Holding Ourselves A-Count-Able

Only a few words on actual story last night, but several pages on the character bible, with attributes, traits, and real world images of character inspirations. Which was my excuse to look at gorgeous men online for a couple of hours, with occasional typing.

I did some editing that increased my word count by 150 words. I'm thinking of subbing one of my short stories, one that almost made it into an anthology last year. The last version had a word limit, so now I can add more sexy bits. I attempted to find some visual aids but had to rely on my memory when I failed to find the right sort of trousers photographed from the rear.

See? Research, man, it's exhausting. I think I'll go do some more of it.

Another 400 words, alas not sexy ones but still in-story. This is the problem with a plot: since it's not just sex scenes, other things have to happen to set up the sex scenes. Which require dull boring research. And now I have Angst and Terrible Honorable Choices in this thing, which started out as two guys banging in a subway maintenance room.

I can't stop plotting, dammit. Even my fan fiction gets all complicated.

No writing done today, but I cleared out almost all my homework, which I was getting scared wouldn't get done at all. If I manage to get back on top of things I'll be able to write all weekend (and I always write during class, this isn't news to anyone but my teachers). Hopefully I can stay focused on Devin's book that long. I need this boy to find a home.

The new chapter one is DONE. I'm focusing mainly on fixing plot and adding description this round. Then I'll go back and add more emotion--Devin's close-lipped about what he feels and manages to hide most of his thoughts, but he's got to open up for me.

Failed to get all the way through September with writing each day. My excuse is a combination of entirely too much time sitting around in medical waiting rooms, and my commute having extended to nearly two hours each way, because the city road network has pretty much ground to a halt. I don't like writing smut with an audience, particularly when said audience is one of the flock of small children barely old enough to be allowed to catch the bus to school by themselves. Even if the bit I'm writing is not-smut, I'm not up to dealing with questions about what I'm doing, particularly as the not quite so young children on the bus probably know all about That Sort Of Fanfiction, and are probably assuming that's what I'm writing - if it occurs to them that respectable middle-aged ladies not only know about That Sort Of Fanfction, but have been writing it since before they were born.

I've managed to write at least a hundred words every day so far in October though. *And* finally order that new printer I was talking about upthread. Also flailed my way through a blurb for a submission package, which I must do something with when I have two brain cells to rub together.

500 (but with research!) yesterday. 1700 today. I should probably think of doing some promo for the upcoming book, but I'd rather write

Submission package sent yesterday before going to bed. More sitting around in waiting rooms, and then on buses. (The Conservative Party conference has come to town. So has the security ring of steel and associated road closures, including major bus routes. So have the protestors. The bus company Twitter feeds were in meltdown by 7:30 am trying to keep us updated on where buses were and how many hours late they were going to be). Words written on bus this morning, but not this evening. New printer is downstairs, waiting for someone who is capable of lifting a 23kg box up the stairs to do so. Too tired to even attempt any more words tonight, or indeed type up handwritten stuff from bus. [flop]

Feeling incredibly frustrated.

Spent three hours working on writing yesterday, but only added a few hundred words. I guess I must've been mostly rewriting old scenes and moving around dialogue.

Here's hoping for a better day today.

Right now everything feels wooden. I think I'm going to skip ahead and get to the exciting bits, then come back to this part of the story when I'm more excited about it.

Yesterday, or maybe the day before, I wrote a few sentences about a scene I wanted to insert. No time for more.

I read while on the exercise bike, so I have time for that. While shopping for books, I found this post about word counts. I'm not posting it to be critical of anyone -- just some thoughts about quality over quantity. http://www.levraphael.com/blog/?p=1015. He's one of my favorite authors, in the top ten. I think other posts tagged as advice for writers are worth reading, as are his posts on a number of subjects. I don't agree with everything he posts (e.g. gun control), but I admire his intelligence and talent. FYI, he comments on FSOG here.

Re word count tyranny: I am lucky in that commercial art taught me how to be more flexible toward market requirements, while at the same time giving me awesome 'FuckYou Filters'. Yanno, the failsafes that slam down whenever someone is trying to bullshit me, either to boost their own ego or to manipulate me into an action. Raw Word count listing is a big one for me. I want quality; I'm the kind of author who revises as I go, so stories can have 20 revisions or more before they even hit beta readers. Still not perfect, and I'm at peace with the idea of just getting something down to serve as a foundation.

Word count tyranny is why I never participate in NaNo, and why I ignore the aforementioned FB groups. It's why I tend to roll my eyes at some Amazon erotica writers, because it's clear they're not only just trying to get wordage down, they may not actually know *how* to write toward higher quality.

Goals this weekend: finish novella! I'm about 2/3 done now.

With the majority of my submitted writing having word count limits, I've developed skills -- and the habits -- for deleting in order to say more with less.

I wrote a few words today, didn't count... maybe 50 or so to connect the pieces I inserted.

Printer is now upstairs, installed on the network, and I have tracked down the errant shipping tag I failed to pull on the first round, so it can now print over the whole surface of the sheet of paper. I have hardcopy capability again, yay! Around all that, and the continued meltdown of the transport network, I have managed to write words every day. Not as many words as I would have liked, but still words. The short story is now over 80k...

567 words of a sequel to a book I haven't even finished editing yet. Someone got drugged and dragged on a plane where zippers open...

Wrote a couple hundred words in the outline for my NaNo story. The exact count is unknown because I was adding to an already created "guidelines to outlining" page I had created a month ago.

Zero words today due to busy mom life. 517 yesterday so at least that's something.

1800 words today. More importantly, witty banter has been achieved. Once we hit banter, I know the characterizations are strong enough to carry the plot. For ex, I honestly did not know my main POV character had a mild humiliation/exhibitionist kink. But boy, he does.

Hoping to get some words (re)written today. Been brainstorming and battling a nasty cold ('tis the season!) but if I'm completely honest, a few days' rest was probably in order anyway.

Maryn said:

I gather it's time to heat up the vat of soup left over from last year.

Maryn, skimming the bugs off the surface

Click to expand...

That reminds me, I do have a nice vat of tomato basil in the freezer!

As expected, witty banter has turned into sex. I have now passed my target 12,000 words for this novella, which means I can play with the last 5K or so to wrap it up. NineStar says they'll take up to 120K, but that's not happening with this thing. M/M contemporary is such a weird thing for me to write, I swear. I like it, it just takes a different mindset.

And pharmaceutical help, thanks to a local herbalist and tea shop owner who knows what she's doing. I only wonder: does the Loose Leaf Tea Shop's 'Inspired and Creative' damiana tea work because I think it's gonna work, or because it has a real effect on my libido?