NaNoWriMo 2010 - Page 7

DavidRM · 11-12-2010, 06:06 PM

I was up to 20K words on the 10th. I haven't written any new words since then. I decided I needed to go back to the beginning. Sorta. I'm in the process of better defining my characters, then I'm going to hammer on the plot a bit more. Then I'll start writing again. Not sure how I'm going to count it all for Nano. Not that it matters much.

-David

BookCat · 11-13-2010, 02:13 PM

No, no, no, no.

Just get WORDS ON THE PAGE. Then put them right when you edit AFTER nano.

The point of nano is to have fun, not to write a masterpiece. Sometimes a masterpiece happens, sometimes it's disposable; but there's lots to learn about yourself as a writer by writing so much in so little time.

Me, I'm still a bit behind, but trying to catch up slowly. Determined not to be a perfectionist this month, otherwise it'll slow me down. I'll let my "Inner Critic" loose later, when I do the edit.

GeoffC · 11-15-2010, 12:16 PM

I'm on 36K - bad habit I know, but I can't stop editing and messing about.....

good job I'm well ahead of schedule ....

kennyc · 11-15-2010, 12:25 PM

Good for you GeoffC!

altworld · 11-15-2010, 12:31 PM

In lower 40K's at the moment... Expect to hit 50K by the end of the week and I'm doing that review a chapter before publishing my count. Seems to be working for me looking after the story, seems to be looking after my count very well.
Arigato,
Nick D

kennyc · 11-15-2010, 12:40 PM

Wonderful!

DavidRM · 11-15-2010, 03:04 PM

Back to writing today. Up to 22K. I should be back ahead of schedule after a couple days.

I missed 4 days of writing while I put more thought into my characters and hammered out some wrinkles in the outline.

-David

kennyc · 11-19-2010, 03:27 PM

Well, guys...how's it going! Well I hope, big push this coming Thanksgiving week???

Good Luck everyone!

jaxx6166 · 11-20-2010, 09:12 PM

Sorry Kenny. I'd been plugging away and completely forgot about MR for a day or two.

My current word count is 42621. I did around 8500 today alone. If I put that much effort into "Gold and Ghosts" [Formerly Into the Hills/Beyond the Hills and/or Blood Moon] it would finally be done. Sadly, I've got roughly a chapter and a half to go and I feel like I'm hitting a wall in that one. Ashes, however, is just ramping up. I had to give up for the day after I plugged out some serious prose.

Ever read a book and get so sucked up into the words that you get all lightheaded when you put it down? Yeah. That happened with my writing today. I hit this stride and just kept going. 901 words, right here, below the fold.

Spoiler:

Don’t do it.” Pearl said, holding me back.

“You’ve overstayed your welcome.” Lightning struck alongside the machine. Jaxx did a double take as he looked around, dead leaves began to smolder.

“Only you can prevent forest fire.” Rosemary said, deadpan. “Do you really want to die here in demon country?”

“You know what happens when the devil dances among the ashes of humanity.” Jaxx looked at me, pleading.

The allure of the machine was almost too much for me, I had to know what it was. I wanted to fly it so bad. The robot was perfection squared, the work of a grand engineer. I closed my eyes, picturing all the working cogs and gears, imaging the monstrous engine that powered the beast. I opened them again to the ethereal glow of ruby eyes staring at me. I stepped closer, inching towards its mammoth boot. Spanish moss dangled above, the wind picked up and I reached my hand out to touch it. The moss fell, there was a shimmering of light and something smacked me hard in the face. The green weed wrapped around me, swirling and circling until it covered my legs and tied my hands. I was bound and trapped.

I caught the sight of fire flecking out in front of me, twisting tendrils of smoke rose in wisps across the forest floor. Heat assaulted me, and I struggled to move, but my hands wouldn’t give from the mossy ropes. I couldn’t break free. Jaxx looked around, stunned as flames licked at the boots of the great machine. Brass went black as the heat popped around the forest. The man with the golden arm jumped back on top of the boot, beating at the encircling flames that sought to turn his coat and life into smoldering ashes.

The world shimmered in the heat of the moment and something snapped around me with a great sucking sound. I felt like I’d been kicked hard in the ear as it echoed through my skull, fluttering about my head. As the forest erupted into flames, the land behind me was enveloped in a faint blue tinge of mist. Embers and ashes floated on a cool, dry wind that sent them floating down beneath our tree and onto my clothes. Autumn leaves turned to ash and trees turned to dust, the vibrant green faded into a dying black. Something simmered and popped, the canopy above wept blue-black tears as the machine came to life. Ruby eyes pierced through the blue glow of the strange bubble around the tree. Flames flickered and faded in the ensuing monsoon.

Something started up, an engine louder than the machine before us. A great hulking airship crested the clouds and hovered over the clearing as the flames dyed to embers and then went black. A saucer dangled on massive steel ropes floated to the ground, hovering above the monster machine like a bell about to ring. Rains pelted the metal man and hail dropped like skulls falling from a pile of bone. The forest came back to life and died a second death as the storms lashed on. No lighting struck, there wasn’t the slightest rustle of thunder. Just rain. Hard and cold and red, like dripping blood from a gaping wound. Scars tore into the earth, rendering the newborn forest into a shriveled husk of its former glory. The saucer dropped lower, close enough to touch the metal man’s helmet. There was a great sucking sound and the tearing of a turbine come to life. Trees bubbled and popped, falling over with the wind. Purple and blue spores spearing them through, sticking out like impaled soldiers.

The machine shuddered, the airship rose into the heavens. Gray light filtered through the ash brown haze. The metal man lurched in place before slowly rising to the skies above. As it crested the trees, a blight settled over the forest. A mutated deer hopped into the clearing, a massive rabbit with gnashing teeth followed close behind. The deer turned to a blackened skeleton, like the horse of death itself. It grew in size and anger as the brown and white of its beautiful coat fell away in bloated patches of fallen skin. The rabbit stepped back on hind legs and hopped up, jumping over the monster deer. It landed on its rump, riding it like a bucking bull. As the deer danced in the shadow of death, the rabbit morphed into a monstrosity I’d never seen before. Its front paws stretched to hands that grew claws of sharpened bone. Its ears wrapped around, like Caesar’s crown. White fur patches turned a sickened brown as the blight took it whole, transforming a peaceful creature into a rabid beast full of blood lust. It darted through the clearing, spearing the remaining animals with its massive claws. Everything died all around us as the rabbit fed its insatiable urge.

When it was fed and bloated, the purple spores sprang to life, circling around the rabbit, arms popped from sideways mold, legs formed from twig and ash. The creatures kneeled servitude to the rabid beast on its fell horse. The ground shuddered, sending the earth lurching as black bubbles filled with a fetid stench rose and popped; the forest floor twisted and morphed into a desolate swamp of fear and misery.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did.

Don't know if any of it will make sense when taken out of context, but I wanted to contrast the price of mana used by elves versus that of demons. Two races, one well, different results...

GeoffC · 11-22-2010, 12:16 PM

Well I appear to have overshot the mark. The nanowrimo validator suggests I have exceeded 50k. So I shall rest and enjoy the warmth that comes from achieving this part of a novel.

I am acutely aware that I have stretched an original story line beyond what is probably sensible, weaving it within another two sub-plots.
I shall have a wee bit of a respite before I decide how to bring it all together and in what form. Or whether to rip it into shorter stories.

Hopefully watch this space....

kennyc · 11-22-2010, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Well I appear to have overshot the mark. The nanowrimo validator suggests I have exceeded 50k. So I shall rest and enjoy the warmth that comes from achieving this part of a novel.

I am acutely aware that I have stretched an original story line beyond what is probably sensible, weaving it within another two sub-plots.
I shall have a wee bit of a respite before I decide how to bring it all together and in what form. Or whether to rip it into shorter stories.

Hopefully watch this space....

Congrats Geoff!

GeoffC · 11-22-2010, 01:00 PM

Thanks Kennyc...and luck to everyone else getting on with it

....

DavidRM · 11-22-2010, 01:32 PM

Me and my Nano novel started having issues again (at 26K words). So I've put it on a backburner and picked up a different WiP to work on. I expect to finish that one sometime in the next month or two. After that, I'll revisit the Nano novel. Maybe by then I won't be seeing only flaws.

So I'm "out" of Nano now.

But I'm still writing.

-David

kennyc · 11-22-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidRM

Me and my Nano novel started having issues again (at 26K words). So I've put it on a backburner and picked up a different WiP to work on. I expect to finish that one sometime in the next month or two. After that, I'll revisit the Nano novel. Maybe by then I won't be seeing only flaws.

So I'm "out" of Nano now.

But I'm still writing.

-David

And that's okay!

jaxx6166 · 11-22-2010, 08:01 PM

I'm sitting at around 47k

11-20-2010, 09:12 PM	#99
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	Sorry Kenny. I'd been plugging away and completely forgot about MR for a day or two. My current word count is 42621. I did around 8500 today alone. If I put that much effort into "Gold and Ghosts" [Formerly Into the Hills/Beyond the Hills and/or Blood Moon] it would finally be done. Sadly, I've got roughly a chapter and a half to go and I feel like I'm hitting a wall in that one. Ashes, however, is just ramping up. I had to give up for the day after I plugged out some serious prose. Ever read a book and get so sucked up into the words that you get all lightheaded when you put it down? Yeah. That happened with my writing today. I hit this stride and just kept going. 901 words, right here, below the fold. Spoiler: Don’t do it.” Pearl said, holding me back. “You’ve overstayed your welcome.” Lightning struck alongside the machine. Jaxx did a double take as he looked around, dead leaves began to smolder. “Only you can prevent forest fire.” Rosemary said, deadpan. “Do you really want to die here in demon country?” “You know what happens when the devil dances among the ashes of humanity.” Jaxx looked at me, pleading. The allure of the machine was almost too much for me, I had to know what it was. I wanted to fly it so bad. The robot was perfection squared, the work of a grand engineer. I closed my eyes, picturing all the working cogs and gears, imaging the monstrous engine that powered the beast. I opened them again to the ethereal glow of ruby eyes staring at me. I stepped closer, inching towards its mammoth boot. Spanish moss dangled above, the wind picked up and I reached my hand out to touch it. The moss fell, there was a shimmering of light and something smacked me hard in the face. The green weed wrapped around me, swirling and circling until it covered my legs and tied my hands. I was bound and trapped. I caught the sight of fire flecking out in front of me, twisting tendrils of smoke rose in wisps across the forest floor. Heat assaulted me, and I struggled to move, but my hands wouldn’t give from the mossy ropes. I couldn’t break free. Jaxx looked around, stunned as flames licked at the boots of the great machine. Brass went black as the heat popped around the forest. The man with the golden arm jumped back on top of the boot, beating at the encircling flames that sought to turn his coat and life into smoldering ashes. The world shimmered in the heat of the moment and something snapped around me with a great sucking sound. I felt like I’d been kicked hard in the ear as it echoed through my skull, fluttering about my head. As the forest erupted into flames, the land behind me was enveloped in a faint blue tinge of mist. Embers and ashes floated on a cool, dry wind that sent them floating down beneath our tree and onto my clothes. Autumn leaves turned to ash and trees turned to dust, the vibrant green faded into a dying black. Something simmered and popped, the canopy above wept blue-black tears as the machine came to life. Ruby eyes pierced through the blue glow of the strange bubble around the tree. Flames flickered and faded in the ensuing monsoon. Something started up, an engine louder than the machine before us. A great hulking airship crested the clouds and hovered over the clearing as the flames dyed to embers and then went black. A saucer dangled on massive steel ropes floated to the ground, hovering above the monster machine like a bell about to ring. Rains pelted the metal man and hail dropped like skulls falling from a pile of bone. The forest came back to life and died a second death as the storms lashed on. No lighting struck, there wasn’t the slightest rustle of thunder. Just rain. Hard and cold and red, like dripping blood from a gaping wound. Scars tore into the earth, rendering the newborn forest into a shriveled husk of its former glory. The saucer dropped lower, close enough to touch the metal man’s helmet. There was a great sucking sound and the tearing of a turbine come to life. Trees bubbled and popped, falling over with the wind. Purple and blue spores spearing them through, sticking out like impaled soldiers. The machine shuddered, the airship rose into the heavens. Gray light filtered through the ash brown haze. The metal man lurched in place before slowly rising to the skies above. As it crested the trees, a blight settled over the forest. A mutated deer hopped into the clearing, a massive rabbit with gnashing teeth followed close behind. The deer turned to a blackened skeleton, like the horse of death itself. It grew in size and anger as the brown and white of its beautiful coat fell away in bloated patches of fallen skin. The rabbit stepped back on hind legs and hopped up, jumping over the monster deer. It landed on its rump, riding it like a bucking bull. As the deer danced in the shadow of death, the rabbit morphed into a monstrosity I’d never seen before. Its front paws stretched to hands that grew claws of sharpened bone. Its ears wrapped around, like Caesar’s crown. White fur patches turned a sickened brown as the blight took it whole, transforming a peaceful creature into a rabid beast full of blood lust. It darted through the clearing, spearing the remaining animals with its massive claws. Everything died all around us as the rabbit fed its insatiable urge. When it was fed and bloated, the purple spores sprang to life, circling around the rabbit, arms popped from sideways mold, legs formed from twig and ash. The creatures kneeled servitude to the rabid beast on its fell horse. The ground shuddered, sending the earth lurching as black bubbles filled with a fetid stench rose and popped; the forest floor twisted and morphed into a desolate swamp of fear and misery. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Don't know if any of it will make sense when taken out of context, but I wanted to contrast the price of mana used by elves versus that of demons. Two races, one well, different results... Last edited by jaxx6166; 11-20-2010 at 09:20 PM.

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11-12-2010, 06:06 PM	#91
DavidRM Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 1007768 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Device: Kindle	I was up to 20K words on the 10th. I haven't written any new words since then. I decided I needed to go back to the beginning. Sorta. I'm in the process of better defining my characters, then I'm going to hammer on the plot a bit more. Then I'll start writing again. Not sure how I'm going to count it all for Nano. Not that it matters much. -David

11-13-2010, 02:13 PM	#92
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	No, no, no, no. Just get WORDS ON THE PAGE. Then put them right when you edit AFTER nano. The point of nano is to have fun, not to write a masterpiece. Sometimes a masterpiece happens, sometimes it's disposable; but there's lots to learn about yourself as a writer by writing so much in so little time. Me, I'm still a bit behind, but trying to catch up slowly. Determined not to be a perfectionist this month, otherwise it'll slow me down. I'll let my "Inner Critic" loose later, when I do the edit.

11-15-2010, 12:16 PM	#93
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	I'm on 36K - bad habit I know, but I can't stop editing and messing about..... good job I'm well ahead of schedule ....

11-15-2010, 12:25 PM	#94
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,903 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Good for you GeoffC!

11-15-2010, 12:31 PM	#95
altworld Evangelist Posts: 495 Karma: 746472 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Deep in Maryland Device: Android G1	In lower 40K's at the moment... Expect to hit 50K by the end of the week and I'm doing that review a chapter before publishing my count. Seems to be working for me looking after the story, seems to be looking after my count very well. Arigato, Nick D

11-15-2010, 12:40 PM	#96
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,903 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Wonderful!

11-15-2010, 03:04 PM	#97
DavidRM Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 1007768 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Device: Kindle	Back to writing today. Up to 22K. I should be back ahead of schedule after a couple days. I missed 4 days of writing while I put more thought into my characters and hammered out some wrinkles in the outline. -David

11-19-2010, 03:27 PM	#98
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,903 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Well, guys...how's it going! Well I hope, big push this coming Thanksgiving week??? Good Luck everyone!

11-22-2010, 12:16 PM	#100
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Well I appear to have overshot the mark. The nanowrimo validator suggests I have exceeded 50k. So I shall rest and enjoy the warmth that comes from achieving this part of a novel. I am acutely aware that I have stretched an original story line beyond what is probably sensible, weaving it within another two sub-plots. I shall have a wee bit of a respite before I decide how to bring it all together and in what form. Or whether to rip it into shorter stories. Hopefully watch this space....

11-22-2010, 01:00 PM	#102
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Thanks Kennyc...and luck to everyone else getting on with it ....

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11-22-2010, 01:32 PM	#103
DavidRM Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 1007768 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Device: Kindle	Me and my Nano novel started having issues again (at 26K words). So I've put it on a backburner and picked up a different WiP to work on. I expect to finish that one sometime in the next month or two. After that, I'll revisit the Nano novel. Maybe by then I won't be seeing only flaws. So I'm "out" of Nano now. But I'm still writing. -David

11-22-2010, 08:01 PM	#105
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	I'm sitting at around 47k