word count

Abstract Emotions & Writing

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I went to bed last night thinking of black spirals climbing up into the sky, like enormous screws climbing out of the ground. Sounds pretty crazy, doesn’t it? Let me assure you that it will all make sense once Broken gets released.

Or I hope it will…

The words flowed again today and I was grateful, even if it did start in fits and bursts. On my drive in to work I realized that I wasn’t happy with how a previous scene had turned out. It was the perfect time for bonding and I was afraid if I didn’t go back to fix it today, I would forget it. So that took up about half my word count. I was glad I did it too, even though it meant a slower pace for my brief writing time and having to switch between characters again. That scene feels much more complete, and I know from experience that those kinds of scenes are the best.

When I wrote Stolen, there’s one scene between multiple characters that it took me forever to figure out. I kept rewriting it and rewriting it, trying to get at that difficult emotional exchange that is easy to feel but so difficult to describe. Finally I think I got it by the end, but that scene is now one of the more moving sections of the book. It certainly is one that hits your heart — and that’s the goal.

Or I hope it does at least.

Project: Broken

A land has fallen. An escape was made. It’s a victory of sorts, but at what price?

Shaleigh has made a terrible mistake, one she may not ever be able to fix. Lost and in a strange land with anger and death all around her, she must navigate her way through treacherous lands on her quest for redemption. Along the way she’ll have to negotiate with the mercurial Queen of the Fae, survive the dangers of the Masked King’s realm, and seek out a terrifying fire dragon.

With two powerful beings hot on her trail, Shaleigh has no choice but to keep moving, or else face the dangerous magic of the Madness that has already caused so much pain and heartache. With her sights on helping her friends and her heart longing for home, Shaleigh is determined, but will it be enough?

BROKEN is Book 2 of the Stolen series

Words Written:
12/4 – 1,166

Current Word Count: 43,586

Progress:
Expanded on some very intense character interaction. Also had some nice exchanges and world-building time.

Next Up:
Expanding on a new place with new rulers along with new rulers. For as nice as it sounds, it’s not quite as nice in person.

Commentary:
Not as much writing in today, but it’s not for a lack of inspiration. More like a lack of time. Can I find a way to double my free time on work days so I can increase my output even more?

Still haven’t hit that 45k mark yet, but I’m getting close! Hoping to maybe even hit 50k by the end of the week – which would be phenomenal.

A Fitting Finale

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It sure does feel good to get a story completed. Sure, it’s a short story, not a novel-length piece or anything, but it’s a nice feeling. Especially when you get it completed on your self-imposed deadline.

Despite becoming an aunt this month and spending far too much time at the hospital. Despite getting sick this last week unexpectedly. Despite a thousand other roadblocks that tried to get in my way, I still finished it. *Throws confetti!*

Of course, I did write a wee bit over the limit. Um… something like 1,000+ words over the limit. This is going to require some serious editing skills when I go through, but that’s okay! That’s something to worry about tomorrow, am I right?

This is a time for celebratory brownies. 🙂

Oh and the title of this piece is still kind of up in the air. I’ll probably figure it out for certain as I go through the edits.

Title: The Scorn of a Sorceress
Deadline: June 1st – DEADLINE MET!
Deadline for Contest: June 30th
Contest Link: 2014 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award
New words written:
5/31 – 1,107
Present total word count: 9,139 (Oops! For the record, the limit is 8,000 words.)

Thing accomplished in fiction: A finale fitting the love of a fierce mercenary and an evil sorceress.

Next up: Edits, edits, edits. Though this story will need to cool for a bit so I can look at it fresh. I didn’t know precisely what direction it was going when I first started writing, so the cutting room will likely be a bloody mess by the time I’m done. It’s a good think I don’t have a weak heart.

Commentary: Now if you’ll excuse me, there are some brownies demanding my attention.

Subplots Galore

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More progress! Hmm I seem to have written over the word count limit. At least I’m in the final scene though!

Guess I’ll have to cut out some of the subplots that sprang up throughout the story. From what I hear, that’s a normal problem when you go from writing on novels -> short stories. You just get so used to dropping in subplots and whatnot to give more character depth. In short stories though you have to have limited space. You have to balance a detailed environment, character depth, and plot development. I’ll have to comb back through it with a chainsaw once I’m finally done.

Title: The Scorn of a Sorceress
Deadline: June 1st – gives a month for edits/review
Deadline for Contest: June 30th
Contest Link: 2014 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award
New words written:
5/24 – 1,183
5/25 – 1,100
Present total word count: 8,032 (Oops! For the record, the limit is 8,000 words.)

Thing accomplished in fiction: Gruesome battles, lots of blood, and a disturbing revelation. It is fantasy adventure after all, right? 🙂

Next up: Salma has to make a difficult decision. She’ll have to listen to her head and her heart more than her fighting instincts to win.

Commentary: Really glad to see this story is wrapping up nicely, and I don’t think it’ll be too difficult to cut out what I need to in order to get it down to size.

Black-Feathered Wings

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It’s been a little while, so time for an update!

Title: The Scorn of a Sorceress
Deadline: June 1st – gives a month for edits/review
Deadline for Contest: June 30th
New words written:
5/11 – 1,256 (Good!)
5/15 – 560 (Meh…)
5/17 – 973 (Better!)
5/18 – 1,244 (Good!)
Present total word count: 5,749

 

 

Thing accomplished in fiction: Attacks from the land and from the air, difficult confessions, and a bit of strategy.

Next up: To sneak or not to sneak? That is the question. Also moats, gators, and of course more birds.

Commentary: This piece is coming along quite well, and it should be under the word count requirement as well which makes me happy. I should have it finished by the deadline and then I’ll start with edits.

The Reluctant Negotiator

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I’m working on a new short story, one that I hope to submit to 2014 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award which gives me a workable deadline to have it finished. It’s a nice break from my current WIP and gives me a bit of breathing time after stressing out over The Writer’s Voice competition last week. Check out the results! Some really incredible stories got picked up.

Here’s today’s progress on my sword and sorcery short story about Salma, a fierce mercenary, who gets dragged into being a negotiator all because she sorta-kinda might have had a relationship with the evil sorceress years ago. Together with a sly thief and a warrior who’s painted up for battle, she’ll try her best to save the Queen’s grandson. She’s also hoping the evil sorceress isn’t still bitter about their breakup.

Title: The Scorn of a Sorceress
Deadline: June 1st – gives a month for edits/review
Deadline for Contest: June 30th
New words written: 1,138
Present total word count: 1,716

Thing accomplished in fiction: Rewrote Salma’s meeting with Nadim, the thief. Had a one-sided meeting with the Queen. Got assigned the job of negotiator despite Salma’s lack of experience.

Next up: Ominous swampland and an old monastery. What better place to make friends with your new travel partners?

Commentary: I’m going super-slow with this piece to make every word count. I’ll probably need to beef up the details down the road, but for now I’m keeping elaborate descriptions to a minimum. Started this piece last week when I first heard about the contest. Fantasy Adventure – how could I pass that up?