MaW’s Blog

I’ve fallen way behind with my NaNoWriMo novel, but last night I decided that I really couldn’t give up, and calculated that I needed to write approximately 2.2k a day until the end of the month to finish. That didn’t sound too difficult, so I started writing and next thing I knew I had about 4.5k more words. Not bad really. The target is now 2.2k per day, with the hope of more when I have time and energy, so that I don’t end up in a panic trying to finish on the 30th of November.

The plot itself is going well, although I think I need to speed a few things up a bit because I’m at 18,620 words and most of the main characters haven’t even met each other yet, only one of the Gods has died and there’s not even a hint of who the bad guy is. I’m going to have to start dropping a couple so that the protagonists have something to work with when they all get together and embark on their quest to save the world.

Their wise magician mentor also hasn’t died yet, but since he hasn’t yet met one of his mentorees that’s probably a good thing. His days are still numbered though…

Current word count: 12,527.

I’m pleased, but I think I’m going to have a problem writing much more this week. I’ve got musical things here there and everywhere and a performance on Friday evening about which I’m panicking just a little bit and need to put in a fair amount of practice time for. My next semi-clear writing day is Saturday, and I’ve got a nanomeet and SRP meet then although at least the evening’s free.

Still, at least I’m ahead of the curve at the moment. It’ll make catching up after this week is over a bit easier.

Yesterday I achieved seven thousand words during the meet. It’s a nice place to be after three days. I gave myself the evening off, although that was largely because I had a splitting headache for some reason.

I also bought myself a nice shiny new vacuum cleaner, which has so far been introduced to the bathroom and the bit of the kitchen that’s not underneath a pile of random stuff. The dust collector thingy has about half a carpet in it, it seems — and the carpets themselves are a different colour. Looks good, and makes me realise just how pathetic the cleaner that came with the flat is.

So, today I have no engagements or plans other than roasting a small chicken and some potatoes and carrots. I’ve got all the stuff to make stuffing, so I shall stuff the chicken and it will be delicious. I shall also make gravy and do things properly. Yum yum. No you can’t come, unless you bring your own potatoes as I only got enough for the one portion.

As for the writing, I hope to bash out another three thousand words today, thus bringing me up to 10,000 which will give me a little breathing space for next week which is going to be horribly busy. Fortunately my recorder teacher’s always thinking of how to make life easier and has moved my viol lesson to the same day as the viol consort (both at her house) so I now actually have a free evening which is almost like being given another 1,500 words on a silver platter.

The story itself is coming together nicely. I’m now up to the main three viewpoint characters and I’m gradually building the idea in the background that there’s something very odd going on with the priests. It won’t be long before one of the viewpoint characters finds out what it is, and then the readers will have been introduced to the central crisis, which is going to upend the world (not quite literally) and cause a great deal of consternation. It will also get Eiran and Princess Aru into the same place, allow Eiran to get some proper magical education and lead to the deaths of Eiran’s mentors, in order of acquisition.

He will get a happy ending, but I haven’t told him that yet.

National Novel Writing Month 2007 is underway. As of this morning I’m on 1,711 words. My novel is loaded onto my N800 for writing during my lunch break at work, and things are generally going well.

However, in that small number of words I’ve already managed to introduce a new main character, a Princess who’s about to start training as a magician with the magician who’s due to be a mentor to the primary protagonist. I guess there might be some romance and/or bickering in the air when they finally meet.

It also seems the story’s starting earlier on in the plot than I was expecting it to, but it seems to be working out at the moment and sort of reflects one possibility for starting it off that I discussed with Alan at the kick-off party.

Good luck to everybody for the next thirty days of writing!