Where are you? (in your novel)

Ken and his people have just been rescued from the alien slave camp--by a rescue team led by his son, Edward. For Ken, it's been about a week since they saw each other. For Edward, it's been 26 years.

Both protagonists are meeting a major antagonist for the first time. One of them is suspicious for a change while the other is opening up for a change. But it'll take a long, long time until they find out who this person really is.

It's 1938. Lily is supposed to be thinking over a tempting proposal of marriage, but work comes first, and this assignment is a doozy: triplet newborns just home from an extended stay in the hospital's state-of-the-art (read actually effective) incubator.

The mother couldn't care less, and Lily--just beginning to realize that should she marry, she too could become a mother--couldn't care more.

And oh yes, she's entirely forgotten her need to leave Philadelphia.

Protagonist is still at the previously-mentioned party and has a run-in with her new, sort-of friend's mother (who "hates" the protagonist and her aunt, out of jealousy).

First third (~35,000 K words) of the first draft is done. Characters defined, the situation they are in is clear.

Editing chapter one, scene two–draft two. Trying to figure out my antagonist issue.

Reaching the end of draft 1, at long last. It's messy. I'm pretty sure one of my antagonists is in two places at once, currently.

I'm still fiddling with the leftovers of a romantic NaNo. Romantic scenes are way too much fun! (the rest just got ridiculous )

Had to do some hard thinking yesterday about how to reach the next plot point. The protag and antag need to meet, but how they meet could impact the climax later. So had to firm up how I see the climax playing out then start arranging their meeting. Then this morning, in those delicious moments before fully opening my eyes when my brain is at it's most creative, I realized that I have another obstacle to work through. There's a hurricane coming, which naturally impedes the MC from doing what she wants to do, but also creates a logistical nightmare for the plot. So now I have to figure out if I need to go back and revise the current timeline or find a way to work with it as is without it sounding too contrived to actually happen.
Or I need to consider that I'm throwing too much at her. Maybe being at odds with her husband, raising teenagers, struggling to keep her business afloat, and meeting her bio-dad for the first time is enough. Is a hurricane necessary? But it's a big part of the story, so I have to figure it out. Which is why I'm playing on here rather than writing at this very minute ...

Draft 2. Slashing and burning and cutting unnecessary words, obvious details, and complex sentences, Basically trying not to treat my readers like idiots.

But I need to rewrite one chapter in the end.

Otherwise, it's getting close to being done.

ecerberus said:

Draft 2. Slashing and burning and cutting unnecessary words, obvious details, and complex sentences, Basically trying not to treat my readers like idiots.

But I need to rewrite one chapter in the end.

Otherwise, it's getting close to being done.

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OMG, I was just thinking the same thing as I burn the midnight oil editing tonight. Seriously, that's just what I'm experiencing.

I just finished my first edit. Loading it up on word(I used Scrivener) to send it to my reader for its first read. Woohoo!

One is put on pause. Done a couple edits of it and need to sit on it before the next couple more edits.

Next one, MC is rucking for ten miles, mood sour from a too real nightmare, and the squad is just having a sour time of the whole ordeal.

Just submitted my latest SF novel (draft 3) to the Angry Robot open door and considering what to do next. What I'm ACTUALLY doing is taking a couple of days off...

About 1/3 of the way through book 3 of a historical fantasy trilogy I'm co-writing with a 'name'. Scary as it's out of my comfort zone, but lots of fun too.

I'm writing out of order and without outline, and usually on more than one project at the same time. Crazy, I know, but it works for me. (I've tried outlines, regular routines and all that, but it only took the fun out of the writing, so not going there again.)

Kings and Rebels (the big, epic Fantasy Monster with everything and the kitchen sink): Editing the living daylight out of the wordage I produced during Nano.

Sichelstein Saga (the 10th century historical fiction trilgoy): Working on a scene where King Heinrich the Fowler celebrates Christmas in AD 933 (halfway into book one): big set up with a number of historical characters, seen through the POV of Erelinda of Sichelstein. I wanted to have that finished last weekend, but a nasty cold got in the way.

Never to Return (Roman historical fiction, about AD 235): Trying to solve the problem about the POV shifts in the prologue.

Right at the end. I have less than 2000 words to go.

I'm excited. Nearly time for a new WIP! : D

I'm finally back in the saddle after a long hiatus! Currently tidying up chapter five, in which my MC tries in vain to eat his future mentor's soul. Not a good idea.

I've left Lily and her triplets to go back and flesh out an earlier scene.

It's 1938, but Lily has been hired to nurse a patient who is undergoing the Keeley Cure for Inebriety--except that the the Keeley Cure was debunked or simply faded away back in the 1920s. I'd already written how the pseudo-doctor whose orders she's carrying out is a drunkard himself, but now I've got to show the patient's sister and her husband's raging marital discord and how it's based on long-standing grudges.

That way, Lily can congratulate herself on being far too sensible to foster her own grudge. She will therefore drop the bitterness she's been fostering against big sister Nancy. Nancy had encouraged Lily's dearest friends to go nurse in the Spanish Civil War--which has not been going at all well.

And THAT way, when Nancy and her new husband return to Philadelphia for the birth of their first child--to of course be named "Lily" should she prove to be a girl--Lily will have another reason to resist leaving that city.

Poor Lily's life would be going much more smoothly if she weren't being written by a pantser.

Finished chapter 13 today which is the half way point in my story. Currently at about 50K words. Although the MC is being forcibly taken away to prison, where he'll be tortured until he complies with Dear Mother's demands, he's starting on the upswing of his arc because this was all part of his plan.

The work is going well, and I'm pleased with what I have so far.

Morri said:

in which my MC tries in vain to eat his future mentor's soul. Not a good idea.

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That's just rude

Going through, my hopeful, last round of edits before sending it out to beta readers and hopefully to query after.

Robinski said:

That's just rude

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Very rude, lol. He feels bad about it, at least.

I'm currently in the beta reader phase. I've been stuck there for a while now. I guess this part of the writing process is most difficult for a recluse like me! xD

Morri said:

Currently tidying up chapter five, in which my MC tries in vain to eat his future mentor's soul. Not a good idea.

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Oh dear. He sounds like a very interesting MC!


Venting... The writing process of my current chapter has been moving so...incredibly...slowly. Ugh!

It isn't so much the scene itself (I don't think) but writer's block. Thankfully, I'm finally over the hurdle today that's been keeping me from finishing it, but I'll be glad when I'm done with these particular characters (I'm so glad they aren't main characters); they are driving me crazy right now. My MC is still at that party, but at least she's outside and not in the house anymore. That's something, I guess. Hooray for progress!