quick post to note a little problem...

I don't want to kill Pilot. I don't want to kill Pilot. I don't want to kill Pilot.

I don't want to kill Pilot.

She's...glorious. A masterpiece of flaws. I love her. I don't want her dead.

That is all.


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 73,073
Writing Mode: Dreading the inevitable...


P.S. I don't want to kill Pilot

Better Be, With Twinings Tea

Just a quick note before I jet out of work! Was given a simple but long & tedious task at work today, which took up most of my afternoon (not to mention my writing time!). Just managed to squeeze out 515 words...but may try to write more later on tonight. Must still vacuum, cook dinner, eat, take out the trash, take out the recycling, do the cat litter, shower...blah. Overwhelming. But may put off vacuuming (Gasp! The scandal!) to do a bit of writing.

If I don't keel over, that is. Think I'm getting a cold...

Anyway, audi for now, mes peuples. Going to pack up and spend my remaining 5 minutes or so daydreaming about Twinings Tea...


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: Um...whatever it was last time...plus 515?
Writing Mode: Inspired but delayed >;{

Passé Punctuation

Phew--just a quick post! Just finished writing for the day, and I only have 5 minutes left until it's time to goooooo!

Anyway, writing today started off slowly, with me struggling to get through another little transition. Once through, however, I got to write some fun, happy dialog--a rare and refreshing thing in this book! Now Bryn & Mer are talking about Pilot, who is a beautiful mess. I need to write her as even brasher and more confident than I have been...so that when she fails it'll be all the more devastating. Hopefully she's coming across the way I see her in my head...but I have a feeling that this section will require some fairly heavy editing.

Oh well. I got 1,295 words done today, so I feel fairly content :D

Anyway, it's FRIDAY and I'm about to head home. A chill evening ahead...unless I venture back out to Truckeroo. And let's be real: there's an ice cream truck there from a place I have not yet tried. Chances are that I'm going back out.

Oh, and I'm integrating interrobangs into my story. I kind of love them.

Peace out, buttercups!

Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 71,523
Writing Mode: FRIDAYYYYYYYY!!!!!

Working Magic

Sometimes I am very sad that my Hogwarts acceptance letter went astray.

I know that I would have been a good student: I might not have the best memory for incantations, but I certainly know my way around a wand. Also, Pottermore sorted me into Gryffindor, and I feel sure that my prowess both in the classroom and on the Quidditch pitch would have made my house proud.

Yesterday I was feeling particularly down...there must have been a Dementor lurking about, and Lupin wasn't around to offer me chocolate. I was riding my train back into DC, feeling sorry for myself, trawling facebook and wishing I could do some magic.

That's when I ran across a photo my cousin posted.

It was simple, a chalkboard quote from Carl Sagan. It read: "A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."

:}

That was exactly what I needed to hear. I returned to work, wrote my piece (1,013 words), and then scurried off for a fun evening hanging with my buddy, going out for yummy dinner and then back to my apartment, where I whipped his sorry ass at pool. I kept thinking about the quote today, and it helped spur me on when I wasn't sure where to go, helping to get me over a small hump and to a unremarkable but respectable 1,079 words.

What was truly magical, however, is that I finally broke seventy thousand words.

It's not one of the big landmarks...twenty-five or fifty or a hundred...but it's more than I ever thought possible, and I'm still going strong.

Don't mean to self-aggrandize...but even if this silly story never is read by a single soul, I'm happy that I'm actually getting it down. I've always wanted to write a novel, and just knowing that I'm well on my way makes life worthwhile.

Anyway, I'm off! Time to go home, feed the cat, go for a walk, and maybe watch a little Star Wars or Neverending Story to recharge. Till tomorrow!


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 70,225
Writing Mode: At peace

Writing is Freedom

Oh, Contrariwise. How I love thee.

For those who do not know, Contrariwise.org is a site dedicated to literary tattoos. Apart from giving me inspiration for potential tattoos of my own (not yet, I'm still chicken--but someday!) they are very inspiring in general. For example, one person on there had a brilliant tattoo that said: "what makes us happy makes us wise."

What a beautiful sentiment. And, if one has insight and the willingness to learn from one's experiences, probably (mostly) true.

Here's my quote of the day: “Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.” ~Don Delillo

Anyway, I was on there for all of five minutes and got super inspired. Managed to bang out 1,036 words despite being assigned several tasks from a couple of people here in the office. I'm fairly pleased with that number, and hope I'll be able to top it tomorrow.

I'm sort of cheating at the moment, however: I'm writing about Mer's first flight on the Aureole, and how she meets and befriends my very favorite character, Pilot. Super excited about this whole section. Not only will it clear up a bit about Bryn, and set up Pilot's spectacular fall, but it's just damn fun to write. Lots of pretty descriptions, lots of interesting interactions...and lots of PILOT!

Mer is being a bit mopey at the moment. She (mistakenly) believes that Bryn once had a fling with Pilot, and that he still has feelings for her (boy, I'm liking parentheses right now). Anyway, he and Bard had a fight from which they have just reconciled. Mer, channeling 5th-book Harry Potter, is all angsty about this. This led to my very favorite bit of my writing today:

"Yes, they were all good friends. Bryn was friends with Bard. Bard was friends with Pilot. Pilot was friends with Bryn. They were all loved and in love and unknown and unloved."

Deliciously melodramatic. I'd love to see it up on Contrariwise someday ;}~

Anyway, I guess I'll bugger off for now. I appear to be in the middle of a mild allergic reaction, though I don't think I've been exposed to anything out of the ordinary today. However, I've been scratching my face like crazy, and now itch all over. Even my EYEBALLS itch. Awful. I'm not allergic to almost anything, so I have no idea what it could be. Maybe I got a spider bite or something.

Whatever it is, I'm in misery. Cheerio, mates!


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 68,138 (should break 70k this week! Woo, more brackets!)
Writing Mode: HIVEY

Manners Maketh Man

So I've been keeping up with my writing...but sadly neglecting this blog. The trouble is, of course, that I dilly dally in starting my writing (and no longer have the mornings to get into it...troublesome...), get into it midway through the afternoon, and then end up writing until 5 pm on the nose. Then, of course, I bustle off home where I have more than enough housework to keep me busy...plus there's cooking, and tv, and chasing my cat around, and the occasional excursion with friends. Add to this my Art Class and visits to mum, and the blog sort of falls by the wayside.

Thankfully, the same cannot be said for my writing! Over the past few days I've written 1,178, 963, and 527 words, respectively. Yesterday, obviously, was NOT a good writing day. Not just because I was out of it (and having a terrible, terrible monday), but because people kept sluffing off their work on me. Which is fine, I can do it...but it does cut into writing time.

Anyway, hopefully today will be better. I have a coconut chai tea latte to fortify myself, and the promise of a tequilla sunrise cupcake if I do well. If I don't...well, I won't even consider that possibility.

I shall wrap up for now, else I'll never get my 500 (hopefully 1k) done. Cheers!*


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 67,101
Writing Mode: Hopeful


*While we're on the subject...I think that I'm going to be applying for Oxford once more...

RED ALERT! PANTY SHIELDS UP!

My GOD have the past two days been difficult for writing! I got a decent amount done (978 today, 959 yesterday), but DAMN it's been like pulling teeth! Which, speaking of, is gonna happen to one of my coworkers tomorrow...which means no teleworking for me. Le sigh.

Anyway, I think that my hormones have a lot to do with it: it's almost that time of the month. You know...

The crimson tide. The red menace. Red rover, red rover, send Aunt Flow on over.

Ugh. Anyway, not there yet (THANK GOD) but it's nearly that time, and I've been feeling fairly wonky. Makes me easily-distractable...though the lack of caffeine certainly doesn't help. MUST make sure I buy some coffee tomorrow...

Anyway, another issue is that I'm struggling to define exactly how the next few chapters should go...I know where I am now and where I need to end up, but my map of the intervening land is very sketchy. Where's Navi when I need her?

Also, this was another slow transition part. By the time I got through it I actually really enjoyed it--especially the end!--but actually putting it down on paper was a bit...painful. But, like I said, I'm very happy with the end of the chapter in particular...so I figured I'd share it:

***

Mer sat up, rubbing her eyes, then turned to shake Bryn as the car began to slow. He grinned sleepily, pushing Mer away and rolling over. “Get up, you lump!”

Mer shook Bryn again, and he curled into a ball, ignoring her. The car began to slow, and Mer unbuckled, slithering into the back seat. She sat on the rest between the two front seats, and tapped Bryn very gently.

“Bryn, Bard says that we’re here…wherever here is. Come on, it’s time to get up.”

Bryn remained curled, a quill-less hedgehog.

“Bryn, we’ve got to go,” Mer cajoled.

Bryn remained unmoved, though he began to shake. Mer thought for one horrible second that he was crying; then she realized that he was shaking with suppressed laughter. This gave Mer an idea. Grinning evilly, she leaned over Bryn’s convulsing back.

“Bryn, this is your final warning,” she murmured, moving into position. “I’ll give you ‘till the count of three.

One…

Two…

THREE!”

On ‘three’ Mer pounced, shoving her hands beneath Bryn’s arms, tickling for all she was worth. He yelped, uncurling instinctively. Mer was merciless: she knocked his arms aside, going for the soft underbelly. Bryn pushed away, laughing, trying to get out of range.

“No—haha, stop, Mer! Stop! I hate being tickled! Ah, stop, stop! Let me go!”

“Let her go! This isn’t regulation! This isn’t fucking regulation!”

Mer released Bryn with a gasp, the memory hitting her like a tsunami, crashing over her, pulling her down.

“Mer?”

Mer closed her eyes, hugging herself, digging her nails into the flesh of her upper arms. She pushed it down, pushed it all down: the nausea, the fear, the too-recent memory of hands against her skin.

A gentle touch brushed her shoulder. Mer, shadows clearing from her eyes, looked up. Bryn was gazing at her, concern etching across his face.

“Mer, are you ok?”

Mer nodded. “I’m…I’m fine. Just needed to catch my breath.”

Bryn cupped a hand around Mer’s face, one finger resting on her temple as though positioned to siphon out the evil memory.

“Come on,” he said. “Bard’s already halfway across the field, and our next ride is waiting. We’d better get going now that you’re finally awake.”

Bryn winked, reaching across Mer to open her door. She stepped out of the car, Bryn sliding out behind her, bumping into her as she stopped, accosted by what she saw.

Shining and majestic, glittering like Polaris against the dark of the field, was a golden plane.

***

Okay, okay, I'll be honest: I'm not really excited about the writing, or the characterization, or any of that. I'm excited about that final image...and that I will finally be introducing Pilot!!!

Anyway, time to jet...pun intended. I've got to close up shop, run to feed Draco, and then put enough power steering fluid in my car to (hopefully) get me all the way down to Woodbridge and back. Banzai!


Working Title: Bryn & Mer: Nosce Te Ipsum
Word Count: 64,419
Writing Mode: Red at night, sailors' delight. Red in morning, sailors take warning. Code red! Eric the Red! What do you call a PMSing Literature major? Well-red.*

*I made this joke up. Steal it, and I will bleed on you.