I did it!! 62,897 words in 61 days! YAY ME!

And that was with a total of six days where I didn't write at all. So, the potential was 68 or 69k! (Personally, I like 69. Maybe that'll be my goal next time, huh? LOL!)

Never thought I could do it when I started the April / May Dare. Wow!

What up?

Just got home from work. Slow week. I think I might have hit thirteen hours, max. Thank the gods for PTO and holiday pay!

Writing. As mentioned before, I couldn’t hold back. I tried to last until my official start date of June 1st. Nope. Not gonna happen. Wasn’t prudent at this juncture. I’m already two chapters into Angels Deserve to Die. Bummer deal, huh? That just means my select beta readers don’t have to wait near as long as they initially thought. LOL!

Forward Motion’s April / May Dare is drawing to a close. I’ve finished four and only have the Word Count / Apprentice to finish. I should be just over 61k words at the end of Saturday. Not bad when I look over the last two months – I think I skipped writing entirely about five days total. My next attempt will be to boost my daily output to 1500 words. (Which makes my beta readers even happier, I’m sure!)

Finished reading Greg Bear’s novels – Darwin’s Radio and Darwin’s Children. Good stuff, Maynard! I highly recommend it. The writing style is fantastic and I learned a lot about technique as well as being entertained with a really good tale.

My wife’s birthday was yesterday. She’s 46 now (going on 15, I think. LOL!) She’s never had a birthday party before. Had a houseful of her friends over, had a barbecue, the horde left the house (and me to my introverted sanity) for a bar or two. She had a total blast! It was a very good day.
Off to goof for a couple of hours. Tomorrow I'm off work again. There's a party for managers and supervisors at work in the evening that we're going to. The Portland Rose Festival has their official kickoff tomorrow with fireworks. We'll be up on the roof of the hotel to watch them! Beats being in the mass of people at Waterfront Park!

Happy writing!

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I'm now officially 1k into Angels Deserve to Die. LOL! I've given one of the counselors a new name – Bethany has become Bertrana Nijmege. Considering the age of these people, I didn't want to go with the classical medieval British thang. Bentoncourt and Cassadie are Brits (well, from that area a thousand years ago,) McCall is from Scotland, Ernst No Last Name Yet is Germanic and Nijmege is eastern European.

My cool looking spy is Reynhard Dorst, Germanic. Of course. Considering the site I got the picture from, it’s only fitting.

Off to daydream of Sanguire and politics.

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I’ve been away from Born of Silence for less then a week. Granted, I’m hip deep in characters and outlines for the sequel, so I guess I’m not quite as far removed. I think Angels Deserve to Die will be just as good as the first.

I can’t get it out of my head. I’ve already got the first two scenes sitting in entirety in my noggin, itching to be tapped into a keyboard.

This has never happened before.

When I finish a story, nine times out of ten I rush the ending because I can’t wait to be free of the damned thing. Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am! A tip of the hat, save of a file, and don’t look back for months on end. Then, and only then (after another novel or a handful of short stories have been written,) go back and look it over, check the quality and decide whether or not to try and peddle the thing.

Yet, here I am. Contemplating what has happened in the six months since the end of Born of Silence.

I hope I can keep the enthusiasm through book three, currently untitled.

Got half the network up and running. Anna's computer (PC) is a buso and will not restart. The goal was to drop the second phone line and her internet account by gettng her onto our network and my DSL account. Out of sheer frustration with the piece of shit, I've had a conniption fit. Took the money I'm saving for hearing aids and bought her an eMac. Should be here within the week.

And no, don't worry. I'll not be without the money for long. I've got at least two royalty payments and a credit union club account that will be ripe for the picking by October. Should take me that long to work through the medical issues as we discover why the hearing loss and whether or not it will stop before purchasing aids anyway. As it was, that money was going to go toward her eMac in October. Just bought it five months earlier. She's got to have the thing for college and we've got to drop the phoneline cuz the bill sucks.

On the writing front, finished another 1200 on world building. Today’s goal is the outline for Angels Deserve to Die, the sequel to Born of Silence. It’s looking to be as fun as the first one was. I’ve still got about a third to go in finishing it. Then I’m going to list some of the overall things I want to see and beef up each scene accordingly.

For those of you with Macs, I highly recommend Omni Outliner. Very cool program and easy to manipulate the data. I’ve already tweaked what outline I have by shuffling scenes hither and yon. Don’t know what PCers would use. They also have Omni Graffle, a diagram and charting program. Kind of like Inspiration 7, I think. Don’t know that I want to pay the money, though. I seem to do better brainstorming with paper and pen. (I downloaded Inspiration night before last and just couldn’t get anywhere with the ADtD outlines.

I honestly can't wait for Anna's eMac to get here! LOL! I'm as excited as she is! I've got tons of programs I've picked up since I got mine last year that I think she'll enjoy.

Well, off to shower, dress and get that damned barbecuer. It's a lot cooler today (thank gods) but still a nice afternoon for a barbecue.

I just had to say that.

I've written more since January than ever before in the same amount of time. I'm more focused. My writing has apparently gone leaps and bounds above my usual standards. I'm actually hot to write a sequel to a book I just finished instead of sick and tired of the characters, the storyline and the potential development. My plotting capabilities have deepened dramatically and I find myself playing all sorts of subtle cards I never would have seen before.

Wow!

Forward Motion rocks, man! Thank you, Holly Lisle

I've put out another 1k of character sketches, beefing up those I've already got and prepping for book two. Character sketches alone are really doing wonders for my plots! I'm amazed! Yesterday, Reynhard the spy suddenly became much more important to book two. Today I've discovered how bad Margaurethe's parents hated Elisibet the Tyrant . . . and now Jenna, by extension. Abruptly, I find a major schism among the Sanguire that dates back to the 12th century! (Not to mention a hel of a lot of angst for poor Jenna at the end of book two and beginning of book three!)

Book three! Damn! Last year I couldn't even imagine having so much to say that it would take me three books to do it.

And here it is just barely past 9am PST and my 1k is done for the day. Lots of errands to run, chores to do, and more writing, too!

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What have I been doing since I finished Born of Silence?

Well, still writing 1k a day, of course. I’ve been working on the characters for the series, beefing up what I hadn’t before and creating anew for book two. Today I gave a name to Elisibet’s chief spy as well as a history and description. LOL! Thank you, ! She posted a link to a Germany gothic / fetish shop yesterday and, lo and behold, there was Reynhard the spy!

Of course, now that I know what he looks like, he’s suddenly become a lot more important to book two than he was in my mind! Heh!

Book two has a working title, picked up from a System of a Down song called Chop Suey – Angels Deserve to Die. I like it.

Also, for a change of pace, I swapped CDs in my portable player. Got a little Queensryche Q2K action going. I was suddenly hit by the fact that one of the songs is Jenna's! WOO HOO! I love when music comes together with characters and stories! Anyhoo, here's Jenna's song:

SACRED GROUD
recorded by Queensryche

Iced over, close your eyes. Whisper the flame, it takes us higher.
Seems our world is closing around. When I’m inside you, you bring me to sacred ground.
When I’m inside you, you bring me to sacred ground.
Now you’re the one that I want, you know it’s true.
Let go of everything, open up to me.
I’m right beside you, I’ll be your watchful eye.

I send waves of devotion over you. You take it all in and give it back, give it back again.

You bring me to sacred ground, when I’m inside you.
You bring me to sacred ground.

Yes we’ll love till there’s nothing left to give…
matching every movement, swimming in an ocean of sweat, and scent of you. It drives me to …

You bring me to sacred ground, when I’m inside you.
You bring me to sacred ground.

I know I can change your mind. Give it to me the same way.
Giving it all up for love, I know that you feel the same way.

I’d give it all up for you, I swear I would.

Now I’m falling, falling inside …

You bring me to sacred ground, when I’m inside you.
You bring me to sacred ground.

I’m inside you.

You bring me to sacred ground, when I’m inside you.
You bring me to sacred ground.

. . . when you're a lesbian romance / erotica writer . . .

I am the Ideal Lover Most people have dreams in their youth that get shattered or worn down with age. They find themselves disappointed by people, events, reality, which cannot match their youthful ideals. Ideal Lovers thrive on people’s broken dreams which become lifelong fantasies. You long for romance? Adventure? Lofty spiritual communion? The Ideal Lover reflects your fantasy. He or she is an artist creating the illusion you require. In a world of disenchantment and baseness, there is limitliess seductive power in following the path of the Ideal Lover. Symbol: The Portrait Painter. Under his eye, all of your physical imperfections disappear. He brings out noble qualities in you, frames you in a myth, makes you godlike, immortalises you. For his ability to create such fantasies, he is rewarded with great power.

What Type of Seducer are You?
created by polite_society

IS DONE!

blissful sigh

. . . for today – 1553 words. Not my personal best but close. I’m expecting Born of Silence to be completed tomorrow. Maybe. Depends on whether or not I decide to cut that last scene short. Most of it is setting up the next book. I think I’ll need to have all three books complete before I can consider peddling them.

And then what? I still have eleven days left in the Dare. So far I’m staying even but I can’t slack off my 1k a day. Don’t know that I have 10k worth of world building in me! LOL! Not even working on the sequel (Angels Deserve to Die, working title.)

Ah, no worries. I’ll figure out something to do, I’m sure. No doubt I’ll have the first chapter of book two in the can before the end of the month.

So, I've finished New Material / Novel – Apprentice Level for 4 chapters of 1000+ words, New Material / Novel – Master Level for 8 chapters of 1000+ words, and World Building / Master Level at 8000+ words. Still have the World Building / Journeyman Level and the overall word count to go.

Born of Silence should be finished within the next week! YAY Less than 4.5 months to write a novel! I'm full of myself! Of course, then I get to set it aside before editing. I have no clue what else to do after I'm finished. Usually, I allow myself a couple of days break between projects, the end will occur before the finish of the April / May Dare at Forward Motion. I have to keep writing 1k a day to finish the word count dare.

I suppose I'll beef up more of the Sanguire and they're background. I can still do quite a bit of character building, begin plotting the next book, add more to the Encyclopedia. Not only cover my last World Building Dare but prep me for beginning book two. Haven't a clue as to title. What were the words in that System of a Down song that intrigued me . . . ? Angels Deserve to Die? Might be a good working title for the time being.

And to top it off, the budding romance between Jenna and Margaurethe is just that – budding. By now, my MCs have already been to bed together, end of story. Since I'm taking it a lot slower, so are they. (Much to their chagrin, I'm sure! LOL!)

Jenna fought an urge to cry, ignoring the lump in her throat as she sat on the bed. “The part of me that’s Elisibet misses you terribly. It would be so easy to slip into that role. But some day you’d realize I was a stranger and leave me. I can’t allow that to happen.”


Margaurethe moved forward to kneel at Jenna’s feet, a concerned expression on her face. Taking one of the woman’s hands in hers, she said, “I’ll not leave you, Jenna.”


“When you see me instead of Elisibet, we’ll talk again,” she promised.


“I see you already,” Margaurethe said, her voice as gentle as her touch. “But I understand your fears. They’re valid; I could easily lose myself in the past.”


“I want you for myself.” It was odd, this sense of jealousy for someone long dead, someone she remembered being. It was odd feeling jealousy at all; Jenna had never wanted something as badly as she wanted Margaurethe. Not only on a physical level, but to hold her heart close, to protect her from the world’s ills, to submerge herself into Margaurethe’s being until they became one.


Margaurethe’s touch soothed her, fingers brushing the frown from her brow, caressing her cheek. She gave Jenna a soft kiss on the lips.


Startled by the gesture, Jenna broke from her angered thoughts to stare at her friend.


“Perhaps you and I could court one another?” Margaurethe suggested. “I’m afraid I missed out on that particular aspect of things with Elisibet. She was a powerful woman who always got her way. While I loved her with all my heart, there was little doubt our relationship was in her hands and her hands only.”


Jenna’s eyes unfocused, remembering the words said in her voice so long ago. “I want her.” A smile grew on her face as she returned to the present. “I’d like that,&” she said, stroking the back of her knuckles along Margaurethe’s upturned face. “That would be fun.”


“It’s settled then. We take things slow. Together.”


“Together.”

Waking Up Beside You
recorded by Stabbing Westward

I've been so alone for so long
Forgotten by the world
Forgotten to myself
Your effervescent eyes have awakened me
And brushed the dust away
But I knew you'd never stay

So I memorized the color of your eyes as I lost myself inside you
And I memorized the way our legs entwined as I drifted off beside you

I miss
God I miss
Waking up beside you

At night I cling to you, I'm so afraid
Afraid the day will come
And I'll wake and find you gone
But you promised that you'd not abandon me
And kissed my fears away
But I woke up to that day

But I had memorized the way our eyes
would meet reflected in the bathroom mirror
And I memorized your naked silhouette as you slowly brushed your hair
I miss
God I miss
Waking up beside you

I've been so alone for so long
I forgot how much it hurts
To wake up so alone

But I memorized how warm your body felt
as you lay half asleep beside me
And I memorized the way the sunlight
filled the room and played upon your body

I miss
God I miss
Waking up beside you
I miss
God I miss
Waking up beside you

.

1514 words! Woot! And another chapter finished!

. . . why I haven't written much today.

The scene required quite a bit of rearranging and the inclusion of a new thing. Didja know that in Sanguire culture there are Humans who are referred to as Vessels? Yup. They're the walking blood donors for the Sanguire feeding. I had no idea!

Anyhoo, Jenna's gotta have the blood and it seemed rather crass to have refrigerated bottles of the shit (a.k.a blood bank.) So . . . mundane! Next thing I know, Aleya appears – a Vessel called in by Margaurethe.

So maybe I'll make my 1k yet today.

I find myself loath to write. I know it's required but here it is, 11:40am and I haven't even begun my daily session. Usually, I'd be finished with my 1k words for the day. Since it's my day off, I'd then do chores, errands, and the like before heading off to Coffee People to see if I can squeeze in another 500.

Don't wanna.

The last three days at work have been hectic. Had to spend the night one evening because I missed the bus. I only wrote 600 words the following day. Yesterday, tired and uninspired, I barely made it to 900. At this point, I'm 2k in the hole for the overall month. I've gotta get my s**t together or I'm not going to make the word count Dare!

The end of Born of Silence is fast approaching. Maybe that’s it. I’ve had some decent fun with this one (as opposed to the blahs of middles and endings) and don’t want it to stop. Plus, if I finish this before May 31, I’ll still need to come up with something to write 1k a day on! Crap! LOL!

We'll see how it goes.

Off to pick up my RX. I took my last pill at midnight and am due for the next in fifteen minutes. I suppose I should have picked the thing up before now, huh? Oy!