The Spindle's End

So, I haven't really added to my word count since my last post.  Instead, I've been pondering the question 'where do I go from here?'

While those who have known me for any length of time are very familiar with the act of me writing, I've never gotten farther on a book than I have thus far.  It's fair to say that this is the farthest I've ever come on a manuscript.  This is good, excellent progress.  I've also been doing a lot of research into the publishing industry, and figuring out just what I need to do to get a finished manuscript published.

But...that still doesn't help me get from the introduction to the wrap up section of the book.  I'm fairly solidly into the 'building up' area of the book, reaching for the climax.  But I still only had vague ideas of how the next 60-70 thousand words were going to work themselves out.  Not good.  So I sat down and started thinking.  What happened before the book opened?  Where do I want to end up?

Now I need to figure out how I'm getting from here to the end.  Who knows, maybe I'll write the end first, and then connect the two.  I've never outlined a creative writing project before, mostly because this is just something I've done on my own and not something anyone's taught me to do.  I outline my non-fiction writing all the time, but those are a) shorter and b) follow a very standard, solid format.  Intro, thesis, arguments, conclusion.  Somewhere in there, there may be explanations and background information, but other than that it's very straight forward and driven.  Fiction is rarely like this, and I'm still learning what questions I need to ask myself that my brain will go 'oh!  I know that answer!' instead of 'umm....?'

And on top of all of this, I have to keep editing and re-editing.

26714 / 100000 words. 27% done!

So, in spite of being busy, doing lots of thinking and plotting, and then getting sick, progress is still being made.  Huzzah!

So, for the past week it's been blessedly slow at the library, which I think everyone but the info desk people were grateful for (the info desk people sit and wait for patrons to help...if there are no patrons it's a lot of waiting.)  It allowed those of us who slave away in the dungeon time to catch up, and if it stays slow another week or so we might get the shelves upstairs into a neater order.  The bowling tournament has been going well, with two weeks to go.  I've been asked to leave my contact info for future opportunities like this one, which I like.  I get paid to sit, watch people bowl, write down their scores, trouble shoot, and otherwise think deep thoughts and write in my handy dandy old school notebook.  Huzzah!

While I find writing in notebook filled with lined paper to be a) reminisent of old times, when I carried around a three ring binder filled with Story and b) relaxing, since I don't have Facebook or Google Reader to distract me, it has caused some interesting skips in my narrative.  For example, I may not want to jump right in where I know I left off on my laptop because then I have issues with connecting the two sections together.  I have to verbally sew them up, and that's sometimes awkward.  More often, I move on to something else I have floating in my head, which has now left me with a sketched prologued (I may make it chapter 1 just to avoid the evils of a prologue), chapters one through four solidly drafted, chapters six through nine solidly drafted, and chapter eleven nearly done.

If you're any good at counting you'll realize that I've left out chapters five and ten.  I seem to be jumping forward and back in my writing, which I haven't done before.  I'm not adverse to this new development, I'm just slightly bemused by it.  However, since I am at this point convinced that this is a) the farthest into a work I've yet gotten and b) the best effort I've put forth thus far and c) the best work I've done thus far, I'm not going to complain.  However, at this point the demon child that is chapter 5 has been ongoing for months and I'm wondering when it will make itself clear and coherent.

I think part of my problem with it is that I HATE writing villains.  I don't understand them.  I don't find them provocative as such.  I intellectually know and acknowledge that villans are integral to any good story, and that they need to be fleshed out just as fully as the main characters.  I just unconsciously avoid them.  Chapter Five is my first real chance for my protagonist to meet a villain, and I need to take advantage of that and do it. Of course, the question is how, and which one?

I also need to start figuring out what the next ten chapters might/should be, because at this point I need to really start building to the climax.

In other news, the Gecko stopped by yesterday with the best 'feel-better-soon' present: my City map is almost done.  **bouts of authorial glee in between blowing the nose**

So the past few days have been somewhat stressful, with the trip to the ER on Tuesday and my ABS breaks failing yesterday morning.  Thankfully, I live in my hometown (well, in the city next door to my hometown) and the auto repair facility my dad works at is a half block detour on my way to work.  Don't worry, neither myself, my car, or anything else took damage.  But the stress of that twenty minute drive meant that I really didn't relax at all yesterday, but I managed to relax today.  Which means I didn't get any writing done.

However, some progress has been made in that I sat down with one of my betas and grilled them on what they thought of what I've got so far.  I don't plan to do this for every book I write, but right now I'm more or less teaching myself the art of novel writing.  I view any feedback as a good thing, especially when I can get critiques.  Yes, I love to hear that everyone likes my work, but that doesn't help me become better.  I've also started some research that will hopefully flesh out my worldbuilding a bit.

21298 / 100000 words. 21% done!


That's a little short of my goal today, but I'm at a point where I'm starting to bog down, so best to call it quits.  It's somewhat annoying, as I'm currently trying to hint at and explain in pieces a big part of my world.  I'd finally gotten a good succinct description down pat, my writing group came up with the idea of breaking it up and keeping everyone guessing.  I can understand, it's just making me have to plan more.

Hopefully some of my betas will get back to me on some revisions I did and the four new chapters I've posted lately soonish.  After all, most of them have a huge snow storm to find things to do during.  **hint hint**

That and I think I'm getting sick. Still, this morning was productive, and this afternoon Rachel and I talked about the writing group we're in, and what we'd like to do with it eventually.  Progress is progress, even though I wanted at least another 500 words today, as well as a finished chapter.  Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

19409 / 100000 words. 19% done!