Saturday Slow Down

Because of the Skeptics meeting today and a plan to have dinner with friends, I knew going in that today would not be a long work day. This decision was aided and abetted by the fact that the talk last night was good, but kept me out past my bedtime, so I didn’t get as much sleep as I might have wanted. Still, I dropped off thinking about what I wanted to write today, so that prepped me to work when I finally got to it.

One of the things I talk a lot about is that stories are about characters, and that’s what I’m very much enjoying now. The characters have really locked in and will make writing the rest of the book much easier. Exploring them is a blast and as they begin to develop, all manner of opportunities blossom. I just added a new character who I’ll bring back in future books. (One of the Bone Brothers whom I mentioned in a Tweet months ago.) Makepeace Bone provides me yet another window on the world and attitudes, adding depth to the world.

This series of books is really more than a series. I want the novels to be just one part of how I deal with the world and the forces at play. I plan to do short stories and novellas here, as well as the novels. I’d love to do a webcomic if I could find one or more artists who wanted to work on such a project. There is just so much that can be done here I am boiling with ideas and excitement.

So today I ground out a single chapter at 2594 words. I had time to do more, but I refrained. Instead I broke out how the next half-dozen chapters would go. I’m at a point in the book where I have to put the clutch in and shift. I think it’s going to be an effortless transition, but we’ll see. Other books have stalled at this point, but because of my experience with those other books, I don’t anticipate that being a problem. The difference here is that the shift comes at a point where the novel is kicking into a higher energy. The story expands to where there is no real chance for the characters to rest. While not all of it will be action-packed, the pressures will be mounting and that will keep the story moving right along.

What I’m also enjoying is the number of ideas I’m getting for short stories and other material that supports the book and might be of interest. One character is keeping a journal. Perhaps I’ll write out some of the entries and make them available. He’s using a code to send messages. Maybe I’ll code up some messages and offer prizes for the first person to break the code. (Actually, I really like that idea.) The possibilities are endless, but I won’t let them distract from the story.

November Word Count: Hard: 22760 Soft: 5063