Category Archives: Dreaming the Dead

The Deadline Crunch
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16

Okay. So I’ve done 1800+ words tonight, and there are going to be a whole lot more before I’m done. What I’m writing is already 5622 words long, and I still have a couple of critical elements to include by tonight.

Problem. My writing tonight is non-fiction. My two beta testers are starting into How To Revise Your Novel next Monday, and in between the hospital stuff, Margaret and I have been working madly to get the course software debugged—and now that it’s done, I’m wrapping up Lesson 2 tonight because I MUST have a buffer between myself and the lessons students are taking, in case I get sick. But I still have a lot of stuff that has to go into the course before next Monday.

Two lessons is all I had for the whole insane Think Sideways run.

Two lessons is evidently all I’m going to have as a buffer for HTRYN, too.

Not much in the way of sick time. :D

That’s my night.

How’s your writing coming along?

No Words Tonight
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27

Just got back from the ER.

My brother-in-law had a seizure, and ended up back there again, and we were there all night waiting for news.

The story has an up-side this time.

A neurologist came to see him who has done the procedure he needs, who is willing to do the surgery for him, and who will work with the family and deal with the payment issues after the giant tumor is removed.

He’ll have surgery this Thursday.

I did not, however, do any writing tonight.

WABWM is back…I got 431 words
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48

It took me a while to get back into the story—not the least of which was time spent just getting my head back into a fiction place.

But when I left Aleksa, she was being followed, and she is now preparing to deal with the man who is about to break into her home. It always helps to leave your character in a bad spot if you’re going to be away for a while—makes it much easier to get interested in figuring out what happens next.

I’m glad to be back. I’ve missed being here.

So, for the first time in a long time…

How is your writing coming?

Broaching Immortality
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30

I finally confronted the issue of immortality head-on tonight. The scene flew. It isn’t going to stand as written—it’s a bit too fairytale-ish—though I gave it an ominous ending that I love.

563 words, and I’m working in the critical framework that I need to hold the story together. Overall, fairytale feel or not, I’m happy with what I got.

How about you?

Lying about Love
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34

So Ki, my hero (a.k.a. Sam) has just lied to his cop partner, claiming to be in love with Aleksa, my heroine, in order to shake off some heat about his actions relating to her.

It wasn’t a planned scene. It was, however, a pretty good one, though as I was writing it, I realized how badly “talking heads” it is. 556 words, and I’m going to have to do some serious scene setting in the revision.

Still, I like what I got.

How’s your story coming along?

Character study, 468 words
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27

The scene segment I worked on tonight was a study of Aleksa after she was attacked, and how she was dealing with the ugly memories the attack stirred up.

It was all about stillness and control versus the uncontrolled fury—almost a second person—that the attack woke up and set loose.

I learned some interesting information about her, and I think what I’ve done will interest my reader…but I can’t let it go on too long. Introspection and a character whose only action is breathing and controlling her breathing while sitting in a police interrogation room requires focus and a light hand to write.

Not sure if I got it the way it needs to be, but it’ll do for first draft.

How did your writing go?

Finally rolled over 50,000 words
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31

I wrapped up with 50,176 total words in the story tonight—a nice milestone after the delay that had kept me at 49,590 for what… about two weeks?

My revised plot cards are all in place, my arterial bypass grafted around the nasty clot of wrong turn is working beautifully, and the 586 words I got tonight felt good.

Aleksa is in an interrogation room at the police station, after defending herself against an abduction attempt staged right outside the station.

It was an interesting scene to write.

And after the luxury of a week-long birthday (complicated somewhat by the fact that I ended up working my ass off getting folks into the last Think Sideways class of the year), it felt magnificent to be sitting up here in the bed, laptop fired up, spinning fiction again.

So.

How about you and your words?

Mostly ‘Cause Tomorrow’s My Birthday
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42

I could have worked tonight. But I decided since tomorrow is my birthday to stay up late with my guys, watch the conclusion of “Life on Mars,” play Fable II, knit a pair of socks, and just have a good time.

No words. No words tomorrow, though I’ll put up a post. No words Friday. And no words Saturday.

I have birthday stuff planned with my family, and since I’m going to be 49 (and the next one is {shudder} 50) I decided today that I deserved to have fun and celebrate, not work.

I hope you get wonderful words. I’ll have a post up for you every day.

Think of me. Have fun. I’ll see you again Sunday night.

(Will still be doing customer service for Think Sideways students all week. I’m not taking time off from that.)

Worrrds? We don’t need no steenking words!
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36

Yeah. Well.

I got my big birthday present a couple of days early.

A Sony Reader. Red. Spiffy. WAAAAY spiffy.

And instead of being a good and faithful writer and getting my words, I’ve been sitting here working my way through the user’s manual and discovering that, yes, I CAN put the entire Think Sideways course on my e-reader, and yes, it is readable if I bump the text up one size.

And looking through the Sony bookstore, and though the Gutenberg Project e-book library and squinking along trying to find other sources of good e-books…

It’s an awesome present.

No words, though.

How about you?