Although tomorrow will be an ending of sorts, what I feel I’m approaching is a fork in the road between two warring visions for this novel. One of them is more satirical, the other more of a thriller. I’ll have to go back through what I’ve written to see where the story feels most stable and works best. I don’t think these two tones will mesh, so I’ll have to make a choice. Although I’ve climbed a mountain and have just over 1,000 words to go tomorrow to reach the top, I can already see the next peak. I want to climb it. I do.
Writing-Wise
National Novel Writing Month: Day 28
Oh my God, the end is almost here, and today I got to write a really cool fight scene! Before I wrote this novel I don’t believe I had written a single fight scene in my whole writing life—one of the many detriments of focusing on literary fiction. Anyway, I’m at 47,376 words. I’ll be very happy to drag my ass across the finish line in a couple of days. Or maybe I’ll skip or shimmy or something. I’m pretty tired, but honestly, it’s not the very most tired I’ve been in my life. Or even this year. (Odyssey Workshop, I’m looking at you.)
National Novel Writing Month: Day 27
Tonight I’m trying the trick, recommended to my Odyssey class by Alexander Jablokov, in which one leaves a scene at a rather exciting cliffhanger (or at least unfinished) to create more enthusiasm about starting writing the next day. I left my characters at the start of a fight scene that will challenge my heroine quite profoundly. I’m hoping that I’ll get some good ideas while I’m sleeping and wake up ready to pounce on my day’s word count. Tonight I came in a little low, due to time spent outlining and a commitment to getting back on a regular sleep schedule.
National Novel Writing Month: Day 26
Spent an hour on outlining today in an effort to keep this project on the rails. I think I’ve probably got too many elements for a single novel, but that is a fixable problem. I’m also starting to wonder if I’ve got the right perspective for the story. It’s possible that first person might serve it better than third. The urban fantasies on my shelf show a strong precedent for first person. That perspective might also help provide the extra something that this draft lacks in terms of voice. My back story, written as diary entries, feels more intimate.
National Novel Writing Month: Day 25
Today shall go down as the day Erin passed her nemesis, Baxter, after twenty-four days of trailing his speedy tail. Yeah! Let’s hear it for the racing snail! Of course, knowing him he’ll probably post 5,000 words tomorrow, but that’s beyond my control. I’ll just savor this little moment here. Tonight’s writing ended up being 1,600 words all in a single scene, so it was like hitting a nice straightaway. This is good since the juggling of obligations to keep up is beginning to feel difficult.