Update on writing

So, I haven't updated this thing in a while.  Probably because I've been super busy writing.  I have gone back and forth with my two guys developing something of a relationship and building trust issues.  I'm hoping to have the falling in love stage completed soon, especially since I've hit 25k words today.  They are about to have a huge fight and then make up so that will advance the plot quite a bit. Then I have to bring in the dangling plot elements and tie them all together with the happy coupe escaping at the end.  Sounds like a lot but I think it will write itself.  It's not dragging like it usually does at this point and I am happy with it overall.  There are elements I can see need fine tuning, no story is perfect on the first draft but I like it so far. 

In other news, one of my closest friends, who moved away a couple years ago, finally moved back.  Yeah, Heather!  And she brought a friend with her from Texas who my husband and I met back in February and we love Cassie!  We had dinner out with them last night and today we're going back to help with unpacking.  So yeah, things are going well. 

Real life and story life can all be good at once.

Drabbles of writing: Shadow Bane

So my characters are very busy and I am a very happy writer.  Even though I have had limited time to write, every bit of it has been productive, words leaping off the page.  I love my characters, love their interactions with each other.  Soon I will have to make them interact with others as well.  I love that I seem to have finally gotten a bit better at pacing or at least at creating more tension between sections.  Now for those of you who would like to hear a bit of story, I will throw some lines in that I like.



Ebon:

But how am I to show you a grand time if I cannot be myself?”

Aiden:

“Be yourself, just quieter.”

Aiden:

How about you, do you like art?”

Ebon:

"I love art and I have a distressing tendency for it to end up in my possession.”

 Aiden:

“Huh. What happened to the mischievous brat who stalked me for the last few days? I didn't imagine you'd really be into this as much as you are.”

Ebon:

“I guess there's a lot you still need to learn just as I'm sure there's a lot I'll learn about you."

 

 ~Off to sleep and come up with more ways to torture my characters.  I think I made one of my characters scream at the end of the chapter.  I can't wait to find out what happens next. 

Nano News

Today was rough, not because the characters were not talking, they were.  They kept up the tapping in my brain all day long.  But work was busy and I had little time for writing.  I only got in about a bit over 700 words today and the chapter is still too long.  It looks like a good place to end it but in comparison to the other chapters it is at least a page short.  So I either need to fill in some detail or continue with a bit more.  I look at it in the morning and see if my unconscious sleeping brain has made a decision.  Sometimes for me, sleeping on it really does help.  I am over the word count for NanoWrimo but only because I wrote a bunch yesterday.  I am hoping to get a lot done tomorrow since I will write in the morning and am also heading out to a write in in the evening.  Probably the only one I am likely to make since I don't like to abandon my husband too often.  :)  I actually have limited time and don't like to lose the time with him.  Crossing my fingers that the writing continues to gell so well because so far it has gone fairly well aside from today. 

Ebon

Cautionary note...don't read this if you don't like reading about two men potentially flirting.



I was a gambler, a thief, sometimes a con man, and he was way too pretty for me to let him die.  

Part of two lines from the story so far put together to give an idea of one of my characters. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?”

 "I'm flirting with you obviously.”

 So if you can't tell I love my characters.  They are flowing out of my head and on to the page easily.  Aiden is less of a talker but Ebon, Ebon is trying to steal the show.  Good think Aiden won't let him.  Tune in for more....5669 words so far for NanoWrimo.

 All in all it has been a great morning!

 

NanoWrimo first day

Today was rough.  I don't know if I had stage fright or what but I had a difficult time beginning this morning on the new story.  My character kept wanting to talk about things that didn't need to be in the story, at least not yet.  I wanted to start with action.  Then I saved the file....but not to the flash drive but to the desk top....I got to work only to find out it was at home.  I think this was my blessing in disguise because I started over and it began where I felt it needed to and my character began talking about the present....I wrote 1,718 words for the first day and I am more excited than ever.  I even managed to end so that tomorrow will be the beginning of a new story.  Next up...Aiden and Ebon meet.  What will they think of each other, these two enemies?

Nano News

In Nanowrimo news, I am working on a new novel, a paranormal romance set in New York.  Aiden, member of a secret society, a clan of wraith hunters finds his life turned upside down when he falls for one of the creatures that his family hunts.  Ebon, Enenra, shadow demon, finds himself unwillingly attracted to one of the men who hunt his kind.  Will they be able to find love or will Aiden's family destroy them both when their relationship comes to light?   

I have done more prior research on this than anything besides my Urban desert story, Coyote Weavings, and I think in future, I really do prefer to plan before I begin writing.  I know there will be more that I need to find out as I write but I think my writing will be better for it.  And I have loved looking up all the information and putting together the details. I've looked up everything from colleges to a houses in New York to the history of Japanese trade in an attempt to set everything up.  And I'm not finished yet.  But I am extremely excited!!!
Only a few more days to go.....

Planning vs Pantsing

Hmm, it's been a while....
I have been working on a new project for NaNoWriMo.  I thought it might be cool to add to my millions of project by getting another rough draft done, this one a paranormal romance.  Yes, I know romance, I see you rolling your eyes out there but that's what the concept called for.  In any case, I've been doing a lot of research and prep since I can't actually start until November and wasn't trying to do all of it last minute like I normally do and I've discovered something in the process.

I like research.  I like planning.  I love watching a story unfold and the characters come to life before I've even begun to write their story.  I feel more comfortable with a plan and plot and trying to answer all the questions the readers would ask before I start writing.  I don't want to everything everything nailed down nor do I intend to have all of it together...I'm not that good a planner but a little preparation will help immensely when I begin writing.  I will have to see how it pans out at the beginning of the month when I begin writing but at this moment, I'm feeling better about this story than any other since my Tower story, another I spent a lot of prep on.  I obviously need to plan and outline somewhat before I begin writing.  I am not a pantser, I am not a gardener.  I am also not quite an architect where I have everything planned out but I do need some structure.  Nice to know yourself a bit better and hoping this translates into better writing as well as an easier time with editing.