WTF! I should have been done before January reared it's evil head!

So I'm frustrated with myself because I am still 10 scenes away from finishing this novel. I promised myself that I would finish this book before the year ended and that isn't seeming so likely at the moment.

Why?
Procrastination and worry.
Worry that the scene isn't good enough or that I won't do it justice after it being in my head for months. Somehow I know how it should go, but when I sit down it comes out wrong. And all that worry leads to procrastination in the form of projects and just staring stupidly at the screen.

DAMMIT INNER EDITOR! I don't want you around right now.

I need to get a great deal written in very little time.

Let's do this!

Edit:
I stayed up late and wrote some more.
My last and final goal is to finish the novel before January 5th when school resumes.

What my novel is all about...

My plot one word: Reunion.

I figured this out thanks to a NaNoWriMo forum and it's true. My story is all about reunions--with people from MC's past and with her father.

Memories actually turn out to play a much larger role in this book than I thought, so I need to write quite a few of them out after I finish the story [and figure out how to incorporate them later].

Didn't do much writing today--the boy kept me busy. Plus the next scene really does need my undivided attention, so I plan to start on that tomorrow.

One question though...if you were going to have a meeting to trade something [think of the typical hostage for money or villainous trading of object for object sort of deal] where would you meet?

a. a public place with lots of witnesses
b. a seedy place where the law won't intervene
c. someplace private but neutral
d. somewhere outdoors
e. somewhere on the outskirts and fairly empty [ex. trainyard]

It could be a combo of many of these...but the first thing that came to mind was the cliche outdoors public place [yet seedy enough that people won't call the cops should the bullets start a flying *and trust me they will*].

Now I'm not so sure. Perhaps indoors would be more appropriate--somewhere neutral. We'll see.

Slow and steady

So I have about twelve more scenes to write, which means I'm getting closer to my ending.

Woo!

Current word count: 128,632


Things are coming along. Tomorrow is the big showdown scene, which will be difficult as it will involve quite a few people. It will probably suck writing wise, but hey that's what editing is for!

Wish me luck.

Happy Holidays!

So of course it's the holidays and what not, which means a morning of celebrations before I need to get back to my writing. Because dammit I'd like to be nearly at the end of my novel before this week ends.

Progress [to be edited throughout the day]:

12/25

10:12am - 124,716

6:49pm - 125,189 [really sad...could have written more but I took a nap.]


12/26

2:12pm - 126,194

Progress

I'm writing again...and as of tonight, I have technically won NaNoFiMo.

Before you celebrate, however, the reason I say technically is because I have yet to finish my novel, but I did write the expected 30k.

Still can't really win until the story is done. Until I type "the end" and slowly I'm getting closer.

Woot.

Now back to writing.




Word count: 120,905

Write with a vengeance!

I've figured out the ending to my story--thanks to my darling boyfriend and his lovely dose of reality. So all that is left to do is finish my novel. All the characters have been waiting--suspended in time until I write another word or another scene. And I owe it to them to finish their story.

Unfortunately I have been procrastinating--partly due to fear [fie on you inner editor] and distractions. And have made little progress over the past two days. This is unacceptable. But now that I am currently snowed in--I think I should take advantage of the situation and buckle down.

This also means that I'm revising my NaNoFiMo goal as follows:

Finish my novel on or before December 25th [which may or may not be more than 150k.

So the belt is being tightened and I plan to impose these rules:
1. Write first thing in the morning. [And the night as well...but I do better in the morning.]
2. No editing. No revising. No thinking about editing or revising.
3. Focus on getting the story out. If don't know things, just leave a blank or a note and then fix it in editing.
4. Use Write Or Die like I've never used it before.

As a minor consolation to my inner critic, I will allow myself to get the first sentence of each chapter to my liking before I start. Hopefully that shall appease Miss Edit-it-all's constant nagging.


Tomorrow I start fresh. That's all for tonight.

WTF! Get back on track dammit!

So I've fallen off the writing bandwagon lately.

Reasons why?
1. Xmas gift making [still got more to do tonight]
2. Costume making [spats and such]
3. Trying to figure out the ending before I get there.

Of all the reasons, number three has my writing practically at a stand still. Like I've said before, it's because the end result is due to a series of events...and I want to plan them so that they make sense. But there are some that for the life of me I can't figure out.

So I'm stuck.

But I really need to get back in the game. I want to finish the damn thing before Jan 1st--hell--I want to finish it. Period.
Part of me says just write whatever ending comes to you and then fix it in post. While another part, the perfectionist, wants to know every last detail before I can write.

This is problematic. I need to solve this ASAP if I want to have this stuff written before I get home on Friday.

Help!

Word count: 114,481

"How to end it?"....keeping me up at nght.

Well...technically I'm up late because I was making a pair of spats, but that's another story altogether.

Nevertheless, I have spent the past two days pondering how my story will end. It's not as simple as the conclusion--the final bit at the end, because I know that. What I'm still trying to figure out is how all of the events lead up to that conclusion. Until I know, I can't really write much more, because I'm basically at that point in the story where all the dominoes are about to fall into place. And I've got a lot of dominoes.

Sigh.

I'm getting there...slowly...I just need an epiphany to help guide me to my story's ending. Which isn't exactly the ending of Olivia's story altogether...because *gasp* there will at least be a sequel.

That's all for now. Sleep calls.

The Day Nothing was Written...

I have not written anything today, because I was too busy with my internship and school. On top of that I'm incredibly exhausted and need some sleep.

So where do I stand?
Last time I wrote [Tuesday] I had 111,176.

Olivia has me with Oliver the impostor again. He wasn't very nice and gave her an ultimatum: leave or he'll turn her in.

So yeah...nice dilemma.

G'night.

Distracted...Childhood Memories

So I've found myself incredibly distracted today.

It all started when I woke up this morning and spent those waking hours imagining what Artemus and Olivia were like when they first met at children [she was four years old, he was six]. All I know is that she slaps him--long story.
From then on I've been vaguely recreating their brief history together, despite the fact that this means I'm thinking about that, instead of where the story is actually going.

But I'm letting myself do it, because it is important to how the story works, so in the end it will help. I'll probably work on it a bit more when I'm in the post-writing/pre-editing stages.

So without much adieu...

The Childhood Events of Olivia and Artemus (at least until I revise it):
While Vincent was out on some business he came across Artemus (not sure what his original last name was), who he quickly learned was quite talented and had a mind for inventing. So he made the young man a deal, he would work with him after school--sort of a mentorship. And this is what brought Artemus to the Wells/Orville home.

The day Artemus came to their home, Olivia was in the middle of a piano lesson with her mother. As she had seen but not had any playmates that were "her size" she was immediately excited by his arrival. So she rushed out to meet this strange new young man that her father was talking to. Vincent introduced the two, using Olivia's nickname which brought about this following exchange between the two children:
"Ollie is a strange name for a girl." Artemus said making a face.
"It's just a nick name. It stands for Olivia Madeleine Wells." The girl replied, irritated at his comment.
"Still odd." Artemus said with a shrug.
"Is he a playmate?" This last line Olivia directed at her father. Her father informed her that the young man is here for lessons, but he might be willing to play with Olivia afterwards. Excited by the prospect, she asked the young man:
"Will you play with me afterwards?"
"No." Artemus said this with no hesitation.
"Why not?" She inquired.
"Because I don't want to play with you." He replied.
And Olivia responded by slapping him on the face, much to the surprise of both her parents. When asked why she did it, she said he was being rude--which was hardly a good excuse. So Madeleine took Olivia to be punished for her actions, while Vincent apologizes to a very stunned Artemus. And the boy's lessons begin.

On his second visit, Olivia quickly apologized to him before his lesson and then runs off afterwards. Feeling partly to blame, Artemus decides to stay and keep the girl company--far better than returning to the orphanage. So begins a series of play dates between the two of them [I'm not sure what sort of games a four year old girl would play with a six year old boy, but it's not too important]. It was during this time that Olivia realized that Artemus was very serious for his age. She asks him one day why he won't smile, but he will not say. The little girl then resolves that she will make him smile, if she ever figures out how.

She found her inspiration on how to do that when she witnessed her mother receive flowers from her father. So she decided it would also work for Artemus. One day instead of piano lessons with her mother, Olivia suggested that they go for a walk. As Olivia gathered flowers, her mother asked what they were for and the girl revealed her secret plan: the flowers were for Artemus. Her mother laughed and asked why she would give the boy flowers. Olivia responds that it made her mother happy, so it might make him happy too. That late afternoon after lessons were over, Olivia presented her bouquet of flowers to Artemus. At first the boy was rather confused by the gift, but it did make him smile [a small half-smile]. Pleased with the results, Olivia continues the action--although with less flowers--hoping that it will keep him happy. And slowly the two children become a bit closer.

[There is a photograph of the two children that was taken a bit after this by Thomas. Artemus is looking ahead at the camera, trying his best to be serious without much success--he is half smiling. His failure to look serious is due to the fact that Olivia has her arms wrapped around him and resting her head on his shoulder--he expected her to merely stand next to him. Yes...she was a bit clingy back then, but it got him to smile.]

About a year into their friendship, tragedy strikes. Madeleine Wells has an accident in the lab. Of course the children do not know this yet--they are together in the parlor when Vincent and the Orvilles rush upstairs carrying Maddy. Vincent tells Bertrand to call for a doctor. Although neither of the children know what is wrong, they can both sense it. Olivia tries to go to her mother, but Vincent stops her and asks Artemus to hold her back. And he does. He holds Olivia in his arms, as she fights him, screaming her mother's name until finally she gives gives in and starts to cry.

When they go to the funeral, Artemus is the one who holds Olivia's hand. Although her father and the Orvilles try their best to comfort her, it is the boy's words [about how he lost his own parents] that help her understand. The two children find themselves bonded by loss. However, unlike Artemus, Olivia remains more positive--even claiming that somehow Maddy is still with her. [There is a slight chance that the girl spent her time alone talking to an "invisible" Maddy or herself to cope.]

After the death of her mother, Olivia begins to spend more time with the men in her life [Vincent, Thomas, Theodore and Artemus]. Unable to leave Olivia alone, her father starts bringing her into the lab, which is the start of the masculine clothes that caused all the Ollie=boy confusion. [The famous photo isn't taken until after Artemus is sent away.] So she spends most of her days after school in the factory and lab with her father. And when she isn't following her father around, she is with Artemus. The young man is now living with them [a foster home type situation]. Her father felt it was best that the boy not have to be at the orphanage after all he'd been through--and due to the comfort his presence brought Olivia. Together, this strange family began to cope.

It was like this for the next three years [Olivia is now eight and Artemus is ten]. Olivia and Artemus have become rather close friends. All was going well, until the two were suddenly separated, for reasons the two were not told. [As it turned out, Mr. Cromwell had returned with hopes of finishing the invention that killed Maddy. He also showed some interest in Artemus, when he learned of his talents. Vincent did not want to see Cromwell get his hands on Artemus, for fear of what he would make the young man do.] Artemus was taken away to live with Felix and the theatre troupe. In the rush to save Artemus from a horrible fate, Vincent failed to tell the young man what was happening. So Artemus assumed he was being abandoned again--sold off to Felix Armstrong. Angry to be treated like an object, he became bitter and disobedient [which in part contributed to his debt]. Olivia was also misled and told her friend had finally been adopted. She tried her best to be happy for Artemus and hoped that perhaps she would see him again one day. That day would not come for another nine years...


So yeah...that's it in a nutshell. The past that Olivia and Artemus shared.
It explains why Artemus cares about her so much and why he's so protective. Why he knows more about her than anyone else and why he would recognize her slightly [you do change a lot in nine years]. It also explains why they have such strong feelings for each other--not fond of that R&J love at first sight BS.


Sorry this was such a long post.

Gonna stop beating myself up.

So tired...because this weekend was hell.
I'm 5k behind at the moment and tomorrow I'll technically be 8k behind. I say technically because I am going to be lenient with myself because I have been far too busy to get much written anyway.

Things are still moving--just really really slowly.

Sigh. I won't stop writing though, because I really don't want to take the chance that I'll abandon this project like I've done with others before.


Tonight's word count: 110,139

G'night.

JACKPOT!

As many of you know my story is Steampunk, which is basically Victoriana with a futuristic/tech focused element. And in order to give my world that lovely 19th century flair, I need to learn as much as I can about that time period.

I've used Wikipedia, TV/movie references, my costuming knowledge etc, but then I found this:

Victoriana.com

Let me just say--what a wealth of knowledge. Everything from ballroom dancing and corsetry to Christmas gifts for gentlemen and etiquette. Oh I'm going to be visiting this site a lot when I start editing!

Just had to share!

He's her doppleganger...sort of.

So things are looking up a bit. I managed to get a bit of writing done today because I was stranded at work with nothing else to do [yes I had to work this Saturday--what of it?].

Didn't quite meet my goal of 109k, but I'm not about to shirk at 107,036 [only 2k behind]. Plus I'm incredibly sleep deprived and need my rest.

Update:
These past couple of words has brought Olivia to her doppelganger, a young man claiming to be Oliver Wells. Technically he's not her doppelganger as they're different genders, but the world thinks that Ollie was a boy, so when you consider that--he is.

I've been looking forward to Oliver's appearance quite a bit as he's got a villainous streak to him. When I first planned their encounter it was a really small moment, but now it's turned into something far more interesting. He's a con-man with some very valuable information, but he's also not someone to mess with. He will really give Olivia a run for her money for a little while. Which makes her big "I told you so" moment even more awesome. Squee!

Epic Fail and a Shamless Plug

So this week has been quite the bust. A migraine took me out for two days [putting me 7k behind] and last night I had a hard time staying awake.

So I'm pretty mad at myself right now. I'm also worried that I'm self sabotaging because I fear that I can't finish my story without it sounding like crap. Then I remind myself this is a rough rough draft and somehow I will make it up. That is what the weekend is for after all. So I will catch up again. It's not like I have much else that I need to do.

Word count: 98,151


AND NOW A SHAMELESS PLUG:
There are two books I purchased before NaNo. They were mentioned a couple of times on NaNo message boards so I decided to check them out. They were actually incredibly helpful and will probably be even more helpful once I start editing.

After mentioning them briefly to Penny and she asked me to post them, so here they are--

Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
If you ever needed help structuring a plot, crafting a scene or even just starting your novel, this book has so many good tidbits. If it weren't for this book I probably would have still been working on my first plot, which was pretty lame.

Character & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
Haven't read as much of this book, but I really like how they talk about narrative and character development. I'll be doing a lot of this after I finish, so I know that book will come in handy later.


Now unlike some folks *cough* Penny *cough* I still have a bit more writing to do before I can be finished. So I'm gonna get back on that and hopefully have a healthy word count by the end of the night.

Impostors

More research as I write...this time it's impostors and stolen identities.

Olivia is about to meet a man who claims to be her--well the male version of her: Oliver Wells.
I didn't put much thought into it when it first came up as a plot element, but as I'm about to write that scene it's sort of important to address. Which means learning more about why someone would pretend to be someone else. So off to Wikipedia where I found some very handy info.

There are quite a few reasons to impersonate someone: money, social standing, fresh start, hiding from the law or gain privileges specific to that person.

Option 1:
He does it for fraudulent reasons, so perhaps it's all a con sort of like Cassie Chadwick: who pretended to be a Andrew Carnegie's illegitimate child and gained access to a lot of big loans [that she never paid back].
Mind you, the Wells family is known for inventing...so unless he can invent--he's gonna have to run someday because people will figure it out. Perhaps he's a mechanic.

Option 2:
He does it for opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to him [like funding].
No good examples of this that I've found so far, except for a similar situation in the anime Full Metal Alchemist. In the episode, the lead characters, who are brothers, meet another pair of brothers that are impersonating them so that they could be apart of an experiment. The intentions are selfish, but not meant to be slander or as part of a con job.
If he goes this route, he's going to be less of a threat--and less conflict overall. Olivia will also be more reluctant to reveal who he really is.


Verdict:
I think Option 1 is more exciting and allows for more conflict. He might actually be able to fix things and managed to pull it off for a while going the Frank Abagnale way of having other people do it for you. It will also not be as bad if Olivia reveals him, because he was tricking them anyway.

We'll see.

December brings NaNoFiMo

So it's now December and I'm determined to finish my novel.

I joined NaNoFiMo with the goal of 150k by December 19th, which means about 3k+ a day.
So far I'm doing pretty well and have kept up with my writing.

Been learning a lot while I go along...like the fact that parachutes were around as early as the 1500s. The first modern style ones were in use around 1885. Of course back then you had to hold the chute in your arms when you jumped and release it into the air yourself--but hey it worked. And it makes for a great scene.

So yeah. Olivia and Artemus just jumped off a moving airship, FYI. This adventure of hers just keeps getting crazier. Don't believe me? Two words:'rocket' and 'bicyle'.


And now I go to bed.


Current word count: 94,179

Last day to make it or break it

It's 7:35pm and I am posing the following to myself: can I get nearly to the end of my story before midnight?

We'll see.

Wish me luck.

-----

Edit:

So NaNoWriMo just finished for me here in San Francisco [and the rest of the west coast] and I finished with 90,120 words [because I forced myself to write about 10k in 8 hours].

Last year I finished with 60,957 words, so huge progress. But once again, I didn't finish and I still have a lot of work to do. My story will probably take another 40k, which I plan to complete before December 19th.

So onto NaNoFiMo!


P.S. I plan to post a few choice excerpts in the next week if anyone is interested--after a bit of editing. I'll let you know when that happens.

And she's off.

Dear Jeebus I finally made it!

At 78,257 Olivia has finally made her decision to run off with her father's last invention [okay so technically I didn't write the memory part yet, so it'll be a few more words into the story once that's added]. The "decision scene" turned out far more touching that I could have imagined--oh my little characters how I've become so fond of you. I sincerely hope that I will not have to kill any of the good ones--perhaps some injury instead.

So that means we've gotten past character building and mysteries into full blown adventure and such. And that means that I have stepped into the territory of the completely unknown. Which sucks because I only have two days left of NaNo to figure most of that out.

Oh I know I won't finish my story on Sunday [at least another 40k to write], but I'm gonna try to get as far into that half as I can.

Wish me luck.

Mini-update

So despite the arrival of the boyfriend for holiday festivities, I have kept steady with my writing. In fact I've been waking up early just so I can get some writing done while he sleeps. Makes me feel less guilty that way.

As of this very moment I am at 70,822. But my story is still very far from being finished. I think I failed to realize how long this story has to be to tell all of it--phew!

Let's just say that my protagonist needs to be running away from her guardians with a valuable object for the latter half of the novel and she's still there. On the bright side I'm only a few scene away from her officially running off. So perhaps I will hit "action" territory before NaNo ends.

Still nervous though, because once she leaves for "action" land...I haven't a clue what it's really gonna be like.

Well back to work!

Don't call it a comeback...I've been here for years!

So things are moving along in my little noveldom. I've finally broken 60k and intend to reach 75k before Billy's arrival on Wednesday night. There are so many things left to write it isn't even funny. Olivia is on the brink of running off and starting the major climax of the story. So as the days of NaNo draw to a close, I wonder to myself why oh why did it take so long to get to this point?

For one, my inner critic is really hard to shut up. Sometimes she's helpful and creates some great paragraphs and narrative. Then I have to remind myself that this is Nano. My critical friend can shine after this is all over when I'm editing. But sometimes, I just can't force myself forward.

Secondly, self-doubt is always looking over my shoulder. And I begin to worry. Is my story interesting? Would someone want to read it? Are the characters flat? Are they realistic? I haven't a clue because I spend nearly all my waking [and sometimes sleeping] moments with them. My dear boyfriend has been unfortunately subjected to temporary beta as I've been writing--just so my ego can get enough boost to continue writing.

Of the two, doubt is far more dangerous than my critic. Because doubt may be silent, but it acts like a poison and it slows you down. So I need to say goodbye to my poisonous friend and realize that half of what is being written by myself and others will be complete drivel until it gets the editing it deserves. The point is to get it out. And I will.

Green bar goodness

Me: Hooray I won the NaNo! I rock... :: does a little dance ::

Inner Critic: Yeah yeah...big celebration. But is your novel anywhere near done?

Me: No...but I got 50k

Inner Critic: And you still probably have to write 50k more

Me: Right...so I better get to it I suppose.

----------

So yeah as of midnight, I wrote 50,808. Woot!

I'm still writing at the moment, hoping to break 52k before I go to bed. It's been sluggish because I don't know the scene as well as I had hoped. But on the bright side I am so close to my halfway point I can taste it.

Sunday--let's kick some ass and break 60k.

Sometimes your NaNo characters hijack your brain...

Often while in the midst of NaNo or working on any story, I have moments when I allow my characters to get too close and occasionally take over. My walk to work turns from thinking about my life to thinking about the characters, things they might say or bits of narration.

Then the hijacking begins.

I have a sudden urge to speak as Olivia and respond as Artemus or one of the Orvilles. I devise witty bits of narration for scenes I have yet to write. When they win, I have no choice but to say their words out loud or mouth them. And even when I fight, the facial expressions they might express in the scene playing out in my head, will appear on my own face.

This can be rather problematic, because people might think you're crazy. But this is also the sign that something is finally clicking. And nothing clicked more than when I stopped on my walk home, pulled out my notebook and proceeded to write over 1,000 words for a scene that just popped up in my mind. And it didn't stop there. Twice more, I stopped on the street, found a piece of paper and had to write down that bit of dialogue or prose before I could continue on my way.

But in the end it paid off because I have reached 42K. So hooray!

Unfortunately, my story is far from ending, so I know I need to work really hard these next 10 days to reach 100k or at least 80k before NaNoWriMo ends.

Oh my...things are steaming up.

So a couple of things.

1. I reached 30k!
Not as nice as the desired 35k, but it still puts me in the lead, which is good because I have a feeling that this story will run about 80-100K and I'd like to pretty much finish by end of NaNo.

2. Olivia and Artemus are fogging up my goggles.
Yes indeed, it seems love is blossoming between the pair. I had not intended to get so romantic, but you know how characters like to do what they want. It's very clear to me that Olivia has a crush on Artemus, but I don't know if he feels the same way yet. You know how oblivious boys can be. :)

3. Excerpt of steamy goodness!
After all that writing, I figure I should share some of it. Not much editing was done, so be gentle. Anyway, here it is:

Olivia did not feel fine as she found herself alone and clinging to a bit of railing numerous miles above the ground below. In fact, all she could think about how and when she might fall out of the airship and tumble to her death.
You won't fall out. She thought to herself as she stared at her hands instead of the view below. People don't fall out of airships.
This thought would have been comforting if she did not remember that she had, in fact, fallen out of one herself. And that her falling out of an airship was the very reason she was standing on that balcony this very moment. The girl suddenly felt a knot tighten in her chest, making it incredibly hard to breathe. So she closed her eyes.
"I promise you won't fall." A voice said in her ear and she opened her eyes. Another set of hands rested upon her own, which had relaxed their death grip on the railing a bit. Her heart beat began kicking up again, but not because she was afraid to fall. Her heart was responding, as it often did, to the presence of Artemus Doyle who was standing behind her.
"Artemus." She said softly, but did not turn to look at him.
“Just look down,” he said and reluctantly the girl did as she was told. She allowed her eyes to look away from the railing to the ground below. Below the airship was something that looked like an intricate design etched into the land. The circular form rippled outward and branched out with intricate twists and turns. At the edge of the pattern was a field of green and yellow.
“Is that the city?” She asked, turning to look at Artemus.
“Yes.” He smiled, his eyes unreadable behind his goggles. “That is your father’s design. He and the Orvilles built this city as a mecca for innovation. And the city itself is its own masterpiece.”
“It’s amazing.” She said, still looking at it in awe. Her fear of falling a distant memory.
“You see that structure over there?” He asked, pointing towards something in the distance. Olivia shook her head. “One second.” The boy took one of his hands off of hers and leaned forward, moving her body with him. Surprised, Olivia straightened her arms and stopped him from leaning forward any further.
Artemus laughed and he wrapped one of his arms around her waist.
“Still scared?” He whispered in her ear. Olivia’s heart fluttered. “I promised you that nothing will happen. Just trust me, for once.”
“Okay.” Olivia swallowed hard and relaxed her arms. Artemus leaned both of them forward slightly over the railing and pointed down to something that was much closer to their view.
“See that structure?” He asked again.
“Yes.” The girl could clearly see the large domed structure. Now that they were closer, she noticed that the roof was made of a prism of glass. Everything in the intricate pattern that mad up the city seemed to spill out from there.
“That is the heart of the city. The factory your father and the Orvilles started. It was once one of the most important places in this country.”
“And now?”
“Now it’s not doing so well.” George said as he approached the pair. He glanced down where they were looking and then back at the two of them. Olivia suddenly felt very conscious of how close she and Artemus were that moment.
“Oh, really?” She said, taking a step towards George and out of Artemus’ arms. She didn’t look behind her to see how her actions had affected her companion, if at all.
“Yes...” George said with a brief glance over in Artemus’ direction. “Was I interrupting anything?”
“No.” Artemus said, his voice blank.
“Artemus was showing me the city,” Olivia said, turning back to look at Artemus, who was still looking down at the city below. She gently touched his shoulder, but didn’t get a response. So she placed her hands on the railing next to him and then turned back to address George.
“So what happened to the factory?”

Challenges, a duel if you will...

So this week started out badly. No writing on Monday and then a paltry 1K on Tuesday and Wednesday, so what is the solution to that?

A WORD WAR!!!!

Penny has pulled off the gloves, slapped my face and declared a war, which I have chosen to accept. The terms: 35k by Sunday.

This shall be a mighty war indeed.
For my army of characters have finally found lives of their own and they are willing to fight for me--to the death! Okay...maybe not the death...but perhaps to the pain [just less gruesome than what Wesley described...okay...we're talking paper cuts and finger pokings.]

It begins!!!

Of Steampunk gadgets and the literary dillemma

Monday I did not write anything because I was incredibly busy on le good ship internship and have a presentation to work on. So big zero on the daily word count. No worries, because I'll catch up tomorrow.

So as most of you know, I am writing a Steampunk NaNoWriMo.

That means gadgets and gizmos a plenty. Unfortunately, that can be quite the problem.
Films, videos and comic books make these things so easy to accept. We see them and well seeing is believing so we accept them. However, when it comes to the ever complicated novel, we are rendered blind.

The only way to end this horrid blindness is with descriptions. However, it can be very hard to describe something if you don't have a clue what it is [or even what it does]. This was something I intended to fix with pre-NaNo planning, but that didn't really go as planned. So I'm thrust into the world and making up thingamajigs on the fly. I know I have a vivid imagination, but I'm generally more of a engineer of "magic" than of anything remotely like engineering.

So this is definitely going to be a struggle. I'll probably resort to just making up random names and just vaguely mentioning the power source or if any levers need to be pulled. I can always go back and fix it.

And to flex my steamy inventing muscles, I will probably begin a "random inventions" list in the Excerptlopedia. Maybe I'll use some of them or it'll just be for fun.

If you can think of anything...and I mean anything, please feel free to share.

Finally caught up!

Huzzah! After silencing my inner critic and some early morning, lunch and evening writing, I am finally back on track.

Writing is going well. The dialogue is still a little shaky, but characters are beginning to develop. The tech side is a little iffy too but that's something I can always go back and edit properly.

Another excerpt. Hopefully this will not disappoint:
A little side note. In this scene, Olivia is disguised as Edwin Jones.

Millicent Doyle's tour was nothing if not thorough and she made sure to usher "Edwin" to every room, nook and cranny. Whether it was to meet yet another crew member or to see some facet of the massive airship's inner workings, Millie made sure that the boy was introduced to everyone who crossed their path. At the moment, the woman had cornered an unfortunate engineer and the elaborate routine of introductions was about to happen for the fifteenth time today.
"Edwin Jones, this is Marshall Patterson. Marshall Patterson, this is Edwin Jones." Millicent said as she quickly pointed between the two men and watched eagerly until the two being introduced finally shook hands. Olivia tried her best to keep up the "firm handshake" that had impressed Mrs. Doyle, but her hand was getting tired by the time she had reached Mr. Patterson.
"Marshall is one of our crewman..." Millicent continued, completely ignoring the nervous look on the crewman's face. She had cornered him on their way to the engine room as he was probably rushing off to somewhere important. But as she had mentioned to "Edwin", the first time he suggested that it was not necessary be introduced to everyone, that manners were what made their country such a dignified place.
"Nice to meet you." Olivia said as she gave the other young man an apathetic look. The sooner the introductions were over, the sooner he would be released from his civic duty of cordiality.

That's all for now. I've earned some early rest.

Back on track, but still have some catching up to do...

So as of tonight I have 5,037 words [although most of those words are from the older plots--but hey I still wrote it for NaNo].

Nevertheless, I am back on track and trying my best to catch up and then get ahead. It didn't help that I've been sick today and so I decided to take it easy instead of making myself worse with stress.

Anyway, at least half of my plot is in my head. As for writing it, we shall see how it goes. I've started to put words on paper, but it's been a little slow and clunky [reminds herself that it's just a draft...die inner critic, die].

So as a little taste, here are the new opening lines:

As Olivia watched the play come to its conclusion, she could not avoid the sneaking suspicion that somehow this story was based on her life, albeit less comical. It is not strange to associate oneself with the characters in a play, but most would have picked the dashing hero or the scheming villains over the hapless victim that was now clinging on for dear life.

Reworking

I'm still here.

I am currently reworking my plot as we speak and I'm very excited about how it is going.

As for actual writing, I am still incredibly behind. Unfortunately, due to stressing myself out over my predicament and spending a chunk of today focused on elections--I probably won't write any more tonight.

Besides, I need to have a clearer plot line/character ideas before I try to ramble off 4,000+ words or so. I mean, I can write it, but will it be worth it?


So I'm off to plan before bed.

Plots fall apart...[or why character goals are important]

On the third day of NaNo, I wrote absolutely nothing.

Yep, nothing.

Fear not, I am not quitting NaNo, I just ran into a major issue that needed to be tackled before I could write anything else. That major problem being that my MC/Protagonist did not have her own goal. Sure she took on the goals of others as they came, but nothing was driving her. And as any good writer/writing book will tell you, the MC needs a goal or what's the point?

So I spent most of today trying to figure it all out and I have decided this:
My MC/Protagonist's father has gone missing and she has to find him/save him.

This opens a can of worms, so I still have a bit of replotting to do. Some characters can be salvaged, but a lot of them will probably be recast or dumped.


I've got a catching up to do.
Hope I don't have anything to do at work tomorrow.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

So Steamboy was very useful for inspiration. If you are interested in Steampunk or just an enjoyable movie in general, I would definitely look into it.

Most of today was spent planning...but it was super helpful. I figured out about a quarter of my plot and smoothed out my villain. Also, I created a helpful little playlist for myself to aid me as I write.

I started writing at 8pm and it's going, wouldn't say it was great, but it is coming along.

So I plan to start a few new posts in the Excerptlopedia.

1. Excerpts [anything from chapters to great paragraphs]
2. Favorites [lines, mottos, character quotes, etc]

Check em out when you can.

Today's challenge between myself and Penny was that we were to reach 4,000 by day end. I do not think I will win this one Penny, but we'll see.

Planning Saturday

So planning is going okay...sort of. I think I need to talk to someone or just take a little break.

Lots of revelations and discoveries, but some may be complicating my plot.
I'm gonna watch Steamboy for inspiration and to keep from any possible self-sabotage.


I need support people...call or drop me an IM.

Late start this NaNo...

Despite all of my attempts to prepare early for NaNoWriMo, I once again will probably start a bit later than planned.

I have been laying out my story and characters. I collected images, but I can't fight sleep and I've been exhausted all day. Even as I write this, I keep falling asleep.


So I'm going to call it a night and finish my planning in the morning. I can start writing tomorrow afternoon or night.

Let there be plot.

At last...I have most of my plot...at least the first half.

I would love to post it, but fear of jinxing and stealings prevents me.
So I will put down some hints of things to come in the post...with names of course missing.

Plot points:
1. Someone will leave home to seek adventure.
2. Another secretly plots to kill a sibling/rivalry.
3. War is just a giant spectator's sport.
4. The only way to really get attention to dress in drag.
5. Someone will find their long lost sibling.
6. A few people will betray each other.
7. A person who seeks revenge will befriend his enemy's child.
8. Someone lived for 4-5 years alone without any human companions.



However, I hate to leave people craving the steamy *pun intended* plot I've been concocting...so I shall make a deal. Here I will post the rough plot of my writer's block novel, which is no way related, currently titled:
Mad Love (or How I Stopped Fretting and Fell for a Mad Scientist)

The daughter of a wealthy financier, who turns on her father when she discovers her has stolen the ideas of a brilliant young man and had him committed. As it turns out, her father is part of a group that intends to keep science out of the hands of the masses--under the falsehoods that science is akin to witchcraft.

Outraged that her father would do such a thing, she helps the young man escape and agrees to work with him. Their first goal is to raise money and she pretends to be held hostage. Finally funded, they begin to reek their havoc on the city in the name of science, which they believe should be free to everyone.

Their actions are discovered by another group [a League Of Like Minded Scientists perhaps, with a crazy acronym I have yet to figure out] and they are contacted. Given this option to join other scientists to fight the evils of a non-science world, the young man and his friend have a rather important (and silly) choice to make.

That's all the planning I'm gonna do for this story, since it's all supposed to work on sheer imagination and spontaneity. Mind you, this is just for when I get writer's block or bored and I will definitely post the episode-like chapters in the Excerptlopedia.

Time is running out!

Time always flies faster when you've got a lot to do.

So right now I'm still at the bare bones stage and working out a few character issues. Once I have those issues taken care of, I should be able to round out the plot and finish the story.

No world planning per se, but I think I can get away with alot if I focus on the two key cities and avoid talking about the whole world. Fairly similar world view to ours in the 1900s but with a few changes. I think I'll probably do some free-writing and see what comes to mind.

As for characters, some are very clear in my mind. Others aren't clear but I can use their Greek origins for assistance. And then others...I haven't a clue. Those will be the hardest folks to tackle.

But no worries. I will be prepared...just keep telling myself that.

Things are looking up

So after some pondering on the ol' inspirational spot, I started to pull my plot together. Either I have the first half of a story or the first novel in a two part series. We'll see. It all depends on how complex I want to make it.

But now I really need to start working on the characters--since the plot I came up with is simply the bones of the story.

Now since I've lost a great deal of sleep, these last few nights, to planning this story and such, I'm going to stop myself right now and head to bed.

I can work on the story tomorrow.

G'night.

Mein gott only 10 more days!

So I'm nervous because there are only 10 days left for me to get my stuff together for Nano.

BUT ALL IS NOT LOST...yet:

I have a protagonist.

I have a very vague/rough goal.

I have the inklings of an antagonist/antagonistic forces.

----

There are only two ways to go about figuring out the plot.
One is to force it out and the other is to work with the characters.

If I am to work with the characters, then there are few people I really need to deal with: Daedalus and King Minos. And two other things: the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.

----

A few key details from my excerptlopedia-ing:

Daedalus--is the protagonist's father and a famous inventor, who was involved in a secret project and society. He bears this secret heavily, but unfortunately it passes on to his child.

King Minos--the wealthy technophile leader of a now-defunct scientific organization, which he hopes to restore. His son is acting on his behalf.

Minotaur--an experiment or invention [which used test subjects] and possibly involving a living being.

Labyrinth--a laboratory or laboratory/commune that has been lost over the years. It may be located near or far outside the city. Or it was incorporated into the city itself.

---------------


And should all else fail, I have a back up novel of fluffy goodness entitled "I'm in love with a Mad Scientist", which features the adventures of a young socialite who falls in love with a scientist, who is committed to an insane asylum for his theories by her father who really just wants to steal his ideas. She decides to free him and becomes his sidekick, as they seek revenge on her father together.

In fact, I might work on that whenever I get writer's block during Nano--and to alleviate the stress.

Writer's Block is a curious thing...

So after my last post, I thought I was truly stumped.
Of course a few hours later, I started thinking and out of nowhere the wheels of inspiration started moving again.

And suddenly...a flow of ideas.

I will not mention them, for fear of jinxing myself before I really figure out the full plot. But I will leave you with these few thoughts.

My breakthrough came by looking at alternate scenarios for the original story, like the opposite game. Basically I thought to myself:

What if Theseus had not come yet?
What if the Minotaur wasn't killed?
What if Daedalus and Icarus escaped?
What if Icarus didn't die?

All of these opposites have helped me create an alternate universe for characters based on the Greek myth.

Key themes I plan to deal with:

Choices
Mistakes
Forgiveness
Secrets/Lies
Gender roles
Power/Playing God

Tehee! That's all for now.
I shall reveal my grand scheme later.

Stumped...plotwise

So after helping my Penny with her plot, I've found I'm at a loss with mine.
Although I am using the Labyrinth for inspiration, I would really prefer to not just make a steampunk version of the same story. I want an interpretation.

But that is causing problems since I don't know where to start.

Maybe I should approach this how I would directing a play. Of course, one does not generally change the plot when doing this, but it could help me figure out the most important elements of the story and figure out how to work them together there.

Somehow I need to figure this out. And maybe that's how. After all, I can come up with all the outlandish plot ideas, but in the end its gotta go back to the basics.

So to the excerptlopedia!

Icarus

Right now I'm focusing on the bits and pieces of the original myth to inspire the story.

Originally, Icarus's influence was only going to appear in a set of mechanical wings. But then I had a curious thought:

The main character sees a heavenly body in flight--a winged man. Then abruptly someone falls to the ground before her: a man wearing a pair of mechanical wings. At first she thinks he might be dead, but then he gets up, dusts himself off and begins muttering to himself something about calculations and mistakes. Eventually he realizes he is not alone and turns to face his audience. Dust coats his face, his eyes hidden behind equally obstructed goggles, which glow as if lit up. Then the lights dim and the lenses are lifted [they flip up] to reveal a set of intriguing grey eyes. The man smiles warmly and extends a dusty hand.

"Hello I'm Artemus."

This image has nearly burned itself into my brain. I don't yet know what role he will play, but it will be a big one. Artemus is also not a name I completely set upon but it will do for now. Not all of the moment was written down as they have a bit of banter about how the protagonist would have assumed his name to be "Icarus" and the man laughs and note the reference to his wings and fall.

So yes, we have an Icarus-like character, but the falling and wings is mostly where they relate. In contrary, my first impression of this character is that he is rather brilliant, eccentric and a bit mysterious. There is a possibility that he might even be dangerous [but not an overall antagonist]. While he generally thinks before he acts, his may think quicker than most of us and therefore seems to act brashly.

Side note: he may have been experimented on, the creator of the labyrinth or the reason for the labyrinth...we'll see which.

Indecision 2008

This has nothing to do with the elections.

Rather it has to do with what story to prep for the fast approaching Nano.
I was going to figure this out last night, but I fell asleep at 10pm [super early for me]. So I'm going to hash it out here instead.

-------------------Begin "Scrubs" moment-------------------------

The Contenders!

In one corner, holding the age old influence of greek mythology and the ancient glory ripe with characters is a story based on Daedelus, Icarus and the amazing labyrinth.

And in the other corner, is an original but fragmented story that puts a young girl as a companion to a brilliant man, who doesn't remember who he is.


The Fight!

The mythical tale seems to be a heavy hitter, with its already existing story providing a very good layout for a new story to be based on. Oh no, the original story is being knocked down for it's lack of goals and clear antagonist. Wait, the original story is back up, jabbing back with it's intriguing characters and possibilities as a series. Yet another jab with its left hook of unfamiliarity and darker elements.
It looks like the original story might win, it's even strutting around the ring--but it's back is turned. And whammo! Mythical came from behind with a one two jab of limited time to come up with a compelling story. Oh and now original's been hit one more time with the chance for comedy.

Original is down for the count. He's been K.O'ed!

Mythical wins! Mythical wins!


--------------------End "Scrubs" moment-----------------------------


Okay...I supposed I solved that one myself. And perhaps I already knew the answer.


So I'm going to say it here and now (and hopefully not jinx myself), the basis of my next NaNo story is such:

A steampunk adventure story based on ideas and characters presented in the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus. Specifically involving the Labyrinth of Minos.

For those who don't know or forgot the story, it goes like this:

In Crete, King Minos' wife was cursed to mate with a bull and produce a monstrous offspring known as the Minotaur [half man and half bull]. The king decides to encase this monster within a Labyrinth and hires Daedalus to build it. Daedalus and his son, Icarus, build the maze and Minos puts the Minotaur at the Labyrinth's center and lures men there to be eaten. Of course, the King decides that he would rather not have people know that Labyrinth's secret so either locks Daedalus and his son either in the Labyrinth or a tower [depending on the version]. Nevertheless they escape by flight by fashioning makeshift wings. Icarus, however, is foolhardy and flies too high, melting his wings and falling to his death. Daedalus survives and mourns his son in a much safer city and lives to a ripe old age.

And that's the most important part of the story...at least what will inspire me.

The key words being inspired. I have no intention of writing a story that is verbatim or even following the similar turn of events--that would be boring. Rather I plan to use these key elements from the story:

Labyrinth--could be a maze, a machine, prison or a city itself

Minotaur--animal, human, metaphor, ghost, mistake created by science or a machine

Wings/Flight--mechanical, magical, genetic, well made or shoddy

King Minos--rich man, king, eccentric, position of power, old friend

Daedelus--father/mother/brother/sister, brilliant inventor, shambling fraud, old, young

Icarus--son/daughter/brother/sister, innovator, curious, young, old


What a good start...always helps to make up your mind first.

Yes I delve now into the steampunk world...

So that last post was bunk. Sort of.

Anywho, in light of the very fast approaching November and the Nanofest it brings, I must buckle down. So Bloodstone is on the back burner. If ideas come to me while I plot for this next one, then so be it.

But now onto newer things.

All I can say is that it will be a steampunk story...or gaslamp fantasy [as it may be an AU or original world]. There are two potential stories fighting for my attention. One that is hella complicated and another that is a bit simpler and confined to a single novel.

My goal for next Nano is to not only win but to finish the novel, so that any extra work is rough drafting and finalizing.

So what does that mean? Well it means that I need to get all my planning and plotting down. This is best shown with a list [as I like lists], see below:

THINGS I NEED TO COMPLETE [AKA FINISH THE DAMN THING] A NANO THIS YEAR:

1. A complete cast of characters [with traits, backgrounds and such]:
Last Nano I got to know most of my characters as I went along--for some that was good, for others not so good. Really bare bones others were flat as paper.

2. An opposing force [for each character]:
Every one has a conflict. Some are the focus of the plot, while others are small and personal. Don't forget them.

3. A working knowledge of my world [maps, lifestyle, history]:
Might not be as necessary for this story, but it is still helpful.

4. A well written plot outline [summary, timeline, key character actions]:
I wanna know what is going to happen before I start. Not all the nitty gritty, but at least an idea. And of course, how it ends!

5. Sketches [of machines, characters, places, etc]:
While imaginative, I can have a hard time describing things. This time I need those images in advance, so the descriptions seem real.

6. Know my villain:
This has got to be the one thing I've had the most issues with. The motivations, goals and desires of my villain or antagonist always seem to fail me.

7. Reference information [historical, scientific, anatomical]:
Since I'm doing Steampunk there needs to be a degree of accuracy in period elements and machinery, so this will be handy.

8. Novel title/cover art [for fun]:
Completely unnecessary, but it would be a nice little project to do.

9. A Nano timeline:
Worked for me last time, it should work again.

10. A lot of patience and a good headstart:
I plan to write a bunch on day one and two as they are on the weekend.


And I need all this before Oct. 31 11:59pm!

We'll see how that goes.

Everything finally makes sense...

I don't want to jinx it [knock on wood] but I may have my story for next Nano.

After all the plotting, research, etc, I found the missing piece. And now everything seems to click--the music I'm using for inspiration, the character concepts--all of it!

:: squee! ::

Probably won't be called "Revenant" anymore though as it's not fitting.
You'll learn why soon enough.

I'm gonna leave it at that.

I'm actually working on it--for real

Life has been incredibly busy, but rest assured I have been working on the novel.
I just haven't had a chance to post anything in a while, so here's a quick info dump.

First and foremost I finished reading my novel [or what was written so far].
While I think it's far better than the shitty drivel I thought I had churned out...it still needs ALOT of work before
anyone can beta it for me. Speaking of betas...if you're interested, let me know.

The things I need to work on:
--Narrative voice. I tried to be fairly neutral, but I think I could jazz it up a bit. So I plan to test some styles
and then rewrite the whole thing in the winning style.
--The villains/supposed villains. Since it dawned on me that my character is "caught in the middle" more
than directly opposing anyone, I need to figure out how the two actually opposing eachother [Othena and Kole]
work and what they really want.
--Plot is too straight. Litterally, despite a minor detour I added, the damn plot still goes in a B-line.
So I'm dropping a giant plot bomb on them to shake it up a lot and throw them off track.
--Purpose of the "quest object". I never knew its real purpose as I wrote the novel and now I really gotta
figure that out. Otherwise my story has no real point and the object is just a catalyst.
--Ambiguous Silas. I have this problem with another one of my plots. I don't know how I want him to act.
So I really need to figure him and his crazy race of peoples out.
--World building. Despite all my imagination I've been hella vague. I need to just decide and commit.
That's my new motto: "decide and commit"

Well that's most of it in a nutshell. We'll see how it goes in a little bit.

Ta!

Editing--woo!

So actually reading my novel [Blood Stone] was incredibly painful at first. Mainly because it's been a long time since I looked at it [dropped it like a hot potato in December] and because the first couple of chapters are being completely rewritten due to changes.

But they will benefit from those changes...lemme tell you. I was not doing so well when I first started writing the book.

But I'm now a few chapters in and it's pretty entertaining. The writing needs to be polished, but otherwise the characters are fairly engaging. Of course I will need other people to beta test so I can get some real opinions on my book.

Anywho...I'm chugging along and finished half of what I wrote. Now I just need to read the next half!

-------

As for Revenant, character development is coming along. I've been using music and visual suggestions to help build characters. So far so good. One of my more complicated characters is coming out loud and clear. Now I just need to work on the others and we're in business.

Not gonna say any more on that for a bit--because I don't want to get distracted from my first nano[Blood Stone].

Speaking of distractions...I did the worst thing ever. I started reading a new series "Twilight" and fell in love with the characters. Now I'm worried there are similarities with my new book...there shouldn't be [thanks to planning ahead]. There is nothing worse than trying to write a good story and it ending up as fan fic.

Not that there is anything wrong with fan fiction...but that's not my goal here. I have a hell of a lot of original stories crammed in my brain and I wanna get them out there. Fan fiction can wait.

Well that's it for the update.

Night.

Revenant

So because I was so badly prepared for Blood Stone, I figured early prep is the key to a good novel, which means slightly easier editing later. *hopefully*

So what is Revenant?
Well it is based on my original Nano plot I was planning before I frantically ditched it for a new plot [Blood Stone]. But I've revamped it a lot and I like it much better now.

A young woman discovers at the age of 23 that she is a revenant--a group of humans who fight the evils of the world and cannot die. Well they can die, but they just keep coming back no matter how they die [ala Claire in Heroes but far more immortal].

The dictionary definition of "revenant" is: one who returns or one who returns after death.

The deal is that her family is under a "curse" or "blessing" [depends on who you ask] that turns the "first of the first" [first born of the first born...etc]. Which in this case means her mom and her grandmother. But no one seemed to think it was necessary to warn her...thus hilarity ensues.

Overall this story is going to be much less serious than Blood Stone and set in an slightly alternate universe of our world, specifically in San Francisco.


That's all I'll say for now--but I'll start dropping more info closer to Nano...I just don't want to jinx it.

Edit away!

So I've been working on my novel...mostly revamping the plot and figuring out the characters [I failed to do a lot of pre-planning before NaNo!] and logging the hours only to find out that:

"Planning does not count as editing"!

I just can't agree with that. I already know without reading my story that the plot needs to be corrected and the characters need to be developed. If I don't spend that time figuring that stuff out now--I'm still going to have to do it later.

Also by doing it in advance, means I can mark where and how those changes are going to come into the novel as I read through it--shortening the editing time. Huzzah!


Any way...the big changes:

1. Story truly revolves around Kole and Othena's conflict, but told through the eyes of Devii.

2. Silas' character must change: He is much more sly, cunning and charming. A wolf in human's clothing.

3. Plot changes:

a) Story starts with one of Devii's attempts to run away.
b) Devii goes into the forest to "hide" but Silas convinces her to actually try and go home with his help.
c) Silas tricks them into going after the stone...which leads to them being captured [basically he walks them into a trap].
d) Somehow [I haven't thought of it yet] they will be taken off course
e) Devii will turn on/abandon Cael and chooses to trust Silas [maybe Cael made a mistake--reason they went off course].
f) Completely different ending!!!!


So far I'm liking the changes.

Tomorrow I read and edit the novel!

National Novel Editing Month

So March is National Novel Editing Month and I plan to participate. Although I've been super busy--I'm not going home for break. So that makes it the perfect opportunity to work on that novel of mine.

I printed out the novel already, which is quite a hefty stack of fibers. I'm sort of dreading reading it, but hey I might actually turn this into a really good story.

Anywho, Jean has inspired me to keep working on it, so the novel's been on my mind recently.

Here are some thoughts that recently popped up late last night:

Maybe Devii has an importance of her own, giving Othena another reason to go after her and to keep her in Benim. By doing this there is a greater drive to get the girl, besides her involvement in the whole situation. Haven't decided what the importance is yet.

Devii should have made previous escapes in the past. If her goal is to return home, then I think she would have attempted to run away before. I like that idea.


Either way, I think the story is a bit too linear. I need to figure out everyone's goals and make sure there are strong conflicts to add drama. Also, I need to add some interesting twists--but that might make the story longer.

Oh well. I'm tired.

Hiatus was a bad idea...

...because it made me lose my momentum.

So I need to spend a large portion of today and tomorrow getting back into the swing of things and figuring stuff out. I will not abandon this story--I've devoted too much time to it already.

So the things I need to write about:

1. The history of the war / past war snippets
2. The history of the Northern and Southern Ataryn nation
3. Character blurbs / facts
4. Kole's plan
5. Devii's counter plan

So I'm going to do some stream of consciousness writing to hopefully get me back in the game. I just need to write to finish the story...then I can take a break and write about anything I want.

Let the mantra begin: I must finish this novel...I must finish this novel...