The End is Within Sight

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One thing I am grateful for is my Tuesday writing partner. We have missed a few weeks here and there, or one of us has, sometimes both - but we have kept it up for a while.

I'm sitting across the table from her now at the cafe. We have our laptops open and we've checked in. Now we're writing. Both of us working on our NaNoProjects, one a Pantser and one a Rebel.

detail of silk painting by Dot.

I am closing in on 50k. My total word count as of the end of Monday, is at 44,099. Which means I am 5901 from the goal of writing a 50,000 word novel between November 1st and November 30th. Which will give me my seventh consecutive win.

Will this story be done at 50k? No, not unless I pull out the stops and toss in some deus ex machina. I would rather keep writing and see where the story ends, which is my plan. This is a decent novel plot and I like some of my character development. It will obviously need major overhaul and clean up. I am the Pantser. This year I am the Pantser with a string leading to a plot (I still don't know who
dunnit) and a setting.

Each year I try a different approach. Last year I had a nice cast of characters going into NaNovember. This year I didn't have any characters, except a stage manager (unnamed until I started writing) and a director friend (also unnamed until he showed up on the page) and the title character, the dramaturg, which didn't show up until somewhere around 35k.

Okay. Now back to writing the NaNoNovel. I'm not sure when I will hit 50k, but I hope to do it by the end of the day on Thursday. The weekend is very busy and I'd like to have the target met so I can not stress about that with all of the other activity, and just write the story to the end.

NaNo!
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NaNoWriMo Report for Day 5

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The words came slowly yesterday. In spurts around other things I had to do. But they did show up. My end of day total word count was 11,245. I am maintaining my word cushion, which is good, since there are some days ahead when writing time will be scarce to none.

My main character had an encounter with another neighbor. Not an alien. Not a serial murderer. She was a little odd and hinted at cracks in time. The main character has written that off to the neighbor's eccentricities and too much time on her hands. Right now my main character is getting ready for work and looking forward to it. The story returns to the theater and that is good!

This is the point in NaNoWriMo when it usually gets a little harder. At the end of week one, beginning of week two. The momentum of the first week, the thrill of a new story, the excitement about what will happen slows. I start wondering where this story is going and how will it get there. I'm along for the ride but the road is less clear. I am confident I will reach 50,000 words in time, but I also need something to happen. The excitement of doing NaNoWriMo is present  - and now the story itself needs a bit of excitement. The foreshadowing or hints of an inciting incident are great, and it is time for the incident.

In the meantime, I'll keep writing. And waiting. It will happen.
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NaNoWriMo Report Day 4 : Author or Alien?

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My ending word count for day 4 of "Cue the Damaturg" is 9.497! Thanks to my Tuesday writing buddy, I was there - not quite at the appointed time as I was running a little slow this morning - but I was there. And she was there. And we wrote. Both of us working on our NaNoWriMo projects.

She is a NaNoRebel and, well, she is writing and aiming for the same goals, just a different project. But still writing new content every day and aiming for 50k.

She wrote. I wrote. I got into a flow and another character appeared on Lisa June's walk. At first it seemed that this character was going to turn out to be an alien. With what had happened a few pages before, it was possible and things were leaning that way. I was screaming "no, no, no aliens" in my head but I just kept typing. I made a commitment to follow my characters anywhere and so I kept typing.

And hoping that this wasn't an alien.

As the two characters talked, this odd man became a little less odd. And my Main Character became less afraid and was talking to him more. Then he explained what he meant by "lost" and that the person he was chasing was his main character, that he was, in fact, an author!

I giggled as I typed. I was hoping for an author to show up. Because I am hoping to get in some work on the novel I'm editing, and if there is an author in this book, then those words can be a part of this authors book and part of the Cue the Dramaturg story! My author showed up today and I found it funny that he might be an alien. I like it when I chuckle at my own writing.

Still no body parts and no dead bodies. There is nothing wrong with mysteries and dead bodies in stories - I'd just like to try writing a different type of novel this year. As evidenced by being willing to accept an alien in my story, I will take dead bodies if they appear and it will turn into a mystery if it must. But I will be really smiling if things progress as they are and I have a full first draft that is not a mystery.
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NaNoWriMo Day 22: Dinner Gathering

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photo by my Tuesday writing partner, Rooze.

Today I wrote 1821 words and my ending total count is 39213.

It may be hard to wrap up this story in 11000 more words and that's okay. I see the goal in sight; I will make the 50000 word goal. It may be November 29th when I finish, or perhaps the 30th. I have a long writing day lined up next Tuesday, a few extra hours tomorrow and next Wednesday. Other than that, I will be writing with my usual time - around work and sleep hours. Then, just in case, I have Saturday 11/30 wide open for writing; unless I need to add another viewing of the play I'll be interpreting in a couple of weeks.

I do plan on continuing this story until it's done. I like it. There are some NaNoErrors, I know. Some conflicting facts. Some lousy writing. Maybe a few gems. And some likable characters. I like the basic story and I think it's worth finishing and then revising. So far, at least!

The cast, director and her partner, the playwright, and a couple of tech crew guys are just sitting down to dinner at the coastal retreat. I believe that after dinner there will be a discussion about the script and we might find out a few more details. I mean I might be told a few more details. Right now I know very little about the play they've been working on, other than that it does includes some dance, has something to do with energy and movement, and a few other details.

It was a good writing day. Tomorrow will probably be a little less, due to work and then attending a performance tomorrow night.

Writing it going well. I'm satisfied with my story and writing right now. And that feels great.
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NaNoWriMo Day 18: And, We Have a Poet!

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Finally, the poet in my NaNoNovel has been revealed. I thought it would never happen and that I'd have these poems hanging around with nowhere to go. But, it happened. The poet has shown himself. Now I can put in the poems somewhere appropriate. I think a couple of them were written by someone else to him, and that's okay. But at least he has made an appearance.

My total words written today (mostly before work, though I did squeeze some in on my dinner break tonight) is 2046. My total word count right now is 33,145! Woo!

As soon as they are done with the ice breakers, the characters will be having dinner. Some may go for a walk on the beach (that's my plan for them). And then, later at night but not too late, a surprise visitor will be showing up.

Unless she changes her plans. One of the characters who is already at the retreat house knows about it, but she has said nothing. It will be a good surprise. I think. We'll see what she has up her sleeve when she gets there.

In addition to giving the big reveal of the end of the play they've been working on.

But wait! What about the dead body discovered in the opening scene? We still don't know who it was. Or what happened. And what about the actor who disappeared. His replacement is the poet, so that was a good exchange from my author's vantage point. But those two things - a body, a disappearance - are only two of several dangling enticements which have yet to come to fruition. I think things are about to be exposed, though!
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NaNoWriMo Day 17: Almost a Red Square Day

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Today was almost a red square day in NaNoLand for me. But I pulled it together and finished up the cast retreat bonding ritual. They are all united, blessed by the Spirits, and are about to launch into the requisite for any ritual : the ice breaker activities!

Oh, no! Say it isn't so.

But it is. And I added a mere 205 words to my total count today

Which moved me from a Red Square Day (0 words written) to an Orange Square Day (minimal words written; and they were minimal! but more than zero).

It was a lovely writing retreat at the beach. Relaxing. Productive on many levels. Relaxing some more. Which was followed by driving home today, unloading my car, changing my clothes, and driving to work.

Which is why it was almost a Red Square Day. But I decided I couldn't let it happen; didn't want to break my daily streak even if it was minimal writing. So I wrote. Just a little. And the characters are ready to reveal ...

...are you ready...

The Poet!

- to be continued -
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Temperature Drops as the Writing Heats Up

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Here is another of my NaNoWriMo creative companions. This doll was made by my partner a couple of years ago and holds an important Tarot card. It's hard to see in this picture, but Serena even made the doll a cute NaNoWriMo t-shirt with the Office of Letters and Light logo.

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On Sunday it rained and on Monday the wind blew. It now feels more like fall; like the end of October. Don't get me wrong! I loved the warm and unusually calm fall days we've had. But I did feel a bit of relief when I woke up to wet tires on the pavement, rain hitting the window, and a tree branch stroking the roof. It was probably the wind knocking over a loose board on the fence and tipping over the empty watering can on the porch which caused disruption in my dream; and that was okay.

The wet sloshing sounded familiar and my blanket felt cozy as I tucked it up under my chin.

I heard that Central Oregon got some snow today. As will Colorado tomorrow and I think somewhere in Montana they are expecting ten inches.

I'm fine with the rain. Which cleared into a cool and crisp and still windy Monday. A nice day which felt like fall.

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Today I am meeting (even as I type) with my Tuesday writing partner for the first time in a few weeks, due to "life happens" events. It feels great to be back here with her, writing, talking about our goals, writing.

And today I am already having a NaNoWriMo character rebellion. Only one, but it has already started. The short story character I wrote about earlier, who would be joining this cast for NaNo2013, said "no." Not even with a "thank you" added, she has declined the offer to be in the novel. Or perhaps it was the original character who convinced her that she needed to stay in her own story. The change has been made in my Scrivener character notes and I am underway finding out more information about the original character. The short story beach walker will linger in the wind and sand with her KFC and girlfriend, until I can get back to them.

Ah, NaNo.

*smiling*

Plot? What Plot? Who Needs a Plot?

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I've been searching the internet for a story that fits my criteria for the NaNoWriMo idea I had. That did include a plot. Or part of a plot, anyway, because the actual plot would be based on said story or book.

So far I haven't found anything which caught my attention or looks interesting. Not in the way the first novel I wrote did - and that original story was stumbled on as I was writing my 2008 NaNoNovel.

I've been thinking that I am going to toss that idea out. No, I'm going to put it on hold. I still have this idea for a series. The first book is in revision. And I need to find the subject books/stories for books two and three. But it appears it is going to take more time than I have and I don't want to get bogged down in the search and lose any momentum for writing my story.

Not to worry, though, as I have come up with another idea. But there is no plot. Not yet. The plot will come as I write; I have confidence. I'm going to approach it from a completely different angle. I still have a week to wait until NaNoWriMo officially starts and I'm itching to get doing. But I can't for one week and 23 1/2 hours.

What I'm going to do over this next week is work with my muse on creating characters. Finding their names, getting some back story, maybe writing out some character sketches. Hopefully in that process, a setting will emerge. That's my hope. Gather in a few characters and let them play and let them tell me their story.

This could work. I've never taken this approach before, but I like it. And I do have a secret file of potential names I've been gathering over the years, here and there. I think I do even have a couple of character sketches in that secret file.

This could even be fun!

Plot, shmlot.

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Let the Games Begin

It's the second day of October 2013 and guess what's coming?

Those in the know are aware that the boards have been cleared and updated and registration is already under way for - tada - NaNoWriMo 2013.

Than's right. It's nearing that time of year, again, when hundreds of thousands
of writers from around the world will be participating in National Novel Writing Month, with the goal of writing a 50,000 (minimum) word novel from midnight:01 on November 1st until midnight on November 30th. That's right: write a 50k novel in 30 days.

And I will be, of course, again, participating. Year number six and going for six consecutive wins.

I will probably be a pantser, again. Meaning, I write without an outline. Open the laptop and go, follow the characters in the story and see where it goes.

Or maybe not. I am considering doing some character exploration, perhaps a little plot hunting, in October. I might take a hybrid approach this year; a little of this and a little of that.

But I'm also working on the memoir and plan to make some significant progress on that book before November. After I interpret "Fiddler on the Roof" tomorrow night and after I attend the Dorothy Alison and Lidia Yuknavitch writing workshop this weekend.

So - start your computer engines and sharpen those writing sabers. The NaNoGames are about to begin.

Beware of Cats Bearing Gifts

I don't know why this is the thing which brings me to The Writing Vein tonight. I haven't posted here since returning home, despite other intentions. I have done some writing, mostly editing, but I haven't come here.

I meant to.

I did post a very brief travelogue with two or three pictures from each day on my Facebook timeline. Very brief. But an acknowledgment.

And I did what the partially self-employed do, the part-time employed without vacation time (or other benefits): I squeezed out as much time off as I felt I could afford and squeezed in the work time I could around that. Which resulted in ten consecutive days off of work = bliss. And a fruitful and replenishing ten-day road trip. And a return to a string of long work days to minimize missed time.

It was worth it. Every hour.

It also meant I was going from work to sleep to getting ready to work, rinse, repeat. That's okay.

But I didn't come here.

So now here I am.

With creativity flowing and laundry to do and ideas percolating and walking and working and my computer acting up. In other words, life. And words.

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Earlier this evening we were settled in to watch a movie and we heard our cat. I thought he was at the front door wanting to come in. He does that sometimes.

My partner said something like, "but that doesn't sound like him." But it was him, I knew. But it wasn't quite his normal "meow letmeinnow" sound, I agreed.

So she went to the front door and opened it. We have a set of bells on the door and when it is opened or closed they jingle, of course. We had the bells long before we had the cat, but still it's a sound he's come to know and he knows it means the door is open.

She opened the door but he was nowhere to be seen.

I heard him again. She heard him. And as she was shutting the door I saw him coming down the stairs and heard his paws on the wooden steps. Then my partner reacted and went to the other room and said something like, "He's got something. Your turn!"

The cat prounced happily into the living room where I was. Nothing was in his mouth. But when I went to the stairs I saw it.

Not a mouse - he's done that a few times; once it was a squirrel. But this was a little brown furry body - maybe a mole? Or something like that. And it was my turn to dispose of it. Which I did, after putting the cat outside so he wouldn't grab hold of it while I was getting something to scoop it up with. Poor rodent.

I didn't get mad at the cat. It's what cats do and he was proud of his catch and was only bringing us a present.

For now his little cat entry into the house is blocked. He's going to have to be let in for a little while. I don't want to wake up in the night to a little furry present in the bed or under my feet in the bathroom.

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This incident made me wonder about things which are familiar but don't turn out to be what we think. Like the cat's meow to be let in actually being an announcement of his prize.

Unexpected.

Next time I think I'll remember that particular meow.

I wonder what other subtle differences I should pay attention to in other areas of my life?

I wonder how I would write that in a story. The difference in his timbre and resonance. How to use that to build tension and story.

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Challenge: D is for Dallying

D is for Dallying.

From Merriam-Webster:


1a : to act playfully; especially : to play amorously
  b : to deal lightly : toy
2a : to waste time
  b : linger, dawdle




I chose the above definition of Dally because it's not entirely negative. Most of the available definitions of Dallying take the negative spin, such as this one from Google: Act or move slowly: "workers were loafing, dallying, or goofing off".

But for writers, for artists of any kind I believe, dallying is actually a necessity. I also believe that even the 2a definition above - to waste time - is necessary. Because I don't really believe that it is wasting time.

It is in those moments of moving more slowly in the world, of taking time to notice, or even of staring off into space and letting the world catch your attention with something unexpected or new or even mundane (thanks, gl!) that you might not have otherwise noticed if you weren't sitting there. Wasting time.

Or as authors dallying at the coffee cart, with the hot cup of green tea in your hands, inhaling and letting the warmth spread from your hands to your face, you smile. And you overhear a conversation between two people at the burrito cart behind you. And you know what the character in your story on the screen at your desk is going to say. You head back to it and begin to write.

Or you notice the Grocery Outlet store when you're heading home from an appointment and remember you have to buy some handy item and maybe they have it. Inside you find treasures of foods from places you've never been to, or you thought your friend had made up, or something from the place where your current work in progress takes place. You wander the shelves to see what else there is and find the jumbled products in random order and yet you're compelled to keep looking. And there is a can of ______ something. The thing your protagonist is going to make for dinner and on the back, the label has a recipe for just that thing.

And sometimes, we just have to sit. Or walk without purpose. To slow down. To let our mind rest a little and let the stories percolate while we relax. While we dally.

Dallying. It's not a waste of time. It's time spent getting ready for the next round. Dally a little and see what you might have otherwise missed. Or notice if it makes it a little easier to jump back into your writing or art, or even to get back to the less-than-creative job which pays the bills.

NaNoWriMo Day 21 : Approaching the end but not The End

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I made good progress today on my NaNoNovel. Both in terms of word count and in terms of the story.

Words written today = 3,103

Total word count = 48,462

And, yes, this means that I am nearing the NaNoWriMo benchmark of writing 50k words in 30 days. Except that I expect I will have it completed tomorrow. So 50k in 22 days. Not bad.

But the story is still going. The novel is not yet done and it is coming together quite nicely. I do think this will be another one to work on completing and editing and working towards publication. One of the first things to go will be the title. There is a little bit of that in there, but it is definitely not the point of the story. And that is okay.

This is NaNoWriMo and for me that means creative exploration. Letting the story come as it will and being willing to throw out any preconceived ideas about where we're going because, after all, this is the characters' story - not mine.

Yes. Tomorrow I will reach the end of my 50k NaNoWords. But I won't reach "The End."

All is good.
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Radical Writer Confronts a NaNoCold: NaNoWriMo Day 13

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I am being diligent in resisting this cold which is hitting almost everywhere I go. Where I work. Where I write. At home. I. Will. Not. Get. Sick.

"Germy" by Dot

But I have the early signs of the illness, according to my partner : namely, a little "blue" and a feeling like everything is an uphill battle, a little tired with spurts of energy which disappear, and a few aches. This morning I felt like I had the beginning of a runny nose - but thankfully that has gone away.

I skipped swimming today because of this. But I am taking walks on my work breaks, because getting exercise isn't the problem - but sometimes the chemicals in the pool irritate my throat on good days (they seem to have moved away from the Salt Pure system, but it still seems to be low chlorine).

Anyway - enough of that!

It's NaNoWriMo Day 13 and, despite the feeling of this being a worthless endeavor and the writing is stupid and why am I stressing myself - I'm still writing. I will not let the mid-month blahs set in and I will not let the stubborn germs take hold.

I did get some extra sleep. And I did retrieve my coat from the writing place where I forgot it yesterday (another illness coming on symptom for me). And I wrote. This is just the type of day for which I like to have some extra words in the bank.

Today I wrote 1153 words before going to work, for a closing word count of 24,030.

This writer, whether feeling at all radical or not, will not be stopped from writing by a little cold germ.
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NaNoWriMo day 12 : A Wandering We Go

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Today I wrote another 1,791 words - giving me an ending total word count of 22877. Not a palindrome, but a nice tidy number.


photo from urbanspoon



The words I wrote today were much more scenic, thanks to the ex-girlfriend and her trip into the Gorge. She told me stories as I waited for my soup and salad plus tuna at Fresh Thyme Soup in Beaverton. She waited patiently and let me take bites between sentences. And she didn't get very far, but she did spice up the landscape of the novel with her trip descriptions.

That was the first half of my word count for today.



Black Rock Coffe Bar, Beaverton



I left Fresh Thyme Soup Company and headed over to the nearby Black Rock Coffee Bar for my daily (or nightly in this case, it was 4 pm) decaf soy latte. With a delicious and very hot latte I drove to work and parked my car, got out the laptop, and proceeded to write the rest of my words for today. Yes, in the car in the parking lot again, with a very hot latte.

I'm keeping ahead of the word count target and, at this point, NaNoMonitor says I should finish around November 26th.

Yes.

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NaNoWriMo Day 11 : Heading to Hood River

photo by Johnny T. Cherig at The World of Waterfalls

Today one of my characters decided to take a little trip to Hood River, out in the Gorge. Well, let me back up and correct, because that's what she did. Earlier in the novel she was already out there at the house of her dead ex-lover, starting this bardo process. But today she told me that my muse told her that my scenes were boring, flat.

And she, of course, had the perfect anecdote: she was going to have me tell her travels of how she got from her lovely home in the West Hills of Portland out to the gorgeous house on the hill overlooking the Columbia River.

But wait, I said. That came earlier in the novel than where we are now.

So? she said. This is NaNovember and the order of how you write the details doesn't really matter, does it? Or are you pulling out your editor already? Her job comes later.

Okay, okay. I said and started typing. She's right. Editing doesn't happen yet and there will be plenty of time to rearrange the pieces.

And she's right that the scenes are minimal, and not in a minimalistic, sparse landscape, interesting kind of way. Dare I say it - boring!

So I wrote some today, right about 1000 words. My current word count is 21,086. This is 1086 over the target for the end of the day on Monday, and I will be adding more on Monday. So, for right now, I'm in good standing to finish on time, even a little early.

Yay.

NaNoWriMo Day 10: Writin' in da Hood

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Today my friend  who is a NaNoWriting Buddy, too, and I drove to the all-state write-in.

Where was it? You may ask.

In my 'hood! I'll tell you. Where I spent my formidable years growing up. Today I found myself at the Salem Public Library with a bunch of other writers from the Salem area and from Eugene. I don't know if there were others from the Portland area. No, wait, I do know - someone mentioned Sherwood. There was also someone from Grants Pass.

We arrived about halfway through the day, but in enough time to join in the continuous story, some word sprints, and to partake of the NaNoAura of writing in community and challenges and the sound of keyboards being hit repeatedly and pens and pencils dragged across paper. The winner of one word sprint wrote about 920 words in ten minutes. Amazing! No, it wasn't me.

photo from The Amateur Gourmet 

And in my NaNoNovel. Well, not much forward movement in the plot I thought I was going to write this month. But that's nothing new.

What was new is that one of the characters is having a little affair of sorts, while the girlfriend is off taking care of the possessions of a dead friend. And it turns out that the bartender is also an excellent cook and much was said about the flaky biscuits and the midnight after sex breakfast meal. Eggs, bacon, and biscuits.

I can also see there is probably another death on the horizon. It may not happen and may only be a scare, but it looks like it. I may still have a conflict on which to draw out the rest of this novel. And not just the cheating bartender.

It's amazing the cliches that come out in the word sprints. But that's okay. Probably I needed to get them out of the way to get to the good stuff.

My ending word count today is 20,034, which could be enough to hold me through Monday with no further writing. That won't happen; I do plan on writing each of the next two days. But I love having a cushion in case things get busy and I fall behind. I am hoping to get this novel done by Thanksgiving - I've done that in three of the past four years. The first of the theatrical interpreting preparation workshops is on December 1st and I want a little time in the days before that to make sure everything is in order. I can do it all even if I have to wait to turn in my NaNoNovel at 11:59 pm on Friday, November 30th; but it would be great to have the novel wrapped up (at least the first 50k of it) by Thanksgiving weekend.

And the total words I wrote today was 4,483. Not bad.
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NaNoWriMo Day 9 : Palindrome and Circling

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I hit another palindrome in my NaNoWriMo word count. Right now I'm at 15551 words (total words written today was 2,231). Forwards and backwards, it's the same.

picture from ifood.tv

In the novel, another character is acting out. The bartender is a little upset about the girlfriend going off to help the dead ex cross over. Except. Well, who is really dead? Not the bartender, who has an attractive customer with a secret. I think. I don't know what the secret is, but hints have been left in the story.

I'm feeling a little lost and am not sure where the story is going. I tried to rein it back in to the plot line I thought I had, but it's not following my direction well. Earlier today I posted in a NaNoGroup that I have to let go of trying to run the story because it's not letting me.

My characters seem to have a different idea of where they're going than I do and I have to accept that. Twice I've tried to pull it back on track and I became bored. It's pretty bad when the author doesn't like the story they're writing.

I know, it's part of the process and I still have to get it out onto the page and out of the way of the story. But today was not a particularly enjoyable day of writing. I didn't hate it. I. Was. Just. Bored.

Tomorrow I have a writing date with about 75 other people. Hopefully it will be productive and I can push past this stagnant, wheel spinning, WTF is going on, period and move into something more fun. And which moves the story forward.

I hearby vow to let the characters tell their story. They don't like what I want to do very well - although they seem to like it as a background to play against - so I'll let them tell me what it going on in their world.

And, inner editor, stay out of the way. Your job comes later.

*smile*
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NaNoNote on Day 7

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I just hit a NaNoWriMo palindrome!

My current word count is

11711

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NaNoSpin: Write What You Know? Write Where You Are!

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photo from sangres.com

This NaNoAttempt I'm trying to avoid some of the "write what you know" stuff. Although at this pace, it's a little hard not to have some of that. I'm okay with having pieces from my life of from the lives of friends, but I vowed that this time around my MC won't be a writer. She hasn't been every time, but there usually is a prominent writer in the scene somewhere. Not this time; nope.
But as a twist on that topic, I am going with "Write Where You Are" this year. I've always done that a little bit, but it seems that circumstances this year are presenting me with even more odd opportunities. Like the laundromat yesterday. Which turned out just fine.

Today I was presented with another scenario. Not toally unusual - but it was writing in my car. I had gone to lunch-dinner somewhere where I have gone to write between an appointment and work before. But that didn't work out this time, so I ate and left. But I still had an hour between that time and work and I had my laptop.

Luckily my laptop has a good battery and it was still at 75%, so I parked in the lot outside my job and, yes, indeed ... I wrote about 1000 words on my laptop in my car. With the laptop balanced on my steering wheel and my belly I typed away.

And a new turn has come up. It's not a twist in the story and it's not a new direction - but it's a little side trip in the story. It's with the secondary MC who is vying to become the main MC. So we'll see where she takes me. And she's threatening a sex scene, I think. She's in a relationship and she's remembering her previous relationship.

She's down at Angel Fire and then in Taos (there is some of the "what I know" information). And she meets this trashy yet not trashy waitress. And it looks like they're headed to bed. Though I'm not sure. Something is going on between them.

Ah, NaNo, the paths you take me on.

And, no, this is not a romance and not chicklit. It was billed as a mystery, and that is there. Somewhat. Trying to be there. Hints have been dropped.

Okay. I made my word count for today and I'm sitting at 10,542. This gives me a cushion of 542 words. I'd like a little more, but I think my writing for today is done.

A good day of writing in the car!
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Razor's Edge for 8/3/12: Place

Today's prompt is a location and backstory.

Your character is on walking off a recent conversation. She took the three-hour train trip to spend the weekend with her friend. But something wasn't quite right from the time she arrived. Her friend doesn't want to talk about it, but there is something going on which is distracting the friend.

Your character sets off to get some air and let the tension move through, rather than getting stuck in, her body. She has no idea where she's going; she's only been to this part of the city once before.

She turns the corner and finds herself in this lush, overgrown yard. A presence in the house seems to be pulling her closer ...


...Go... Write for 10 minutes!

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