Necia's Writerly Rambling

Ok so I haven't been updating this as much as usual. I need to.

State of the writing:
My daily average is about 1500 words a day.

I am re-tacking Zander's story from a different angle. Working on the fluff stories somehow jogged stuff loose. I haz a plan! :D mwahahaha

**clears throat**

And somehow a chat pal's goat obsession has worked into the story too... Go.Figure.

I have also edited the Harp story and gotten the beta comments back. Mostly I think. :P
The Vampire thing is sitting. I have the comments but I am letting time get between me and it before re-looking at it.
Then there is the weird funny Shiny and the New story. I am planning on polishing it and putting it up on smashwords.com. I have several stories along those lines which I can't find a home for.

I look at my stuff and I see the progress. I see how far I have come. I am very proud of it all. I have a long way to go but I am getting there.

Anyways here is a meter

Bastard Prince is outlined and Crossroads is plotted. I used plotbubbles (see the picture) to do it. I will go back over it tomorrow to see if there is anything missing and use sticky notes to add it. I thought some of you might want to see how I did it.

This is a writer ramble. Be aware it may not make sense.

Writing is done in a number of ways. For some reason some people have this idea that writers who are successful live in bubblebaths composing their tales with a martini in one hand and a caviar covered cracker in the other. Dictating it to a faceless assistant with a tape recorder...

...I will give my fellow authors a moment so they can giggle it out....

Done, better? Now for the bitter truth.

The reality of the matter is that writing is hard, often thankless work*. It is not common to write a first book and wind up with the notoriety of Rollings or Meyers. And even their seemingly overnight successes are actually the result of years of hard work. Whatever you feel about their books, they worked hard for the successes they garnered.

Writing is hard work.

Let me say that again. Writing is hard work. The attitude that some people have about writing being a lazy man's job or that it is easy is ignorant. Try writing for hours on end. Most can't. Try having an army of characters in your head all vying for valuable "screen time".

Try this. Try writing about your day. Capture the emotion. Make it interesting and make me want to read more. Make me sympathetic to you.

It is hard. Many people don't get it.

They don't understand how we can sit, day in and day out pounding away at the computer trying to elicit an emotional response from readers. Trying to remember the rules, trying to find our voice.

And then to send a story to someone to shred it and return it after putting heart and soul into it. After trying so hard only to discover... well shit I need to get this right, I need to do a better time showing that. The internet is full of stories of writers who couldn't take a crit. Who couldn't take a sour opinion of their "baby".

My darling friends are convinced that all I need is to sell one book and I will be living the high life. I appreciate the vote of confidence, however it isn't going to work that way. I know this.

I will write the best story I can. Then I will make it better.


*I almost put down like parenthood but I get tons of love and kisses from my munchkins so that isn't correct.

---

I am writing scenes backwards.
For instance in Bastard Prince three scenes that stand out are 1)The Torture Scene, 2)The Escape Scene 3)The rescue Scene.

I tried writing it 1, 2, 3. but it was sticking. instead I wrote it 4(I know 4 isn't listed, neither is 5), 5, 3, 1, 2.

When writing in the Island Novellas I have begun writing the end of the story, the HEA (yes suelder they are HEA.) then backing up, scene by scene, figuring out what went where when and how. I am not writing it ABC more like QWDSCA....

I have also discovered myself writing with my eyes closed.

Joy of Joys! I can type well enough to type with my eyes closed and not have too many typos. (unless of course my fingers are positioned wrong from the outset, that then presents a slight dilemma of translating...)

---

I wrote a bit today, not as much as I was shooting for but I am tired and sore and it is late. I need to start linking things here. I need to remember to do that. But it is late.

I wrote about 1028 words on Bastard Prince Monday. Nothing today(tuesday). The torture scenes have been roughly written and I am mid rescue.


Did about 1325 on this Islander novella thingy. I am having lots of fun with these.

As of last night my totals were:







Bastard Prince





Unnamed




I will write more tonight.

well now. I wrote a few scenes with Talia today. Not as much writing as RL needed me more.

I am beat, ready to sleep. I found myself writing the last couple of paragraphs with my eyes closed. To my amazement, I didn't have any typos... well that I can see.


I seem to be doing a lot of exploring. Re-examining the story, the characters. I am certain that Bastard Prince is really two books. I do believe I have said it before.

The first half is the hell Zander went through. The second half is almost a redemption of sorts.

I did 2032 words tonight including a sex scene which... I'll look it over in a few weeks just to make sure everything **ahem** fits nicely. :P If you know what I mean.



Snippity:
"We can't let the Guild fly apart just yet." Talia said.

"How are we going to head off something like this?" Kyri gripped her arm. "You aren't ruthless enough to take on the Guild."

"No. I'm not. But the Lordkiller is."


Goodnight LJ & FB.

Well then...

I have passed 50k on Bastard Prince. This new writing style is really helping me I think.

I am having fun at least :P.

51,888 / 150,000 (34.6%)

and on top of this I have a couple darlings. One might sound a bit dorky but I liked it:

Talia frowned. She couldn't force him to let her help. But he was refusing to listen to the long term effects of what Sorsha did. What was it Merdoc told her? Get his attention? How? She took a deep breath, moving around to his side of the table took his head in her hands. When he looked up she straddled his legs and kissed him. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, just enough to startle him. When she finally pulled away she struggled to breathe. That hadn't gone quite as planned but he was certainly looking at her. A mixture of shock, desire written on his face.

"Do I have your attention?" She asked.

"My complete attention." He sounded as breathless as she felt. He dropped his hand, but didn't look away. His arm still around her waist.

Score for me. She thought smugly.


hehehe I thought it was funny.

then there is this which is the last line I wrote tonight:

"Our mother is a dark immortal, Talia. Now what do we do?"


goodnight peeps. I hope you all rest well.

edited because I posted instead of previewed. oops.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the characters that when I hit an emotional tough bit, I cry.

Guess what I did tonight?

Yeah



here is the precious:

Ivona wanted him to live. For her, he would do his best.


psst... Ivona is his daughter. just fyi.... :P

I'm playing, I'll admit it. I started that other scene earlier and then today I was playing with this new set of scenes. I have reached 40k on BP.

I am pleased. Very very pleased. I didn't realize I had gotten so far.

Quick context;
This is from Lillian's POV. Lillian is one of Zander's lovers towards the end of Bastard Prince. The more I write her, the more I think that, had they met under different circumstances they would have ended up together 'forever'. But yeah. :P Zander in this scene has just survived a torture chamber.

Rough Snip:

A few well placed magic heating stones along the sides of the large bathing room made it warm and the hot water; steamy . He sighed, pure pleasure on his face as he sank to the bench.

"Gods I could live here."

Lillian laughed going over to him and pulling up his shirt.

"Lilly..." it was a protest, a warning.

"You have been through hell." she said glancing at him then carefully unbuttoning the shirt. "You deserve to be pampered."

He stood pulling the tunic off and hissing in pain, his arms unable to move right. She saw the problem, gently took the one side of the shirt off and helped him out of the other sleeve. She stared at his back and slowly went around him taking in his back and then his chest, shaking her head as she did. There was not a single patch of skin un bruised nor scarred. Whips? Knives? She wasn't sure. He cupped her face forcing her to look at him.

"Lilly don't cry, please." Pleading, his voice cracking.



good night lj

Ok so I was happily going along with Zander's story and then I hit the slow years. Plotwise nothing much happens, except for the training and the two love affairs, one helps shape his outlook on life the other makes him quite wary and produces his daughter.

I don't know that I really want to go into a lot of detail of the training itself, I've always thought of just skipping over that part. It would bog things down. The two love affairs.... The one takes place near the end of training, the other a couple years before shit hits the fan.

In all there is this 10 year or so span where aside from mini missions and the romance it drags. And this is where I'd end up losing half the readers unless I pull some sort of something to thread it together. So far I am having issues finding that thread.

Mind you I may be avoiding here. The one romance, which produces his daughter, that one is one that hurts him, deeply.

Oh great am I avoiding cause I want to spare the poor guy pain? For crying out loud I am the ebil writer! I put him through hell as it is. Meh.

I bet you that is it.

**headdesking**

So anyways pal in chat suggested I write that part of Zander's life (basically pre hell-breaks-loose aka 90% of Bastard Prince) as a collection of shorts, like the Conan the Barbarian stories. At which a light-bulb **insert Gru's voice here** went off and the writing just exploded.

I wrote 2k in a little over an hour at the point where things start to pick back up after the lull.

I got to write Trisha again. **squees** I adore that character almost as much as I adore writing Zander. As I told glassquill Trisha is just about as fun as Zander, without the mental instability. :P



so have a taste of my alter ego, just remember this is very rough:

( hidden to spare the flist )

I've always 'heard' her speaking in a very cultured British accent. Zander's is rough, accented similarly to Antonio Banderas btw. Just in case you were wondering. :D

This is not the best scene I've done but it has the makings of a great one
And I should say this is RAWRAWRAW writing. This will not be the final version of this scene.


( Snippity Snip )

:D

The past three days have been good writing wise for me. I have managed to average a little over 2000 words each day. I am shooting for that today too.
Yesterday was actually a bit more because I moved words from eh old version of Bastard Prince to the new version and did editing on that to make it fit.

I love this story, have I said that before? I love the fact that I think I may actually be able to do it justice.

The mind does weird things. I set aside writing for a couple years, except for nano, because I wasn't good enough to tell the stories I wanted to tell. I was advised by someone I highly respect to shelve this story indefinitely because I needed to improve my writing.

My desire to write vanished when I accepted her suggestion. It occurred to me yesterday as I edited the scenes that needed editing to fit with this new version that accepting her suggestion was the first mistake. I stopped writing, I lost the desire to write, to create because the story of my heart was waiting.

I'm not writing it to get rich and famous. I'm not writing it because of other people. I'm writing it because I love the story. I love the characters, I love the fact that when I am writing Zander's story I am happy.

But the bottom line of all of this? If you don't write, you won't improve.

I am thick skulled, yes. Sometimes it takes a while to get through all that bone to the brain but it does eventually get through.

I don't know how big the project will be. I am writing it as 1 book which will probably be split into two, so I am guestimating here. We shall see.

I finished the outline for Bastard Prince, though I am certain I'll have a few tweaks later on.

I love this story all the more, seeing it laid out so to speak. I hope I do it justice. Starting on it now.

I have an idea for the short too. :P But it is late and I have to go to bed as soon as this first scene is written.

Good night lj.

Reading over the current versions of BP & Crossroads and I am struck with the realization that maybe a full re-write isn't necisarry. Perhaps I can salvage the better bits and write new bits to fix the issues at hand.


Then I found myself crying when I got to the part where Zander visits his mother's grave. Closure for the character, it needs work, oh great gods it needs work HOWEVER it isn't that bad.

I can do this. I really can.

so I'm in between writing projects and so, predictably, I am poking and prodding at BP again.

Damnit I LOVE this weird epicish story.

I adore Zander. Even if he is a man whore. People will probably bitch. Oh well. This is his story and when I am tired, drained and stressed it is usually his story I turn to. After all no matter how crazy stuff gets in my rl it is nothing compared to the shit I put Zander through.