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just when you thought it was safe to go back to the keyboard . . . |
Current Word Count 30,500 |
Lisa Silverthorne | Linda J. Dunn | Kurt Roth | Diana Davenport |
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| THE DARE ARCHIVES | DARE TO BRING HOME THE BACON: November 21-30 DARE TO GRIND IT OUT: November 11-20 |
| Nov 10 |
6:21 a.m. -- 950 words I started a little late this morning (the cat woke us up at 2:30 a.m. to announce that there was another cat on the front porch), and I'm stopping a little early (I have an 8:00 a.m. meeting that it would be VERY NOT GOOD to miss).
However, Garrick's story eeked forward today. His relationship with a cohort has become better defined, and he's beginning to see himself through broader eyes.
Congrats to Linda Dunn on crossing the magical 60,000 word barrier! She's off on a business trip now, where I hope she'll get some sleep!
Congrats to Lisa Silverthorne, too! She crossed the 50K mark with sites firmly set on 80-90K. Go, Lisa go!
Diana's just behind me, but I figure she'll pass me up here in the next two days or so as she encounters her "weekend".
Gotta go. See you tomorrow.
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| Nov 9 |
4:57 p.m. -- 3,800 words Listening to the Doors now . . . He took a face from the ancient gallery and he walked on down the hall... Sometimes--even in the Dare--progress is not about words on the page.
After spending a bunch of yesterday trying to wrench plot out of thin air, I was begining to feel the story getting away from me. So I dedicated my morning to going back over a few salient points. This was a heart-wrenching decision. Afterall, Linda's almost met the Dare requirements (and we're only 9 days old). Diana is chugging right along with her weekend still before her, and Lisa has just crossed 40K (the more time goes by the more I admire her work ethic).
I don't want to let the rest of the gang down, you know.
But I've got to enjoy what I'm writing here or it's just not worth it. And I really like this character. I refuse to do him disservice by mailing in 6-8K words that I don't believe in. So I steeled myself for today by coming to grips with a zero day. Yes, you heard it. I told myself last night that I would not make progress on my story at all today. Instead, I would go back and make it right. When I woke up this morning, my battle cry was "No Words Until Louisville Wins a Football Game!"
Then I realized this Dare was over!
So I changed it. Seriously, though, I made an agreement with myself that it was okay to not make progress today (that sound you hear is Lisa falling over in bewilderment--I am a production type guy at heart, you know). Once I came to grips with that, I was able to move forward. I massaged, I cajoled, I rewrote, and I've gotten the thing on a solid track.
Oh yeah . . .
. . . I managed to eek out a few thousand words. Still on track for 90K words before it's all over, too.
I'm thrilled with my day!
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| Nov 8 |
8:24 p.m. -- 1,950 more words I got through a bunch more difficult stuff later today. This is where Garrick begins to suffer through and (eventually) build relationships that carry him through his life.
I'm thinking I'll have to get down to some serious detailed plotting here pretty soon. I may even take some time tomorrow to do that. Yes, it'll cut into the word count a little early on, but this has been somewhat of a painful day without it. Despite hitting my biggest word count of the Dare, I've spent much of my time staring out into space or walking around trying to decide things that should happen next. If I had known what I was going to write, I probably could have done 8,000 words today.
Writing's fun, ain't it?
See ya tomorrow . . .
2:52 p.m. -- 1,050 more words and still working Believe me when I tell you, these last 1,000 words have been incredibly hard fought. Garrick has gotten himself into a situation that I hadn't foreseen, and it's required lots of thinking. Perhaps this is what people mean by writer's block--if so, I'll still argue against this disease's existence. This is not writer's block. This is writing, pure and simple. This is figuring out what happens next and accounting for not knowing exactly what it is.
This is dealing with the internal panic of indecision, and having enough self-confidence to know answers will come if you let them.
I'll be back at it momentarily. Gotta go stretch!
11:29 a.m. -- 3,250 words and still working
Taking a quick break.
Things are beginning to happen again. Garrick is on the move, and faced with a new set of problems. Can't wait to see how he's going to get out of them. This process is so interesting. It's almost like playing Sim City. I know what I want to happen, so I put a building block in my head and ask a couple questions. Then I throw the characters a couple problems, and mix in a new resource or two. Next thing you know, they've told the story.
Very fun.
5:31 a.m. -- just starting
I fixed my link from this page to my home page. (YOU MIGHT TRY IT OUT AND LET ME KNOW IF IT WORKS!) Also put a link from my homepage directly to the Dare rather than making people go through the maze to get here.
Gotta get busy. See ya in a few hours!
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| Nov 7 | 6:23 a.m. -- 1,250 words
I crested 19,000 words today, which places me firmly 2,000 words better than my previous Dare at this point. That's the good news.
The bad news is that for the first time, I'm now slightly below the 3,000 word average that I'll need to finish 90,000 words. Not to fear, though. I expected this. The weekend draws nigh. The word count, also, shall rise.
Some basics seem to be in order now, so I'll take a self-indulgent moment (as if this all isn't, eh?)
Title:
I've been thinking about it a lot. I really hate writing books without titles. This fact I've learned through both Dares. I've used some of my short story "To Touch Like Gods" in the early portion of this book--vastly rewritten, but noticeable to those in the know. For awhile I thought about using that as the novel's title. But it doesn't seem to fit yet.
So, the bottom line is I'm not sure what I'll name this book.
The storyline:
Well, I don't want to get into too much of it for fear of ruining various reads. However, I can say that the story is about a young man from a lower class background searching for meaning in his life. Or something inconsequential like that! In the process, he's afflicted with an awesome, terrible power--and the responsibility that comes with it.
The first 10,000 words deals with his acquisition of this power and the destruction of his life as he knows it. The next 10,000 shows some of the possibilities this power opens for him--and the incredible damage it can do if it is uncontrolled (kinda like life, you know?)
The next 10,000 words will be about relationships and what they mean. Perspectives. This may take 20,000--I'll not rush it.
The next next 10,000 words will be about self. Sounds pretentious, doesn't it?
Then we'll see where it takes us from then. I know what message I want to leave for the reader, so it should be "easy" (yeah, sure!) to make it happen.
See ya tomorrow.
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| Nov 6 | 6:35 a.m. -- 2,100 words
I feel like I just landed on Community Chest. You know . . . "Accounting error in your favor--collect 350 words".
I noticed the format of my first two chapters was such that I was counting words incorrectly. Margins, doncha know. I've adjusted them to be in line with the rest of my stuff, and my word count automatically grew. Being the good corporate guy I am, rather than going back through the numbers to make them historically correct I've just tacked them onto today. IF IT WORKS FOR AMERICAN BUSINESS, IT WORKS FOR ME [girn].
The story progresses, and has gotten interesting again. Novels are so much fun simply because you are expected to have little forays in the story that are specifically devoted to character development. Short stories are so difficult because you're constatnly expected to have every sentence serve the purpose of both storyline and character development. Novels breathe, they meander like a deep river until you hit the rapids. Short stories sprint the whole way.
I've been breathing the past two days. Now I'm gearing up for white water.
The weekend should coincide with some pretty exciting moments in the story. Not exactly sure what they'll be yet--while I've got the general story flow determined, I'm still in partial Indiana Jones mode at the moment--but I'm looking forward to finding out!
By the way . . . thanks to Kurt Roth for being a fantastic participant. Hey, you know, sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes it just ain't there at the moment. (How can you complain about dropping out of the Dare because someone is going to pay you to write?) But you have to admire a guy who calls the flea-flicker anyway. Yes, you risk flaming out in front of everyone who came to watch. But there's another game next week, and the fans will remember the guy who went down with his guns blazing!
See everyone tomorrow.
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| Nov 5 | 6:30 a.m. -- 1,350 words
At this point, I'm a shade over a thousand words beyond where I was in the last Dare. Things are looking pretty good--especially when you consider I didn't use the last day of the month in Dare I, and that I have an extra weekend this time around.
I'm feeling confident.
I spent ten or fifteen minutes yesterday thinking about the details of Garrick's involvement with a couple characters. This resulted in some historical thoughts. I've incorporated the new stuff today, and moved the plot forward just a bit. Garrick has suffered through some heartwrenching situations, and is getting himself into trouble without realizing it (The best kind, eh?)
At this point, I know there's come clean-up that needs to be done in the first few chapters to make everything flow. If I get a chance, I'll do that in nooks and crannies of future days. Otherwise, I'll press on toward the 60,000 words goal. This really should be no problem. I'm actually more worried as to whether I have enough story here to meet my real goal of 90,000 words.
Basically, I rate this morning as a good, workmanlike day. Got my words done, learned about the story, put together some connective tissue, did some diagnostics. It was fun.
Hey, they can't all be thrilling, eh?
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| Nov 4 | 6:39 a.m. -- 1,150 words
Got a little later start this morning than yesterday. No thanks to the cat--who kept waking me up from 2:30 a.m. on . . .
Perhaps it should die. [grin]
This was a morning of discovery. I knew where I wanted the story to go, I just wasn't sure of how to get it there. The main problem is that I didn't understand the psyche of the city that Garrick found himself in. Once I visualized that, feel its pulse as it were, I could see Garrick react to it, and was able to move forward.
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| Nov 3 | 6:41 a.m. -- 1,650 words
Despite the exciting rush of the first two days of the Dare, I am now reminded that this is not a sprint. this race goes not to the swift, but to the persistent.
Now begins the grind.
My goal was to do 6,000 words a weekend day, and 2,000 words a week day. So Im a little short. No big deal. I'm still on pace to finish.
Besides, I really like what I just did to Garrick. This guy is really fun to write about.
Gotta go to my REAL JOB, now. See you tomorrow.
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| Nov 2 | 5:07 p.m. -- 1,450 MORE words 5,900 for the day All I can say right now is "WOW"!
I'm 100 words short of my informal goal for the day, but we're going to take Brigid to Sunday School. I feel almost unclean saying that after what I just wrote. Death and carnage...way cool, huh?
I may get a few more words in tonight. Then again, I may not. Lisa and I always go out to eat while Brigid's in school on Sundays. I need it. Definitely time to wind down!
3:08 p.m. -- 2,250 MORE words (and still working)
Garrick got a bit introspective for a bit there, but I've managed to pull him out of it. In the meantime, I was hit by inspiration a half-hour before my planned break, so I worked my way to a point where I can make things really . . . ahem . . . interesting for Garrick very soon. As Maureen Mchugh advises, "Whenever you don't know what to do, make life more difficult for your characters."
I can't wait to get back into it.
9:54 a.m. -- 2,200 words (so far)
Taking a short break.
I've finished chapter three--which I think is a pretty cool chapter, even if I say so myself. I had a great time writing it, and I learned a thing or two about the plot in the process. One of those things resulted in having to go back to chapter one and add about 200 words of clarifyication and redirection.
It's been a decent morning, but I still want 6,000 words today.
I was reviewing my partner's progress this morning, and have a few thoughts. The most prevalent is "WOW!" I absolutely loved reading Kurt Roth's "I hate to punt" piece. It really inspired me. I am boggled at Linda's progress (METHINKS I'M MISSING SOMETHING). Lisa's work is nothing short of astounding. And I'm thrilled to see how Diana has taken the bit and run.
This is a great gang to be writing with.
It appears that James is either not with us, or not posting his progress, so I've taken him off my links section. If I hear otherwise, I'll add him back on.
Well, the CD player is loaded with Loreena McKennit and Bach. My coffee cup needs filling. See ya in a few hours.
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| Nov 1 | 6:15 p.m. -- 6,100 words and a two page outline
It's been a pretty decent day. Despite being up until almost midnight, I managed to get up at just past 5:00 a.m. and was writing by 5:30. I wrote a high-level outline of what I want the novel to be about and identifying some fairly well-spaced out plot points during the morning's first hour.
Then came Chapter one. And two . . . and part of three.
The planning process I've used this time is a bit different than the one I used for the first Dare. Knowing what I wanted the book to be about (rather than all the details of the plot) has made various aspects of the first day easier, and others more difficult. For example, I knew what my first line was going to be last night. It just fit the whole thing. If all goes according to plan, I think I know what my last line will be, also. However, I've found myself spending 10 and 15 minute chunks of time thinking my way through specific plot points where I didn't have to do this in the first day last time.
Which is better? You got me.
Maybe I'll be able to tell you after this is completed.
Bottom line, the novel is off and running. I've introduced the main character, and a little bit of the world view. 5K words into the story, life has gotten very strange for Garrick (the new name of my main character), and it's about to get stranger. I'm looking forward to the next 3,000 words or so.
Right now, I'm really tired. I didn't get as much sleep as I usually get, and it's beginning to show. My arbitrary goal for the start of the Dare was 6,000 words and an outline today and another 6,000 words tomorrow. Looks like I've made the first half.
I'm pleased . . . and I'm done for the night!
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| Oct 31 | 11:50 p.m.
The big night is here. Tomorrow starts Dare II.
I spent considerable time changing this page (funny how computers do exactly what you tell them, no matter what you REALLY meant). And I've read over my character sketch. I'll get up early tomorrow moring and start. As I type this, I know Lisa Silverthorne is chomping at the bit, and when I check her page next it'll show 3-5,000 words. I know Diana Davenport will be writing in three hours. I know Kurt Roth will get moving early in the morning. Not sure when Linda will start, but I'm assuming she'll be up tonight.
The pressure is on. Good luck to all . . .
This should be great!
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| Oct 30 | 5:30 a.m. I've decided who I'm planning to write about. He is Garrard (although the name may change), a side character from my first novel with some interesting talents and problems. Now that the decision is firm, I'm getting that excited feeling about this project. I have no idea what the story will turn out like at this point, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out. Also, I intend to write in a fantasy world I created some time ago. It's farily well flushed out, with a full millenias long world history, maps, political intrigue, legends, yada, yada, yada . . . I expect I'll do a one page outline of the prospective story tomorrow. |
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| Sep 28 | We're at it again. February wasn't enough. Lisa Silverthorne and I have challenged each other to another Novel Dare. As with last time, I'll be posting progress here.
The ground rules: Last time, Lisa ended up with Experiencing Deep Purple, and I ended up with Gene Splice. Both of these have undergone major surgery since our February Dare, and both are about ready for the market. To make it even more challenging, we've got four new Dare-ites, Linda Dunn, Kurt Roth, Diana Davenport, and James Hartley are planning to join us. I'll add links to their pages as soon as I see if they're planning on having one! Tune in to check it out.
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