Showing posts with label Reaper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reaper. Show all posts

The muse has released me... I think

I've never been in quite a situation like this. Three completely separate works-in-progress. I think my muse has finally realized that. She had a chokehold on my creativity for the past several weeks, demanding I figure out the main plot of WIP#3. I sort of did. Not all of the details, but I got more figured out than I had known before.

The problem was, the narrative wasn't writing itself. Nowhere near as well as Angie's voice in WIP#2 (aka Reaper). So is it destined to be written third person? Who knows. I'll take that as it comes. What's interesting to me now is that Alex's world is starting to come back to me, likely thanks to BBC's Being Human. Filled with beautiful accents that I adore and a tortured vampire that could beat Edward's ass any day. And in his character, I saw a little bit of Kade. I'd forgotten how much I missed writing him! Ever since I finished the VERY rough draft of Untitled 1, I've been pretty much removed from their world. I'd written about 7.5K in Untitled 2 of Alex's world, making that story WIP#1.

Confused? Let me recap:
- WIP#1 is Alex's world complete with murder, intrigue, vampires and werewolves.
- WIP#2 is Angie's world complete with angels, demons, rogues, and a battle over Sin City
- WIP #3 is Sam's world complete with a chaos-wielding assassin, deception, and a high school sweetheart who thought Sam died ten years ago when she went missing...

The problem is, all three of these things are immensely interesting to me and I want to write all of them. Could I be one of those people capable of writing multiple stories at once? Do I have writing ADD? Who knows. Maybe this is the solution... rotating between WIPs. Regardless, I'm taking advantage of the reprieve the muse has alotted me. If she'll let me work on Alex and crew, then what am I waiting for, hm? Off to see what writing I can get done today. And studying. Argh.

And yes, I have tweaked this template. Made it a little more colorful. Played with fonts, etc. Would help if I knew more html, but I'm happy with what I have so far. :)

No wordcount, BUT

So I'm about to head off to sleep tonight, however, I thought I'd enlighten (or vaguely hint at) whoever happens to read my humble blog...

I saw Transformers this afternoon with my brother. Got to see brother, cool. Got to see Transformers, *drool*. Sorry, it's just this natural reaction I have to seeing Shia LaBeouf. I dunno what it is about that guy, but man. I have a major celeb crush on him. So that was fantastic! Plus, the movie was pretty decent. Those two and a half hours went by REALLY fast. Seriously. I don't think I've ever sat through a movie that long and not thought "Gee, this is long" once. Not once! But nothing of the sort crossed my mind. Probably because I had to stop myself so often from professing my undying love for Shia. Haha, no worries. I kid, I kid. But anyway, great movie.

But what I was actually trying to write about was the fact that I dawdled most of the evening away watching Mythbusters and various things I had on Tivo, knowing full well I should be writing/plotting. So at 9, I finally turned off the TV and sat down with my handy dandy new notebook and got to plotting. I think I wrote all of six lines in that thing (longhand=too much effort). However, I got quite a few plot points figured out. I'm sure, if you've been keeping up with the Reaper project that you've heard me mention working out multiple plot points. How many could she possibly have, you ask? Tons. And there are still tons of things I don't know yet. However, I now know why my villain is targeting my MC. I know when (approx) she'll be betrayed. I still have a lot of gray area in between, but I'm happy having worked through some things tonight. Woot. :) So yeah, no "progress" in the wordcount sense, but still progress nonetheless, hm? Anyway, I'm out. Trying to beat the Benadryl to sleep tonight.

Another good day

... of writing, that is. Well, and it was a good day in general, too. I got to sleep in since I didn't have class til 1 (yay). I didn't actually expect to get in this much writing tonight, but I did. Oh, and I critiqued a short story and two chapters from two different CPs of mine (I now have three. Yay for other eyes to help my writing!). So I actually feel pretty accomplished for the day. I wish I have something of intellectual use to put in the blog for this evening, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Since not many read this anyway, I'm guessing it's not being read for its academic or deep-thinking value. ;-)

The chapter breaks are still proving to be an issue for Reaper, unfortunately. I got the first two for sure. Then the third one, the chapter is only approx 2K words. Which is mighty short. I usually aim for at least 3K. Not that there's a rule, but I'd like to have some sort of consistency. :-/ Perhaps my dear CP Cari can provide some insight. She's always great at chapter endings. *sigh* But since those chapter breaks are earlier, I can't decide where to put the next ones. I know I'm in chapter 5, but I don't know how far in I am. Argh. Enough of me complaining, huh? :)

Listening to Parachute, in preparation for the concert I'm going to on July 1st! The headlining band is Three Doors Down, but I'm going for SafetySuit *happy sigh*. I never thought they'd come to AZ, but they are. Anyway, Parachute it playing too. So it should be a good night. And a great pre-birthday present. I'll probably get back to Phoenix once the clock has rolled over to my birthday. And that Thursday is also the last day of classes for the quarter!!! Woot! :D

Current Project: Reaper
New Words: 1,600
Total Words: 15,900
Word Goal: 100,000


15900 / 100000 words. 16% done!

Iris

Yeah, I'm in a relaxed mood tonight. Therefore reaching for the relaxing/slow/mellow music. Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls sets the mood nicely. And as I could not think of a witty title (or any at all, really), it serves nicely. The Benadryl has hit faaaaaast tonight. Hence, my retreat to the wonderfulness that it my bed... The best part? I don't have class 'til 1:10 tomorrow! Woot squared!

I did manage to do some writing tonight. Whether it's all crap remains to be seen, but hey wordcount is wordcount right? At least until I start editing, hm? Yeah, I thought so. ;-)

Project: Reaper
New Words: 1,050
Total Words: 14,300
Word Goal: 100,000


14300 / 100000 words. 14% done!

Thank you Write or Die

Currently listening to: Jimmy Eat World - Cautioners (a freaking awesome some from the best band in the world)

So, here I am. Two posts in one night. How proud I am... not particularly... But I did get some writing in thanks to some help from Write or Die. Really helps me focus. Although it's not so great when my cat is sitting here demanding my attention... the pause button only works once. Gar. But it's a good thing in the end. Trying to work out some chapter breaks (frustrating), but I got some word count in there so yay for that...

Project: Reaper
New Words: 1,130
Total Words: 13,250
Word Goal: 100,000


13250 / 100000 words. 13% done!

Progress and 4-day weekends (aka Woot!)

After my exam on Tuesday (which took a grand total of twenty minutes-ish) I had over an hour and a half with which to do whatever I wanted. So what did I do? I "locked" myself in a spare empty room on campus and took out my trusty pen and paper. And I got some stuff worked out for Reaper... proof to me that I can make progress if I actually sit my ass down and WORK on it. Thus, the increased wordcount bar at the bottom of this post. It seems that spitting out that scene I mentioned earlier this week was enough to shake the muse loose from her chokehold. Now, since I have all this weekend to do nothing with (except to crit a chapter or two for my CP), I should take a hint and use it to work on the plot and development of Reaper.

I had today off from class which was nice so the only thing I had was work. No crazies at the pharmacy today. Nice pleasant people for the most part which is always preferable, of course. And after work I hit up Borders and bought four more books (I already have a TBR pile that's 5+ books tall) so this doesn't help matters much, but it makes me happy. And since I'm working now, money I spend isn't loan money per se. Which is always good. Interest makes me sad. Especially at Midwestern's tuition costs... *shudder*

I found a great song for Angie (the MC of Reaper). I'm not a fan of any of their other songs, but this one works for her and her situation... Kings of Leon - Use Somebody.

Anyway, here's to hoping I can have a productive weekend writing-wise (and cleaning wise, my room is a freaking mess!) I know the 1K this week isn't much to whoop about, but hey it's something right? I figure I'm lucky to get anything done while I'm in school, hm? But maybe that's just taking the easy/undisciplined way out...

Project: Reaper
New Words: 1,146
Total Words: 12,120
Word Goal: 100,000


12120 / 100000 words. 12% done!

Held hostage by the muse...

The past week (okay, two) the words have refused to flow. Sure, I can blame it on school and studying and social events. But really, I've watched a lot of TV lately when I sometimes tend to go 3+ weeks without turning the darn thing on. And why did I choose TV over writing? Because the words wouldn't come. And the words can't come when I turn on the TV. You see? It's a vicious cycle.

So tonight I sat down, determined to break said cycle. And you know what happened? The words I wanted didn't come. However, other words did. A scene that has nothing to do with either Book 2 or Reaper. That's right, another now-WIP that has apparently captivated the muse. However, I'm hoping that since I got that scene out of my head, that the muse will agree to work on what I want to work on. Which is Reaper. Because, I mean, sure, words come, but without the muse, they're just crap. I have to fight to get every word on the page. And who wants to do that?

Anyway, I gave into her demands. Maybe this week will uncover some more mysteries about Angie and the world she lives in. One can hope. So, if you write, have you ever had such a hostage experience? I certainly hadn't until now.

*Insert Witty Title Here*

Oh dear... today was a lot longer day at work than I wanted it to be. I was supposed to get off at 2, but 2 o'clock got there and we had about a 2-hour wait time for new scripts. So yeah... I didn't leave 'til quarter after 5. I mean, great money and such, but argh, my feet hurt. And I didn't really get to write a whole lot. All of the new words were from yesterday, only not all of them got converted from longhand to digital until today. Numbers wise, it looks more impressive than it feels. I need to get the plot moving along. Until that happens, everything feels like fluff. So who knows if much of what was written yesterday will stay.

I feel like I have more to say, but nothing's coming to me. I'm working on critting some great stuff from both my wonderful CP and my wonderful cousin. I've got a bunch of stuff I have to do for school and technically I should have studied today for our Tuesday exam. However, I've gotten an 82% and 84% (somehow!!) on the two tests we've had so far. I'm not quite sure how that happened as I was expecting a failing score on that second one. Seriously. We had to know drugs/dosing for so many infections it had my head spinning. I think going with "Levofloxacin 750mg QD" saved my ass on like 5 questions, I'm guessing. lol Anywho, peace out my people.

Project: Reaper
New Words: 1,702
Total Words: 10,974
Word Goal: 100,000


10974 / 100000 words. 11% done!

Nine Hours Later

I meant to past this last night as I was heading to bed. However, the Benadryl hit me WAY fast and by the time it occurred to me, "Gee, I ought to get my blog post in for today" I was nearly doing a *headdesk* not of my own volition. And so, I am posting it today when I am now bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Well, the former part of that saying anyway. I don't have a tail that I know of. :)

So yesterday... I believe I am getting to the part where I need to sit down and write some sort of outline for Reaper. I need to know where it's going. I mean, I know the beginning (which is pretty much all written) and I know approximately how it will end. However, the Dreaded Middle awaits. I am so not looking forward to that.

Somehow I plowed through it in Alex's first book, but I'm not quite sure how I did that. Perhaps because SO MUCH was happening in that book that I always had something to write about. I'm thinking I need to do some more character interviews (aka, me talking to imaginary characters in my own head). I did a long one with the MC, and figured out a lot about her world and her opinions of it. I think I need an interview with the male lead and the villain as well.

I guess I'll be off to do that today. However, I have a presentation for my Pharmacology class to put together. And I have to answer a bunch of questions about the article I read for it. Here's hoping it goes quickly, hm? Then I can get back to the fun stuff.

OH! And I spent the latter part of yesterday evening catching up on the second season of Chuck! God bless Hulu.com! Oh dear, I'd forgotten how much I love that show and how much I love Zach Levi (Chuck). He's super attractive in a very endearingly nerdy way. *sigh* I mean, give me Alexandre Verga any day, but Zach's pretty up there, too. :)

Project: Reaper
New Words: 1,960
Total Words: 9,272
Word Goal: 100,000


9272 / 100000 words. 9% done!

Reading and Writing = Great Saturday

Yes, I had to work this morning/afternoon, but it went quickly enough and I'm kind of getting used to our new computer system in the pharmacy. I'm still uncertain about a lot of things, but it's not quite as bad as it COULD be. :-) I would rant here about an incredibly rude patient, but my professors would remind me that would be "unprofessional" of me.

Anywho, after work, I went to Borders to utilize my 40% off coupon. Unfortunately, they didn't get their shipment of Succubus Heat yet so I couldn't use it on that (a trade paperback). Boooooo. However, I got Cry Mercy (a MMPB) instead, by Toni Andrews. I managed to read the whole thing between 3 o'clock this afternoon and... 9-ish? So it was a relatively quick read. But definitely a worthy addition to the Mercy Hollings series. Tino really grew on me as a character in this book. I admit, though, I wanted to see a lot more of Sam in this than we actually got, but there's always hope for the next installment, hm? We got some tantalizing bits about Mercy's heritage, too. I'm guessing that will be an integral part of book 4, whenever that one comes out.

And after that, I finally felt renewed enough to write. And write, I have. Geez. I guess a lot of writing has been building up in me this week since I didn't get a chance. At all. All week! It was torture. I got through my plotlessness, thankfully. But no real writing during the week. So anywho... the Benadryl's kicking in now so I better post my word count before I fall asleep and do an unconscious *headdesk*.

Project: Reaper
New Words: 2,784 (hoorah!)
Total Words: 7,312
Word Goal: 100,000


7312 / 100000 words. 7% done!

Stubborn Muse!!

So it seems that my writing streak was a fluke. Or maybe today is the fluke? That's the more optimistic way of looking at it, I suppose. Anywho, I'm frustrated because I have all of this backstory (thanks to a long interview with the new MC for Reaper) however my muse refused to tell me the main plot line. I have the subplot from yesterday, but it's not strong enough to carry the whole book. Plus, it might be something that wouldn't even be revealed 'til the second book (if it ever makes it to that point) ;-)

So. That leaves me with a lot of great ammunition, but no gun to shoot with. Damn. And I've got me some nice .38 specials too!!! (man, I want to go shooting again... all this talk of ammunition) Argh! Here muse-y muse-y muse-y! I've got some nice Dove chocolate for you! Maybe some sleep will do me good, huh? Anyone have tricks for making the muse play along? I think she figures that since she gave me everything else about the Shiny New Idea, that I should do the legwork on the plot. I might have to break out the threats if she doesn't offer me some good plot soon...


Project: Reaper
Words Today: 925 (so close... ah well)
Total Words: 4,528
Word Goal: 100,000


4528 / 100000 words. 5% done!

Reaper Update and the Joys of Saturday

I'm SO excited about this project!!! Seriously! It's coming at me so quickly, I'm just struggling to get everything down before my muse refuses to repeat everything back to me. Which makes me really excited, because I don't know that Alex's world ever wrote itself quite this fast.

I wrote over 2K today! Been a while since I've posted that kind of result so it's a nice change. And that was with a four hour shift at work today... And a three hour break when I hung out with a couple work friends to eat pizza and watch Taken (which was friggin awesome, btw). So not bad for a day's work, huh? Anywho, not only did I get the nice bank of words today, I also discovered a plot thread! And I wasn't even looking for it! It just fell into my lap as I was writing. It totally surprised me and I walked around the house with a silly grin on my face for a couple minutes because of it.

Anyway, back to the grind before I fall asleep tonight. Want to get a few more plot devices worked out before sleep. On the downside? I totally neglected working on the presentation I want to get done this weekend. Oh well, I'll hope for tomorrow.

Project: Reaper
Written Today: 2,259
Total Words: 3,603
Word Goal: 100,000


3603 / 100000 words. 4% done!

SNI Progress

Figured that, since I actually got some written text done, I'd update and post a word count. The Shiny New Idea now has a Word folder! Hip hip hooray! And I got back to my 1K/day goal! Whoo hoo! After work tomorrow, I look forward to working on this project some more. The MC is intriguing me, as are the other minors. I don't know that I've even been this excited Untitled 1&2.
It really sucks not having titles so for the purpose of not getting confuzzled, I've got a working title for SNI1 (Shiny New Idea #1). That would be Reaper. So we'll go with that for now. Now I must get back to the file before I waste any more word count on blogging. ;-)

-Ash

Current Project: Reaper
Written today: 1344
Total words: 1344
Word goal: 100,000


1344 / 100000 words. 1% done!