Nanowrimo 2010: Writing Progress, Day 3

It's been slow going today. I've written a total of 2,678 words today, but I could have written more.

On the bright side, I've had a pretty good time on Twitter (some of it was actually writing related)!

And I've discovered an awesome band. I don't know what took me so long to discover 30 Seconds to Mars, but they totally rock. Jared Leto has an incredible voice! :D

Anyway, After participating in two or three writing sprints on Twitter, working outside the sprints, and chatting with an actor friend on Twitter about writing a monologue for him to perform, I think I've done pretty good for myself today.

Tonight, I'm going to line out the next few scenes, then do some brainstorming for the monologue. If I'm lucky, I'll even do a little more writing. I was in the middle of a scene when I stopped, and I'd like to finish it tonight. We shall see...

All in all, it's been a good day.

How are the rest of you doing?

Lois

Nanowrimo 2010: Writing Progress, Day 2

I've written more than I thought today. I could have written more, but I wanted to go back and read what I had and get rid of any typos and stuff. ;)

My current word count is 3,619, and the total word count is 6,361. I'm at roughly ten pages.

I'm still giving background, but I've just wrapped up chapter one. It's a short one, which is okay. I like books with varying chapter lengths. :)

So, we have now officially met the oldest brother, and he's actually telling the story. He is an investigative reporter, and the story he's about to tell is unlike anything he's ever reported on before.

I've also officially introduced the youngest brother, the one driving the vehicle that caused the accident on the slippery mountain road. I've learned some things about him I didn't know before. I love being a writer! :D

I can't wait to introduce the middle brother, but that won't be until the day after tomorrow, maybe later. I know when he's supposed to arrive in town. I just don't know when he'll appear in the book. I have other things to write before I get to that.

I'll likely have the main character somewhere in chapter two, as well. I think he'll come along while they're having dinner...or shortly after. I just need to figure out exactly what it is he'll want...maybe for the older brother to go back to Houston and leave things alone. Yeah, that would add a bit of conflict! :)

And now I'm off to post this elsewhere, then take a shower and start dinner.

Lois

Nanowrimo 2010: Writing Progress, Day 1

Woohoo! I've surpassed the day one word count of 1,667. My current word count is 2,734! :D I'm at almost five pages.

I've begun with the prologue, and have written an event that happened in Hunter's life that cut him very deeply. The event was written as a flashback while Hunter was driving his wife to the medical center in the midst of a winter storm. The story takes place in the fictional Arkansas town of Garfield, which is in the mountains, and the winter storm is currently causing a lot of freezing rain along the mountain roads, causing travel to be treacherous, at best. Hunter is trying to get his wife to the medical center so she can give birth to their daughter, but he's fighting the weather to get her there.

As he's driving, his mind wanders, and he begins remembering his sister who died when he was only 20 (he's 34 now). When his wife cries out for him to 'watch out,' he suddenly sees a car coming toward him, and the last thing he sees before the collision is the image of his close friends, Jett and Jagger, who are in the other vehicle. Jett, the youngest, is the one driving, but Jagger is beside him, making him just as guilty as Jett in Hunter's mind (though no one is to blame...the collision happens because of the weather).

I've set Hunter, Jett and Jagger up for a very suspenseful story, I think! :D

Most of my progress posts won't be this detailed, but I'm so excited, I had to tell you all about it! ;)

Lois

Happy Nanowrimo the First!

All month, I'll be working on my new novel!I haven't plotted out the whole story, so I'll be doing some of that as I go, too. Yesterday afternoon and into the night, I made a bunch of note cards for some of the major elements my story needs, and I started making a giant checklist to help me stay on track. I still need to do some major plotting, as I'm nowhere near done.

Thankfully, I've got the backstory mostly lined out, and that's what I'll be working on today. :)

I was going to write an urban fantasy, but it started going flat, so I dropped that idea for now. Instead, I'm writing something different...for me, anyway. I have very little experience in reading, let alone writing, horror, so this will be very new for me. I look forward to it!

 

I haven't had very long to prepare, so my writing this year will be sort of a hybrid between pantsing and planning. We'll see how it turns out. I've won using both methods, so I don't doubt I'll win. It's a matter of wanting my story to make sense and to keep readers from putting it down.

I realize it's just the rough draft, but the element of suspense definitely has to be there. We shall see...

My goal for the novel (not for Nano) is 100K. If I reach it, it will be the first time ever. Needless to say, I'm downright excited about my novel!

Wish me luck! :D

Lois

The Awesomeness that Is My Nano 2010 Novel:

Wow! I've added about 5K words to my Nanowrimo 2010 Novel Summary today! :D

I've added some great new scenes, and some new characters. One is a supporting character, and she will show Dante's compassionate side (though he will still remain the master villain). The other two are minor characters, but I had to name them, as they are more than just passing characters. Oh, there are also two other named characters that have to do with the new supporting character.

Anyway, I've added the part about Dante's lover who killed herself (from the character journal entry I wrote the other day). I also added a section on how Aedmon and Dante, who used to be friends, had a falling out. They were young at the time, and it was the catalyst that set up a chain of events that continues to this day.

And I added some other awesome new stuff. I could keep going, but I need a break. I'd like the chance to work on this tomorrow, but doubt I'll be able to. Maybe I can print it out, though...after we go shopping sometime in the morning. Then I'll have it handy when I work on some more character journal entries! :D

I also need to make Kean's role a bit more prominent. This is the problem with having so many characters. They all want to vie for the top spot. ;)

So, my summary now stands at 28 pages and 17,594 words. I think I need to finally start envisioning more of the ending. I know how it ends, but I can't see it in clear detail. I need to start thinking about how everything going on will bring about the end so I know how much more I need to add before I get to that part.

This is so cool! 8-) Have I said it yet, about how I can't wait to start writing this thing! :D

Lois

Changes to My Nano 2010 Summary:

Misty Bridge (from Stock Xchange.com)

My Nano 2010 summary is now 19 pages (12,475 words) long. I’m having such a blast with this story so far. I feel as if I’m writing it already, as my summary is pretty detailed. November 1 can’t come soon enough. LOL! My only wish is that I have this summary finished and a few more character journal entries written before then.  

I’ve made some changes to the story, too. It no longer takes place on Earth. It takes place on another world, but it’s still a fantasy…and a very traditional one at that. I’ve also changed some place and character names.


I’ve finally added the backstory for some characters that needed it…one of them being the master villain. I still have some scenes I need to write into the summary for him, too. They will go into the backstory section.

Speaking of the master villain, I recently had some friends help me come up with a character model for him. I had nine choices, and I’m happy to say that they chose well. I’m really falling in love with this villain. He’s the perfect not-so-evil-but-not-so-good-either bad guy!

And now I’ve got other things to do, so I’m out of here.

Have a good one!

Lois

My First Character Journal Entry for Nano 2010:

I wrote a new character journal entry today. It’s almost seven pages, and it sits at 3,111 words. It’s my first character journal entry for my 2010 Nanowrimo novel, The Bow of Ildirin. 

 

This entry is from the viewpoint of the master villain, and it’s one of my best, so far (and I’ve written more than a few).

Here’s a very brief excerpt:

…I have yet to see this child, yet I fear her. I don’t know why I should feel such dread at the prospect of seeing one so fair, as she is a child of the woman I loved so long ago. A thought comes to mind, and it is an unsettling one. I hope I am wrong in my thinking. Could this latest daughter be the one traveling with the Son of Ildirin? Could she be the one who teaches him about life, love, and sacrifice? Could she be instrumental in helping him become the destroyer he is prophesied to become?

I am really loving this villain. He’s not so villainous, yet he is very villainous at the same time. He’s been forced to live the life of a vampire for a very long time, and he’s suffered because of it. He’s made decisions that were very unwise, but really has no way to change things.

What will become of him? Will he see the light before it’s too late? Will he kill the hero or be killed by him? What will happen when he encounters a young woman who looks exactly like the lover he lost so long ago?

So many questions, so little time.


Have a good one!

Lois