OK - I always like to check in my stuff a day early, just in case something doesn't work. I got my winners badge - total was 65,555 according to the word count gadget. I have a lot to do to make a reasonable book out of it all - I like parts of it; it was, for me, a grand experiment to see if I could do something outside of my comfort zone - kind of a Steven King-ish, paranormal-fantasy effort. I like the way it worked out. It was fun.
Life has been somewhat chaotic the last few weeks - I had the 50K words on November 15th, and the story itself was done last week, but I was experimenting with adding a section of the heroine's journal after each chapter - it took a while, kind of like writing a mini-snopsis only in her own mindset/words. Also, Thanksgiving took its toll. All-in-all, though, I'm happy with what I did.
Good luck to you last minute scribblers - keep at it.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
NaNo 2010 Day 19
Well, the week kind of went to hell after the last post. On Tuesday a pipe burst where I work, and several days of chaos followed. Come in, dont come in, come in. Plus, due to NaNo and writing in general I had errands backed up for quite some time. I rarely get time off in the middle of the week like this, and even more rarely in blocks, so... NaNo had to take a back seat. Somehow, over a very chaotic Tuesday, Wednesday , and Thursday I added 2,354 words, getting to a total of 52,383. I'm not even sure what got added which day - like I say, it was chaos. Today, back in the saddle again, the discipline of a working environmemnt, etc, and I got things moving. At the end of today we added 5,407 words for a total of 57,790.
Today, though, I had to do some clever things with POV. I had plotted everything out, but the outline didn't make me realize that most of the last four chapters will be from a POV other than the heroine. So I had to reorganize it, select who got to tell the end of the story, and then start writing it that way. I have three chapters yet to go, so this NaNo may include some revising, although I do have some inserts to be added.
Keep going everybody. Almost there.
Today, though, I had to do some clever things with POV. I had plotted everything out, but the outline didn't make me realize that most of the last four chapters will be from a POV other than the heroine. So I had to reorganize it, select who got to tell the end of the story, and then start writing it that way. I have three chapters yet to go, so this NaNo may include some revising, although I do have some inserts to be added.
Keep going everybody. Almost there.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
NaNo 2010 Day 15
Yes, there are several days missing. When last we left our hero... oh wait, that belongs in the book. Well, we last posted on Thursday. Friday was scheduled to be a down-time day, both work and writing. Soulmate was down here for the weekend (most of it) and we had the chance to spend time together. Much of the time we are apart, so this was a real treat. So I planned not to write on Friday at all, and writing on Saturday would be a target of opportunity. Sunday I should be able to make up for everything. Went to bed early Saturday night, with nothing new in the book. Something woke me up in the middle of the night, and , after staring at the ceiling for an hour and a half I crept out to the computer room. Not my computer room, my hostess's. So I am working my way through the work and sipping on Rum and Cokes - I just didn't feel like any more wine (unlike tonight) I managed 1632 words - a little short of my minimum acceptable level. Finally got tired enough to sleep, and was awakened by soulmate who wanted me out of there so she could leave. So much for sleeping in.
On the way out we had a somewhat nasty discussion, leaving me in a foul mood. On top of that, when I become suddenly alone I get my Celtic depression on. So Sunday became a total loss, zero. An unplanned zero. Just lay curled up in a ball all day. My muse had long since departed. Mutter mutter...
Monday I kind of got everything together. I am a spoiled adult who can take his time getting his life together (sometmes) and finally late in the day everything started working again - work, food, and novel. Ah, novel. The muse decided to put in an appearance and I typed along. Not merrily, but still... forward. Onward, as my ex used to say. By the end of the day,. I had managed 6,611 words, several chapters, and a grand total of... 50, 039. Yes, I am a NaNo winner, again. But...
It really doesn't matter. I am on chapter 16 of 24 - more correctly I thnk I'm on 22 of 30 - I have a 1A and 1B and... I have another 22K or so to finish, and the spirit of NaNo is to finish the damn thing, so I must keep charging along, ignoring the 50K boundary. We shall overcome. Or something.
Good luck to you all. I wish you all happiness with what you've written. Thus far, although there are many areas I expect to rewrite, there are a few jewels I really like in mine. Do well, the rest of you.
On the way out we had a somewhat nasty discussion, leaving me in a foul mood. On top of that, when I become suddenly alone I get my Celtic depression on. So Sunday became a total loss, zero. An unplanned zero. Just lay curled up in a ball all day. My muse had long since departed. Mutter mutter...
Monday I kind of got everything together. I am a spoiled adult who can take his time getting his life together (sometmes) and finally late in the day everything started working again - work, food, and novel. Ah, novel. The muse decided to put in an appearance and I typed along. Not merrily, but still... forward. Onward, as my ex used to say. By the end of the day,. I had managed 6,611 words, several chapters, and a grand total of... 50, 039. Yes, I am a NaNo winner, again. But...
It really doesn't matter. I am on chapter 16 of 24 - more correctly I thnk I'm on 22 of 30 - I have a 1A and 1B and... I have another 22K or so to finish, and the spirit of NaNo is to finish the damn thing, so I must keep charging along, ignoring the 50K boundary. We shall overcome. Or something.
Good luck to you all. I wish you all happiness with what you've written. Thus far, although there are many areas I expect to rewrite, there are a few jewels I really like in mine. Do well, the rest of you.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
NaNo 2010 Day 11
Well, I don't know why I was so prolific today, but I managed to get through two chapters (most of, anyway), one of them pretty dramatic. I felt pretty good about what I wrote, although I had to stop towards the end and go do some research. Tomorrow and Saturday will be a just barely, I suspect. I'll be spending Friday evening and all day Saturday with soulmate.
Anyway, today we wrote 4,121 words, for a total of 41,796. Let me tell you, smashing across the 40K barrier did feel pretty good, until I thought about the fact that I've got to get another 30,000 words in place by the end of the month.
Keeep on truckin', everyone. That end is out there.
Anyway, today we wrote 4,121 words, for a total of 41,796. Let me tell you, smashing across the 40K barrier did feel pretty good, until I thought about the fact that I've got to get another 30,000 words in place by the end of the month.
Keeep on truckin', everyone. That end is out there.
NaNo 2010 Day 10
Really tired last night so I didn't post until morning (Real morning, not virtual morning).
Work in Marina Del Rey is mostly done on a windoze 7 laptop and, because it was new, I left it in auto-update mode and what a wonderful discovery. Sometime after I fell asleep and the end of Tueday's exercise it updated, causing a reboot, and surprise, surprise, I'd forgotten to save the last little spurt I typed. !@#$&! the evil empire, anyway.
But, pleasant surprise, Word offered to repair the file and I got back everything except sixty mysterious words which somehow evaporated. And it was in the middle - I know where they were because there is a jump from the middle of one sentance to another paragraph. Now if I could only resurrect those sixty words of deathless prose...
Also, in a fit of pique, the system removed all the inter-chapter page breaks - well, it might not be so bad, but there are at least sixteen of them. Mutter mutter. So, after typing and reaching my goal I finally brought up things to standard - switch the font to Times New Roman from whatever weird thing Word liked, real chapter breaks, double spacing, a header with page numbers (this was motivated because I gave soulmate a printed copy to look over and had to warn her not to drop it since there were no page numbers) and all that jazz. Not that it's ready for prime time - it isn't finished, for petes sake - but at least that's out of the way.
So - total for the day is 3,013 words, for a total of 37,675 words.
Keep on truckn'
Work in Marina Del Rey is mostly done on a windoze 7 laptop and, because it was new, I left it in auto-update mode and what a wonderful discovery. Sometime after I fell asleep and the end of Tueday's exercise it updated, causing a reboot, and surprise, surprise, I'd forgotten to save the last little spurt I typed. !@#$&! the evil empire, anyway.
But, pleasant surprise, Word offered to repair the file and I got back everything except sixty mysterious words which somehow evaporated. And it was in the middle - I know where they were because there is a jump from the middle of one sentance to another paragraph. Now if I could only resurrect those sixty words of deathless prose...
Also, in a fit of pique, the system removed all the inter-chapter page breaks - well, it might not be so bad, but there are at least sixteen of them. Mutter mutter. So, after typing and reaching my goal I finally brought up things to standard - switch the font to Times New Roman from whatever weird thing Word liked, real chapter breaks, double spacing, a header with page numbers (this was motivated because I gave soulmate a printed copy to look over and had to warn her not to drop it since there were no page numbers) and all that jazz. Not that it's ready for prime time - it isn't finished, for petes sake - but at least that's out of the way.
So - total for the day is 3,013 words, for a total of 37,675 words.
Keep on truckn'
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
NaNo 2010 Day 9
Well, today I got to spend a few hours with soulmate. She is down to LA on the way to a funeral for her aunt, then another service for a friend on Saturday, which we'll do together. Anyway, I drove across Los Angeles at rush hour, the wrong time, starting from ElSegundo at six thirty and getting to LaCrescenta at almost eight. But at least we got to spend a few minutes holding each other and whispering sweet nothings. You'd think after twenty-six years we'd get bored with it, but I'm not anyway - don't think she is either. Why write romance if you don't have any?
BTW, saw an interesting quote on Twitter #nanowrimo. "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader" - Robert Frost. I found it to be... compelling. I often get moved by my characters and the situations I find them in. Much of my poetry and some of my writing is about loss - someone (thanks Ciera) pointed it out to me. Being a Celt, I think it comes with the bloodline. In the work I'm doing for NaNo this year, the heroine suffers a terrible loss. I have to admit, she is a composite of a number of women I've had the privilege to know, who have shared their pain with me. It is the thing of which tears are made - if you dont, you have no soul. And trying to translate that, to migrate that to words has been difficult. It has been moving. Hopefully, if Frost is right, it may be worth while.
Enough - I am trying to move my sleep pattern back a little this week - soulmate will be down here all week and we will have time to spend together. Wow. It's been a couple of weeks since we've been together. This is a great week :)
Words today: 2,415
Total: 34,662
Good luck to you all - keep going. Think of Hemingway sweating over a manual typewriter, throwing away much of what he wrote. At least we get to keep ours - until we start revising
BTW, saw an interesting quote on Twitter #nanowrimo. "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader" - Robert Frost. I found it to be... compelling. I often get moved by my characters and the situations I find them in. Much of my poetry and some of my writing is about loss - someone (thanks Ciera) pointed it out to me. Being a Celt, I think it comes with the bloodline. In the work I'm doing for NaNo this year, the heroine suffers a terrible loss. I have to admit, she is a composite of a number of women I've had the privilege to know, who have shared their pain with me. It is the thing of which tears are made - if you dont, you have no soul. And trying to translate that, to migrate that to words has been difficult. It has been moving. Hopefully, if Frost is right, it may be worth while.
Enough - I am trying to move my sleep pattern back a little this week - soulmate will be down here all week and we will have time to spend together. Wow. It's been a couple of weeks since we've been together. This is a great week :)
Words today: 2,415
Total: 34,662
Good luck to you all - keep going. Think of Hemingway sweating over a manual typewriter, throwing away much of what he wrote. At least we get to keep ours - until we start revising
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
NaNo 2010 Day 8
Today I lucked out - was just doing repeated builds to verify something worked before I handed it out, so I got to sneak in writing while I was waiting. Also, still kept going when I got home. I think I can get some sleep and try to get back on a somewhat reasonable day - being on N.S.T.* gets wearing after a while. The tale is growing in the telling, I fear. At the moment my guess is the The End will have 71 thousand words or so preceding it. So, to get there by the end of November, considering I've got some non-Nano time required, will require around 2K a day average. Also, my outline is being stretched as well. I've discovered my heroine has a paranoid streak as well as going crazy, so it's been hard to write very much at a time. I have to keep pushing back and looking around. Sanity Check? Sanity check OK. It's her, not me.
Enough - it's time to go get some sleep. The total for the day is 4,534, the total for the story is 32,247, according to Word. And would they lie?
*N.S.T. - Novelists' Standard Time - Like Musicians' Standard Time - requires a somewhat flexible view of what a normal schedule is. Doesn't work well if your day job involves asking if people want fries with that.
Chapter 1
Scene 1 ---------------------------
Shannon loved riding home late at night; correction, early in the morning. There was no one on Sand Hill Road as her legs pumped, muscles straining, pedaling up the slope to the main part of the campus; a sheen of perspiration covered her forehead, but it didn't matter – she loved the exercise and it cleared the cobwebs from her mind, a transition from work to home. She sniffed – Jasmine was in bloom. She loved it – it was as if the road wore perfume. Her slacks flapped – that and the sound of the chain walking its way around the sprockets were all that broke the night's quiet. An occasional late researcher headed off campus, or a Silicon Valley denizen making his shareholders rich were her sole company, their headlights dwarfing the LED flasher. After they flew by she rode by starlight – her night vision was excellent, more than enough to see her way. The lonely street lamps stretched over the blocks ahead, dropping the little pools of light her mental compass sought. The time beeped on her watch and she groaned. Two AM – hopefully Randy had fallen asleep or he would be really pissed. He hated it when she rode home alone at this hour. As if someone would find her attractive enough to ravage. Her attractiveness was her mind. Her beautiful mind, he called it. She hoped she wasn't as loopy as the cryptographer in the movie.
She wasn't paying attention to the ride except on the animal level that keeps humans surviving - she was lost reviewing tonight’s experiments. The accelerator was old, ancient by modern standards, but still capable of sustaining new work. She pretty much had it to herself – all the other young researchers had wangled a grant to work at CERN, not understanding the concepts she'd stumbled into – fundamental particles might not need all the energy in the world to isolate them if she was right. The proof would be in her research – if she could isolate the smallest particles in this small old machine anyone could do it. It would change the way particle physics research operated. The wind of her passage blew through her curly blond hair, its perpetual state of disarray flowing behind her. There had been some anomalous data points... A truck roared past her, one of those big pickups with noisy tires. A leering face poked out of the passenger's window as it passed, and she was glad when it kept going. She was plainly dressed, and bundled up in her bulky jacket, but a girl never knew. She pedaled faster, seeking civilization of some kind. One of these days she would simply have to learn how to drive. She'd never had to – she'd lived in Pala Alto since she was thirteen and she'd never driven a car. It was an ideal place for green concepts to play out. Except, Randy was fond of pointing out, when it wasn't. Like now. Driving a big truck would be comforting at the moment.
She could hear it coming again, and this time she didn't dally. She looked frantically for a place to go and there weren't any. She pedaled as fast as she could but she certainly couldn't outrun it. It slammed sideways in front of her and sat rocking on its springs. The passenger’s side door opened and terror took over her life. She prided herself on a totally logical mind but she couldn't free herself from the evolutionary forces that left women, no matter how brilliant, no matter how clever, prey for the more backwards members of the tribe who couldn't attract a mate of their own. She tried to get around him, twisting the bike around the front of the truck, only to find an even uglier, bigger male hand stopping her dead still by grabbing her handlebars. She slid forward off the seat, looked up at one, then the other. Both were unshaven, wore torn clothes, dirt stains spread across once-white tee-shirts, and both reeked of alcohol. She wasn't worldly-wise enough to know what kind, but she did know it wasn't good. She put her hand in her pocket and hoped she dialed 911 instead of #44.
“Now don't she look all proper there on her little bicycle.”
The other one stood right behind her.
“Don't she just, Henry? I bet she'd be fun. Want to play, little girl?”
She turned to look at him and he leered at her, yellow-stained teeth, the few he had left, in a big grin; stinking breath blown into her face scared her. Maybe he was so drunk he didn't care. Suddenly she remembered. She had a plan. She had a can of MACE.
“Well say somethin', don't just stand like a little dummy.” He reached his hand out and touched her hair. “My goodness, that hair is really sweet. Anyone ever tell you that? I bet the rest of you is just as sweet.”
The can of MACE was in her purse...
“Well, I'd sure like to see what's under that coat, wouldn't you, Henry?” He grabbed the zipper tab on the front of her jacket and pulled it down, a little at a time. “I'd take my time with you, just like that. A long time before I was done with you. And Henry can have sloppy seconds.”
She felt disgust. How could he talk to her like that? She wasn't some slut... Oh God, my purse is in my backpack.
“Well, I don't know – maybe we should just swap off – first me then you. Flip you for her.”
Their voices grated on her ears. If she weren't so scared she would have been mad. There was nothing she could do to stop them. Fear had paralyzed her and she had stood where they stopped her, unable to talk or run. She was shaking and she was afraid she was going to pee her pants and...
A truck roared along the road and suddenly the tires screeched to a halt. Oh please let it be someone who'll help me.
A familiar voice... “So what’ve you boys got there? Looks like fun.” Randy, but why was he talking like that?
“Well, I reckon there might be enough to share, but you're third.”
“Hell, she looks good enough for all three of us.” Randy walked up to the group and she was amazed to watch Henry drop to the ground. The other guy – she'd never heard a name, spoke very briefly.
“Now look, mister...” He too fell in a heap, moaning. Randy stood him up and twisted his hands behind his back. He started whining and Randy muttered “Oh for God's sake shut up.” He poked the man in the throat – at least that was what Shannon thought he did – and he slumped. Randy reached out and undid the little tie she wore. He busied himself for a minute, then there was a thump in the back of the truck as her tormentor landed, painfully she hoped.
“Give me your belt.”
“Why mine – can’t you use yours?” It was the first words she'd spoken and it was a complaint – she felt a little ashamed of herself.
“Mine's leather, dear.”
She undid it and handed to him – seconds later there was a matching thump. She could hear sirens approaching.
“Your handiwork?”
“I tried to call 911 but I wasn't sure I got it...” Shannon was still shaking.
Randy waved his arms, successfully getting the officers' attention. Two cars screeched to a stop; the beginning of her ordeal was replayed and she couldn't help herself, tears started down her face. She hated emotional women but she had no choice this time, Randy walked off with the older of the two officers from the lead car while his partner, a woman close to Shannon's age stood with her, consoling her first, then listening to facts and filling out several forms. Shannon could only hear fragments of conversation from Randy, but he and the policeman seemed like old friends. They walked back to the woman standing with Shannon, trying to calm her down.
“... glad to keep this quiet, Commander.”
“Thanks, chief.”
The female officer looked at them both. When the officer spoke his voice was very soft.
“His DD-214 matches mine, Lacy. Shannon here is kind of famous and he asked if we could keep this quiet. I figure we found a couple of drunks in the back of their pickup.”
Shannon was impressed – Lacy was a muscular woman who didn’t seem like the type to take anything from anybody. She ripped up the forms and nodded. “Probably have a little spill going down the stairs to the intake cells as well. I don't much like guys like them.”
The third officer strode over from his patrol car.
“Well, we might have lucked out. It seems these boys have done the same thing before only up the peninsula a little ways. They've got at least four cases that match.”
Randy's friend whistled. “Thanks, Commander. You got a couple of bad ones off the street all by yourself.”
Randy smiled. “Always glad to help. Especially when it's my wife they were trying to play patty cake with.” He lifted her bicycle into his truck and gently walked her around to her door. Shannon was quiet, subdued, and still shaking so bad she could hardly move. She had finally stopped the tears and she was so glad he was there. She hung on his arm as he opened the door for her, climbed in while he waited. As he opened his own door and climbed in the officers all waved to him. He looked over.
“You do understand, Shannon, you are now grounded forever on that damn bicycle.” She couldn't do much but nod her head. There was a chorus of laughter as he closed the door, and he waved back as they drove off. There was a lot about her husband that she didn't know, apparently. How many other things had he hidden from her?
Thought I'd put up an excerpt. Below is the first scene, completely raw and unedited. Just for giggles.
Enough - it's time to go get some sleep. The total for the day is 4,534, the total for the story is 32,247, according to Word. And would they lie?
*N.S.T. - Novelists' Standard Time - Like Musicians' Standard Time - requires a somewhat flexible view of what a normal schedule is. Doesn't work well if your day job involves asking if people want fries with that.
Chapter 1
Scene 1 ---------------------------
Shannon loved riding home late at night; correction, early in the morning. There was no one on Sand Hill Road as her legs pumped, muscles straining, pedaling up the slope to the main part of the campus; a sheen of perspiration covered her forehead, but it didn't matter – she loved the exercise and it cleared the cobwebs from her mind, a transition from work to home. She sniffed – Jasmine was in bloom. She loved it – it was as if the road wore perfume. Her slacks flapped – that and the sound of the chain walking its way around the sprockets were all that broke the night's quiet. An occasional late researcher headed off campus, or a Silicon Valley denizen making his shareholders rich were her sole company, their headlights dwarfing the LED flasher. After they flew by she rode by starlight – her night vision was excellent, more than enough to see her way. The lonely street lamps stretched over the blocks ahead, dropping the little pools of light her mental compass sought. The time beeped on her watch and she groaned. Two AM – hopefully Randy had fallen asleep or he would be really pissed. He hated it when she rode home alone at this hour. As if someone would find her attractive enough to ravage. Her attractiveness was her mind. Her beautiful mind, he called it. She hoped she wasn't as loopy as the cryptographer in the movie.
She wasn't paying attention to the ride except on the animal level that keeps humans surviving - she was lost reviewing tonight’s experiments. The accelerator was old, ancient by modern standards, but still capable of sustaining new work. She pretty much had it to herself – all the other young researchers had wangled a grant to work at CERN, not understanding the concepts she'd stumbled into – fundamental particles might not need all the energy in the world to isolate them if she was right. The proof would be in her research – if she could isolate the smallest particles in this small old machine anyone could do it. It would change the way particle physics research operated. The wind of her passage blew through her curly blond hair, its perpetual state of disarray flowing behind her. There had been some anomalous data points... A truck roared past her, one of those big pickups with noisy tires. A leering face poked out of the passenger's window as it passed, and she was glad when it kept going. She was plainly dressed, and bundled up in her bulky jacket, but a girl never knew. She pedaled faster, seeking civilization of some kind. One of these days she would simply have to learn how to drive. She'd never had to – she'd lived in Pala Alto since she was thirteen and she'd never driven a car. It was an ideal place for green concepts to play out. Except, Randy was fond of pointing out, when it wasn't. Like now. Driving a big truck would be comforting at the moment.
She could hear it coming again, and this time she didn't dally. She looked frantically for a place to go and there weren't any. She pedaled as fast as she could but she certainly couldn't outrun it. It slammed sideways in front of her and sat rocking on its springs. The passenger’s side door opened and terror took over her life. She prided herself on a totally logical mind but she couldn't free herself from the evolutionary forces that left women, no matter how brilliant, no matter how clever, prey for the more backwards members of the tribe who couldn't attract a mate of their own. She tried to get around him, twisting the bike around the front of the truck, only to find an even uglier, bigger male hand stopping her dead still by grabbing her handlebars. She slid forward off the seat, looked up at one, then the other. Both were unshaven, wore torn clothes, dirt stains spread across once-white tee-shirts, and both reeked of alcohol. She wasn't worldly-wise enough to know what kind, but she did know it wasn't good. She put her hand in her pocket and hoped she dialed 911 instead of #44.
“Now don't she look all proper there on her little bicycle.”
The other one stood right behind her.
“Don't she just, Henry? I bet she'd be fun. Want to play, little girl?”
She turned to look at him and he leered at her, yellow-stained teeth, the few he had left, in a big grin; stinking breath blown into her face scared her. Maybe he was so drunk he didn't care. Suddenly she remembered. She had a plan. She had a can of MACE.
“Well say somethin', don't just stand like a little dummy.” He reached his hand out and touched her hair. “My goodness, that hair is really sweet. Anyone ever tell you that? I bet the rest of you is just as sweet.”
The can of MACE was in her purse...
“Well, I'd sure like to see what's under that coat, wouldn't you, Henry?” He grabbed the zipper tab on the front of her jacket and pulled it down, a little at a time. “I'd take my time with you, just like that. A long time before I was done with you. And Henry can have sloppy seconds.”
She felt disgust. How could he talk to her like that? She wasn't some slut... Oh God, my purse is in my backpack.
“Well, I don't know – maybe we should just swap off – first me then you. Flip you for her.”
Their voices grated on her ears. If she weren't so scared she would have been mad. There was nothing she could do to stop them. Fear had paralyzed her and she had stood where they stopped her, unable to talk or run. She was shaking and she was afraid she was going to pee her pants and...
A truck roared along the road and suddenly the tires screeched to a halt. Oh please let it be someone who'll help me.
A familiar voice... “So what’ve you boys got there? Looks like fun.” Randy, but why was he talking like that?
“Well, I reckon there might be enough to share, but you're third.”
“Hell, she looks good enough for all three of us.” Randy walked up to the group and she was amazed to watch Henry drop to the ground. The other guy – she'd never heard a name, spoke very briefly.
“Now look, mister...” He too fell in a heap, moaning. Randy stood him up and twisted his hands behind his back. He started whining and Randy muttered “Oh for God's sake shut up.” He poked the man in the throat – at least that was what Shannon thought he did – and he slumped. Randy reached out and undid the little tie she wore. He busied himself for a minute, then there was a thump in the back of the truck as her tormentor landed, painfully she hoped.
“Give me your belt.”
“Why mine – can’t you use yours?” It was the first words she'd spoken and it was a complaint – she felt a little ashamed of herself.
“Mine's leather, dear.”
She undid it and handed to him – seconds later there was a matching thump. She could hear sirens approaching.
“Your handiwork?”
“I tried to call 911 but I wasn't sure I got it...” Shannon was still shaking.
Randy waved his arms, successfully getting the officers' attention. Two cars screeched to a stop; the beginning of her ordeal was replayed and she couldn't help herself, tears started down her face. She hated emotional women but she had no choice this time, Randy walked off with the older of the two officers from the lead car while his partner, a woman close to Shannon's age stood with her, consoling her first, then listening to facts and filling out several forms. Shannon could only hear fragments of conversation from Randy, but he and the policeman seemed like old friends. They walked back to the woman standing with Shannon, trying to calm her down.
“... glad to keep this quiet, Commander.”
“Thanks, chief.”
The female officer looked at them both. When the officer spoke his voice was very soft.
“His DD-214 matches mine, Lacy. Shannon here is kind of famous and he asked if we could keep this quiet. I figure we found a couple of drunks in the back of their pickup.”
Shannon was impressed – Lacy was a muscular woman who didn’t seem like the type to take anything from anybody. She ripped up the forms and nodded. “Probably have a little spill going down the stairs to the intake cells as well. I don't much like guys like them.”
The third officer strode over from his patrol car.
“Well, we might have lucked out. It seems these boys have done the same thing before only up the peninsula a little ways. They've got at least four cases that match.”
Randy's friend whistled. “Thanks, Commander. You got a couple of bad ones off the street all by yourself.”
Randy smiled. “Always glad to help. Especially when it's my wife they were trying to play patty cake with.” He lifted her bicycle into his truck and gently walked her around to her door. Shannon was quiet, subdued, and still shaking so bad she could hardly move. She had finally stopped the tears and she was so glad he was there. She hung on his arm as he opened the door for her, climbed in while he waited. As he opened his own door and climbed in the officers all waved to him. He looked over.
“You do understand, Shannon, you are now grounded forever on that damn bicycle.” She couldn't do much but nod her head. There was a chorus of laughter as he closed the door, and he waved back as they drove off. There was a lot about her husband that she didn't know, apparently. How many other things had he hidden from her?
Monday, November 8, 2010
NaNo 2010 day 7
Had a hard time sticking to everything - a few football games drew my attention, not to mention had to pop into work to get caught up. Soul mate was on the road home and the Alaska kid wondered where the hell his mom was (answer - remodelling her niece's farmhouse out in the wilds, and I do mean wilds, of central California - far from a cell tower, if you can imagine that). Also, middlest daughter's birthday - got a chance to talk to her on the cell, plus texts with the oldest son.
Anyway, finished 3,162 words today for a total of 27,713. Feeling better at the moment. The patch I just worked through was hard to write - I've made a few decisions about where I'm going (mods to the plot) and I think we're on a gentler course for a bit. I'm on Chapter 6, but it really is the 11th chapter, because I have a 1A, 1B, etc.
It was a little funny - today mostly, but also last night (I spent a while at my club enjoying a party before coming home to write). Talk about watching your characters do something you didn't expect. Multiple endings to the story - bear in mind we're only a fifth of the way in - occurred to me and it was was eye-opening. I could see a couple of other books based on a similar premise. That was a lovely little burst of creativity I wasn't expecting. Always welcome. Thank you, Muse.
Anyway. luck to you all. Keep going, you can make it. I know you can, I have faith in you.
Anyway, finished 3,162 words today for a total of 27,713. Feeling better at the moment. The patch I just worked through was hard to write - I've made a few decisions about where I'm going (mods to the plot) and I think we're on a gentler course for a bit. I'm on Chapter 6, but it really is the 11th chapter, because I have a 1A, 1B, etc.
It was a little funny - today mostly, but also last night (I spent a while at my club enjoying a party before coming home to write). Talk about watching your characters do something you didn't expect. Multiple endings to the story - bear in mind we're only a fifth of the way in - occurred to me and it was was eye-opening. I could see a couple of other books based on a similar premise. That was a lovely little burst of creativity I wasn't expecting. Always welcome. Thank you, Muse.
Anyway. luck to you all. Keep going, you can make it. I know you can, I have faith in you.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
NaNo 2010 Day 6 (and 5)
Well, I missed one. Last few days I've been trying to cope with sleep deprivation. No, not because of NaNoWriMo, I just haven't been able to sleep. Two nights in a row, I went to bed early, something woke me up after only an hour of sleep, and then... no sleep for another four or five hours. Unfortunately, I was drained both nights as far as creativity went, so the idea of writing all night just wouldn't fly.
So... At the end of Friday night I just barely made the minimum - 20, 489. And that required trying so damn hard... I wanted to give up. Don't know if that helps anybody else - there are times when, no matter what, I just barely can keep going. I insisted that I could somehow, some way, beat 1667 words. At least I wouldn't fall behind. It seems so mechanical. Probably the worst part is that I am trying to deal with emotion in the work, a lot of emotion, and words I have shared with others who've suffered loss. it doesn't seem fair, I guess - women have to bear the brunt of the burden, and that was the point of the exercise for this book... That and paranormality might just possibly work.
Today was different. I managed to get a decent night's sleep, even if my mysterious wake up call came and went. I just read, working through the books from my colleagues at LARA. I love the inscriptions, several of which imply I might join them on the bookstore shelves. From your mouth to God's ear... I worked all day, slowly, but continuously. Late in the day I had a party at a club I belong to. If you've read anything else I've written you'd understand what kind of club. Suffice to say, I got enough material for several more books, and found myself remembering techniques and tactics I'd long forgotten. Time to play again.
So, I managed a little over 4K words today - the total is 24,551. I'm proud of that. It was hard work. I'm guessing, if Lucky Lady is any example, that I'll be writing well over 50K words. 75K was last years product. Thus far, what I had plotted as 5 chapters is written as 10. So we shall see.
Anyway, tomorrow will hopefully be a good one. Other than a few hours at work to get caught up I should have the whole day for writing. I hope...
So... At the end of Friday night I just barely made the minimum - 20, 489. And that required trying so damn hard... I wanted to give up. Don't know if that helps anybody else - there are times when, no matter what, I just barely can keep going. I insisted that I could somehow, some way, beat 1667 words. At least I wouldn't fall behind. It seems so mechanical. Probably the worst part is that I am trying to deal with emotion in the work, a lot of emotion, and words I have shared with others who've suffered loss. it doesn't seem fair, I guess - women have to bear the brunt of the burden, and that was the point of the exercise for this book... That and paranormality might just possibly work.
Today was different. I managed to get a decent night's sleep, even if my mysterious wake up call came and went. I just read, working through the books from my colleagues at LARA. I love the inscriptions, several of which imply I might join them on the bookstore shelves. From your mouth to God's ear... I worked all day, slowly, but continuously. Late in the day I had a party at a club I belong to. If you've read anything else I've written you'd understand what kind of club. Suffice to say, I got enough material for several more books, and found myself remembering techniques and tactics I'd long forgotten. Time to play again.
So, I managed a little over 4K words today - the total is 24,551. I'm proud of that. It was hard work. I'm guessing, if Lucky Lady is any example, that I'll be writing well over 50K words. 75K was last years product. Thus far, what I had plotted as 5 chapters is written as 10. So we shall see.
Anyway, tomorrow will hopefully be a good one. Other than a few hours at work to get caught up I should have the whole day for writing. I hope...
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Kept at it all day - snuck in some time at work, and then continued at home. I need to get a little ahead because this weekend is committed to something else, so I'll get very little done.
Today the total is 18,715. I'm trying to go back and pick up what what I missed, and still make progress at the end, so this is spread over several chapters. The biggest issue today is that much of the stuff I was writing during work is emotional - my heroine has just lost her husband for God's sake - and occasionally brings tears to your eyes. Well, it does to me and I'm writing it. I remember the same thing happened last year and I was very happy with the results when I was done. Still, it is a little disconcerting when this happens at work. I'm about through with the real (non-fantasy) part of things. Hopefully the rest wont get to me so much
Anyway, I feel good to be ahead of the game, at least a little...
Today the total is 18,715. I'm trying to go back and pick up what what I missed, and still make progress at the end, so this is spread over several chapters. The biggest issue today is that much of the stuff I was writing during work is emotional - my heroine has just lost her husband for God's sake - and occasionally brings tears to your eyes. Well, it does to me and I'm writing it. I remember the same thing happened last year and I was very happy with the results when I was done. Still, it is a little disconcerting when this happens at work. I'm about through with the real (non-fantasy) part of things. Hopefully the rest wont get to me so much
Anyway, I feel good to be ahead of the game, at least a little...
NaNo 2010 Day 3
Really tired - I have a problem with my shoulder and it is giving me no end of grief - all day.
Today I just barely made it through - I did some administrivia, merged everything. I waited too long last time. So...
Gained 2260 words, for a single file total of 13593 words.
Today was hard - my heroine is starting to go mad, and it is hard to spend your day in the mind of a mad woman. I managed (perhaps there's not all that difference between us). Anyway, I changed the format of a few things as well and I'm stgarting to like the way this is going.
Luck to all of you,
Tom
Today I just barely made it through - I did some administrivia, merged everything. I waited too long last time. So...
Gained 2260 words, for a single file total of 13593 words.
Today was hard - my heroine is starting to go mad, and it is hard to spend your day in the mind of a mad woman. I managed (perhaps there's not all that difference between us). Anyway, I changed the format of a few things as well and I'm stgarting to like the way this is going.
Luck to all of you,
Tom
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
NaNo 2010 day 2
All right - so we all went out to vote today, and we're trying to get our stuff together in the aftermath - regardless of your politics I hope you all voted.
Today will be brief - it's late and I'm tired.
Chapter 2 - 2909 words
Chapter 3 - 2780 words
Those follolwing closely at home will notice that I didn't finisih Chapter 1B - forgot my flash key (mutter, mutter)
Total for the day (including changes to the stuff already written) - 5725 words.
Giving a grand total (aint it grand , though) of 11306 words.
I'm pleased I've met my goals, although I have to say that my heroine is tugging at my heartstrings - but then isn't that what heroines are supposed to do? Unfortunatley my hero has... shall we say, passed away. Leaving me to deal with him entirely in the past tense. This should be a challenge.
But then, that's why we do NaNo isnt it?
Today will be brief - it's late and I'm tired.
Chapter 2 - 2909 words
Chapter 3 - 2780 words
Those follolwing closely at home will notice that I didn't finisih Chapter 1B - forgot my flash key (mutter, mutter)
Total for the day (including changes to the stuff already written) - 5725 words.
Giving a grand total (aint it grand , though) of 11306 words.
I'm pleased I've met my goals, although I have to say that my heroine is tugging at my heartstrings - but then isn't that what heroines are supposed to do? Unfortunatley my hero has... shall we say, passed away. Leaving me to deal with him entirely in the past tense. This should be a challenge.
But then, that's why we do NaNo isnt it?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
NaNo 2010
OK - so I'm doing this again. A lot has changed in the last year.
Last time I was trying to understand the whole writing thing - and looking around the corner from my twitter-based flash fiction to being a professional writer. Wow, I couldn't have imagined how differently I write now and how I look at writing as a profession.
After I finished last year's novel (~75K called Lucky Lady) I loved it - I thought it was good. The people I asked to read it liked it as well, (well, most - one didn't out of eight) and the women who read it all said they cried through the last few chapters... So I guess I got what I wanted out of NaNo. I thought it was good enough to publish, but I realized I didn't know that much about publishing, so I decided to get smart. The last year has been about becoming... becoming a professional writer, getting away from depending on just whatever raw talent I have and polishing the work. So...
I have had one romance short story rejected. not once, but twice. There are a lot of reasons, and I have a list of changes to make should I decide to do it again.
I have a BDSM-themed romantic erotica short story on submission. I got favorable comments from the publisher, and then from the acquisitions editor - I am waiting for her to decide. Talk about being on pins and needles.
I have a DD-themed Romantic Erotica novel (~83K words) ready to submit. I am doing the final polishing. I have come to understand how vital it is now. This had been my focus for the last six months. I've entered parts of it in two contests, and the feedback has made me a much better writer - the downside is I went back and revised/rewrote a lot. That is the essence of being good at this, I suspect.
I have three other projects - a SciFi novella, ready for the final polishing run and marketing decisions, a contemporary romance, almost finished (estimated 55K words when done) and a romantic suspense I've outlined and just started on. Not to mention this year's NaNo romance. So... I've been busy. I've entered four contests and received excellent feedback from them, including one in which I've forged a mentoring relationship with someone very good.
So - whence from here? I have to continue to grow as a writer. I am now working on my craft - learning the details of producing a professional level piece of work that is marketable. I am also working on the promotional elements. In a very real sense writing is no different from any other business. First, you must recognize it as a business, not purely as an art form. Then you might succeed...
So - I'll keep track of this year's effort on NaNo as well. I had an outline and a lot of supporting information - certainly more than last year. As I said, I write differently now.
FWIW, my totals are...
Chapter 1 - 2349 words
Chapter 1A - 2,966
Chapter 1b - 180
Journal - this will be fed into the story when I figure out how - 122 words
Total: 5617
Aa kind of an afterthought it is really interesting to look at my comments last year - at this point Lucky Lady is complete - waiting only for a marketing plan. Looking at last year when I was on the third chapter was really cool - it gives you (me anyway) a feeling of accomplishment. That I created something where it didn't exist before. Maybe that's why we write, I don't know...
Last time I was trying to understand the whole writing thing - and looking around the corner from my twitter-based flash fiction to being a professional writer. Wow, I couldn't have imagined how differently I write now and how I look at writing as a profession.
After I finished last year's novel (~75K called Lucky Lady) I loved it - I thought it was good. The people I asked to read it liked it as well, (well, most - one didn't out of eight) and the women who read it all said they cried through the last few chapters... So I guess I got what I wanted out of NaNo. I thought it was good enough to publish, but I realized I didn't know that much about publishing, so I decided to get smart. The last year has been about becoming... becoming a professional writer, getting away from depending on just whatever raw talent I have and polishing the work. So...
I have had one romance short story rejected. not once, but twice. There are a lot of reasons, and I have a list of changes to make should I decide to do it again.
I have a BDSM-themed romantic erotica short story on submission. I got favorable comments from the publisher, and then from the acquisitions editor - I am waiting for her to decide. Talk about being on pins and needles.
I have a DD-themed Romantic Erotica novel (~83K words) ready to submit. I am doing the final polishing. I have come to understand how vital it is now. This had been my focus for the last six months. I've entered parts of it in two contests, and the feedback has made me a much better writer - the downside is I went back and revised/rewrote a lot. That is the essence of being good at this, I suspect.
I have three other projects - a SciFi novella, ready for the final polishing run and marketing decisions, a contemporary romance, almost finished (estimated 55K words when done) and a romantic suspense I've outlined and just started on. Not to mention this year's NaNo romance. So... I've been busy. I've entered four contests and received excellent feedback from them, including one in which I've forged a mentoring relationship with someone very good.
So - whence from here? I have to continue to grow as a writer. I am now working on my craft - learning the details of producing a professional level piece of work that is marketable. I am also working on the promotional elements. In a very real sense writing is no different from any other business. First, you must recognize it as a business, not purely as an art form. Then you might succeed...
So - I'll keep track of this year's effort on NaNo as well. I had an outline and a lot of supporting information - certainly more than last year. As I said, I write differently now.
FWIW, my totals are...
Chapter 1 - 2349 words
Chapter 1A - 2,966
Chapter 1b - 180
Journal - this will be fed into the story when I figure out how - 122 words
Total: 5617
Aa kind of an afterthought it is really interesting to look at my comments last year - at this point Lucky Lady is complete - waiting only for a marketing plan. Looking at last year when I was on the third chapter was really cool - it gives you (me anyway) a feeling of accomplishment. That I created something where it didn't exist before. Maybe that's why we write, I don't know...
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