Update Aug. 31- 6 Sept.
Week 3 of 16… to Deadline
Wow! This week was a good one. I got so much done. This was the first week off of classes during my break between terms. Now, even though I was a little lazy, I still managed a good word count. I also took the time to work on planning out further the next chapters. There is still the problem of chap notes trying to hit three or so points. Way too much for a single chapter. So, I am trying to make the chapters a little more pointed.
I have mapped out to about 30 chapters, which is 10 ahead of my current writing. (Again, if you haven’t read the previous posts: I am a hybrid writer. In that I have outlined my novel from key point to key point. The beginning, the end, and the history and depth of the characters are all mapped out. Now then, the journey between the key points is all meant to be explored and figured out as I go. I get the direction of an outline, but I get the freedom of pantsing and being flexible in between points).
Word Counts!
As previously stated, I have set myself a deadline of December 1st to have my novel completed (at least the rough draft). As such, I set myself a goal of 5500 words per week.
This week, I managed to get a whooping 7221 words over 4 sessions of writing. I completed my chapter 19 (though I’m a little BLAH about where I ended it… The characters were in mid conversation and things got out of hand. I wanted to explain a few more things, but so much was happening that I decided to end the conversation and have a: “We’ll finish this talk later.”
Chap 20 changes gears, right out the gate it started to flow easier than the previous chapter. If it weren’t for having a lot of things to do on Sunday, I would have probably gotten an easy 1000 more words, if not double that.
What’s happening in these chapters:
Each chapter in my book is a single POV. Chapter 19 is the further adventures of Rune, last in line for the throne and complete scoundrel. In this chapter, he and his squad of marines, have walked all night and arrived in Bartertown, a far larger city than they had expected. The rest of the chapter deals with them reporting the train derailment, the bandits, and the missing passengers.
They then make friends with a trio of merchants who have allied to form a trading company. In talking with these men, they learn about the mantis, legends of the deep desert, a possible map to the Lost City… but they also find a side quest in the form of Imperial Criminals who have set themselves up as Warlords in the area.
This is a big turning point moment for Rune… his character is primarily a selfish dick, but his internal quest is to break away from the image he’s built of himself and to become a better person. One of the other character’s has a personal tie to these criminals, and Rune has the moment of either continuing on his personal quest to find the lost city, or does he set aside his own goals to help his sub-ordinate. Spoiler, he gives up his own quest and deals with the imperial criminals.
Chapter 20 Beginning and Next week’s writing:
We switch back to Slater POV, as he is moved from the labor pool and into the war effort. Slater, Keegan, and Nemo are still working on their escape from the Mantis. They are waiting for an opportunity to escape as they are being marched to the war front to fight. They believe that they will be brought to the surface, but that is not to be. The mantis are waging and underground war with the Ashen.
The Ashen are the mutated dwarfs of the Ashlands. In order to survive the cataclysm that created the Ashlands these dwarves actually regressed back to their Elder Form. (details of what that means won’t be revealed for a long time). In short (pun not intended) these Ashen are hairless dwarfs that cover their bodies in in mud. (which usually dries to a chalky whiteness that gives the race its name). They are wielders of earth magic and this mud on their bodies functions as a massive survival tool. First off, it protects them from the sun and the elements. Secondly, it feeds and holds in their moisture so that they can go long periods without food. Third it’s a form of magical armor.
As the trio are never going to surface during their march to the front, they need to adapt their escape plan. As Nemo is not quite a friend, and also not a team player, the plan goes wrong. This is the point where Nemo’s story finally separates from the rest and from this point forward the book moves forward in 4 separate narratives, and won’t come together again until the final act.
Week 4 of 16 Plans:
So, I still have a week off of school, and this week is also starting with Labor Day. My plan is to try and get the entire 5500 words written TODAY, Labor Day. I want to start in the morning and knock out 5500 words, hopefully finishing chap 20 and getting 21 started. Then the rest of the week is all getting ahead.
I also want to try and get writing done EVERY day of the week, even if its just 50 words a day after Monday.
Outside of writing, I need to read a bunch of comics and I’d like to try and read a novel for pleasure. As much as I love school, in the last 3 years I have only read about 20 novels… WTF? I used to read 100 novels a year, but those days seem lost. I’d be happy to get through a novel a month right now, but reading for pleasure has been put aside for reading school books… and also watching a LOT of movies each month. (I average over 50 movies a month right now).
Also, I had to do a lot of car repairs, so the bank account is a little low. As such I need to devote hours to painting to make a little side cash. I am being pulled in many directions. But that’s life.
Anyway, I will leave you all here. I hope that anyone reading this is also being creative. Writing, making art, doing anything… Thank you for reading and holding me accountable. This is the main point of these posts.
