November 2, 2007

  • Moving on Down the Road

    The brilliant thing about NaNo is that since you're writing what is supposed to be a really horrible first draft anyway, there's no need at all to be concerned for such things as formatting, character development, a sense of scene, or any of the niceties that I find it necessary to at least try to add to most of my writing.  

    My first chapter of this year's book is about 18 pages long.  My second chapter is about 2 pages.  Isn't that wonderful?  No need for uniformity or well, anything really.  Other than the words and the story.  I do so hope that the story is gonna be good.  But I am having fun and that's the main thing. 

    I added 2,209 words tonight.  I had hoped again for more, but I didn't have as much time to write during breaks today.  Mostly because I didn't really have breaks today.  But tomorrow is Saturday the day of catching up and surging ahead.  I'm eagerly anticipating more brilliance. 

    Total word count at the present: 5,856 which puts me ahead of pace by 2,523.  I know this because Cool Mary put together a really cool Excel sheet just for me, (okay it was really for any NaNo participant who requested it, but I prefer to be the center not just of my little world but many many others) and it calculates everything for me.  I love that.

    Excerpt from today's writing:

     The pounding on Sheri’s door woke her from
    a dream in which she was earnestly explaining to a group of young children why
    exactly they needed to wear their purple wings on Thursdays.  She raised her head, brushed the hair from
    her eyes and peered at the clock. 

    What kind of idiot
    could be on her porch at …?  5:38?

    Alarmed now the
    last foggy tendrils of sleep parted and she moved quickly to the door where her sister was pacing back and forth.

    “Bobbie Sue?  What’s wrong?”

    “Nothing.”  She sailed in as soon as the door was
    opened a crack.  “I mean, something is
    wrong obviously because I’m here at the butt crack of dawn, but not wrong,
    wrong, just mildly out of place, really.”

    “What are you
    talking about?”

    Bobbie Sue turned and took a deep breath.  She raised her hands, lowered them.  Sheri's pulse raced with fear.  Was it a problem with their parents?  One of the kids?

    “I can’t sleep.”  Bobbie Sue spoke with a grave intensity that would be appropriate for a desperate confession.

    “I’m sorry, what?”

    “I can’t
    sleep.  Come on, lets go back to your
    room.”

    Bobbie Sue grabbed
    Sheri’s hand and practically dragged her back to the bedroom.  When they stood beside Sheri’s bed, Bobbie Sue put her
    hands on Sheri’s shoulders and looked into her eyes    .     “Remember when we were kids and there would
    be a storm outside and I would be crying and shaking and you’d let me climb in
    your bed and you’d tell me the story?”

    “It was the angels
    in their bowling alley.”

    “Right,
    angels." Bobbie Sue nodded in the exaggerate manner of a child.  "And then I’d go to sleep.”

    “Bobbie Sue that
    was almost thirty years ago.  I’m pretty
    sure you don’t believe that thunder is caused by angels and bowling pins
    anymore.  And there’s not a storm going
    on.”

    “It’s a different
    kind of storm, Sissy." She continued speaking with low urgency.    "You have to tell
    me a story.  Tell me something to make
    the storm be not scary.”

    “What’s going on,
    Bobbie?  You’re scaring me.  Where’s Jake?”

    “Jake is home in
    our bed, snoring his fool ass off.  He’ll never know I’m gone.  But I haven’t been asleep all night.  I know it’s crazy.  Probably those diet pills that Dr. Ellison
    gave me were too much for my system.  But
    I’m suffering here and all I can think is that if you’ll tell me a story it
    will go away.”

    As she talked,
    Bobbie Sue removed her coat and shoes to reveal flannel pajamas.  She climbed onto Sheri’s bed and slid beneath
    the covers.  “Come on Sissy, tell me a
    story.”

    Sheri shook her
    head but lay down beside her sister, “Once upon a time there was a dear little
    princess …”

    It took almost
    forty minutes of the princess’s adventures with a magical cat, an invisible
    sword and a prince only slightly shorter than herself and more in need of a
    good pair of bifocals than a sturdy steed, but eventually Bobbie Sue drifted
    off to sleep. 

    Sheri made coffee
    and took it out to the back porch where she sipped it thoughtfully and watched
    the sunrise before she called her brother-in-law. 

Comments (11)

  • The part at the beginning about the dream is my favorite.  It really captures the weird,  bleary eyed, nonsensical aspect of dreaming.

  • wooooo!  I want to read it all!

  • That's awesome.  Word-padding idea: include the full story.  If you're not into padding, that's totally cool, but it an be a lot of fun to add.

    Congratulations on the fantastically high wordcount!

  • Good job!  Have a great November!

  • Gorgeous and perfect!  I so want to read the whole thing!

  • great beginning! you can track it on your Nano profile page too. keep writing... editing is for december!

  • heh heh heh

  • ryc: i most likely won't make any of the local events with time being so scarce for me this time around. i'm either working, writing, or traveling, or preparing to travel, or doing the whole turkey thing this month. i'm trying to use every spare minute for the writing so i'll be ahead when i leave for nyc and concentrate on the job interview. i'd like to tho... maybe one at the end of the month-- if i finish everything in time! :) you?

  • well personally I'm intrigued!

  • now i want coffee...but it is too late at night.  hmmmm, maybe some decaf.....

  • This story can be read easily even by me and catch the attention . Good start .

    Thank you for your kind comments .

    Love

    Michel

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