Memoirs From Fairyland

It seems to me that my chapters are getting progressively longer, and I find this frustrating. It's also making me slightly schizoid, because my two main characters are currently in two different places and doing two different things. Each is really very close to getting their main battle finished and done with, and Tanner is really only one chapter (well, two, but I'm writing one of them right now) from getting his very civil (but hostile) takeover process over and done with. After this is the "tying up" chapters, and Haven's parts are running slightly behind schedule, which is actually good.

Since last accounting, I have managed to:

• Accumulate 36,113 words, which should read to you as 66,113 words of Android Project goodness.
• Introduce yet another character imported from yet another storyline. Shut up. I'm not writing their story right now and hopefully never again, and I miss them.
• Write Tanner's love interest out of the story completely due to the fact that she was useless for them to keep around. Fortunately, they had zero chemistry anyway. Tanner is so asexual. She was awesome, though.

I can't wait to be able to edit. I love editing. It's my favorite part.

Only five, six chapters left before GOLGOTHA is done, barring those pesky 'tying up loose ends' chapters. Though really, chapter outline notes like, "and then Tanner does the Android Project equivalent of the Snoopy dance" really don't help. I was becoming very tired by the time I finished those chapter outlines...

At 60,010 of a prospective 80,000-- total count for November and NaNo is 30,010.

I have chapter outlined the heck out of GOLGOTHA now, so at least I'm not going to have to stop my Nanoing for a brief "oh crap, what do I need to do this chapter." I outlined to about the end, which is chapter twenty-five, but I'm going to need to add at least two chapters in at one point, and probably two more here and there-- they come in sets: I can't just add one, I have to add two because of novel structure.

So, I now know precisely how my rebels are going to take over the government and knock everyone all to hell. I have two different major battles that ended up exactly where they were supposed to be for artistic reasons, and I also managed to make it all very civil: "I now have control of all of your major bases, you're strung all out with most of your troops out of country, and I'm awesome. Surrender now." Two of the people that are supposed to die are scheduled for chapter twenty, three chapters from now. It's going good.

I am 20,000 words behind. This is not so good.

I have gotten the game Avalon Code for DS. It is awesome and I lurv it. I have been playing it ever since my vacation began, which is very, very bad, because I need to write at least 10,000 words ASAP! Dude, SOOOO much work needs to be done to make up my fail for the past couple of weeks. Final essays and crap for English majors always hit exactly two to three weeks before real finals, which means that I was totally swamped. But I must prevail. I must win. I must nano.

So that brings us to the main point of this post: whining.

One of my two main characters has taken over the plot completely and is informing me that it should all be about him. "Dude, say what?" I say. "This is supposed to have TWO main characters, not just you. Tanner's here for a reason."

"Yes, to highlight how awesome I am," Haven replies.

See, the problem is that Tanner's part is so plotty and mind-bending that I can't include the tiny little half-hidden remarks and details that flesh out his character. So right now, he's a plotting, scheming machine and I despise him. I know that I can fix this all my first edit through, but I want to shake him and ask him, "WHY ARE YOU BEING THE PORTIA OF THIS STORY!"

And originally, it was the other way around: Haven was my scheming arsehole. But now, it is not so. I just mentally scarred the heck out of Haven, so while he's finding his feet again, I've grown to adore him, and Tanner has been taking advantage of off-balance Haven as much as he can, because that's what he's like. ARGH!

Must write 3553 words per day now -- currently at 20202/36667 for the day. So, 2176/3553. Nano always makes me use my math skillz.

We're back to that time again. That time where I have to do a marathon sprint at the end of the week in hopes of catching up to the days when I only had time enough for homework, sleep, and food-- one meal per day, usually, because there wasn't enough time for anything else.

Except this weekend, I have homework too.

An epic 16275/23333, 17100/23333. Ignore cut. I totally fail. Argh!

These things have been accomplished/not accomplished since my last posting:

• I am still behind on my word count, but by nowhere near as much, and currently am at 14265/16667, 15766/16667.
• I am now on the sixteenth chapter. Boo-ya! Dread and fear my awesome writing prowess. The half-way point's been crossed, the half-way point's been crossed. High-ho-a-dairy-oh, the half-way point's been crossed.
• I have written 71 total pages, non-double-spaced, which means 143 double-spaced, which means that in thirty more pages in non-double-spaced I'll have a real 100 pages, which means chocolate ice cream. Just so you know. That was a lot of meaning packed in one bullet.

In related news, Tanner is driving me nuts, this time with boredom. Dude, just stop scheming, plotting, and stewing and make with the action already. Please/thank you. Also, Cordan, Yeni, and Mal have hijacked my other characters and are now going to be in the novel for the duration, like the greedy jerks that they are. This is annoying on several levels. In other related news, I have many papers and tests coming up and should probably be working on them. Why is it that professors don't realize that NaNo hath come? I need to shift arse, but I don't wanna.

Current Word Count: 11846/15000, 12040/15000, 12418/15000

Favorite Line (So Far) Today: Guy could charm the pants off a boa constrictor.

Hopefully, there are better lines later today, because that one's amusing, but not awesome.

And the one I'm thinking about making Tanner's romantic interest is introduced in chapter fourteen... If I do this, I really don't think they'll last for very long... Will finish the rest of these later-- first one is only one that matters right now.

( Cut for length... )

So, recently I decided that the internet was shiny and pretty and worth more than my Nano. NO MORE! I will catch up TODAY even if my fingers FALL OFF! So this is my vow to you, internet at large, and my game plan for the day. If I don't follow it, feel free to beat me with a mallet.

Game Plan

Finish getting dressed
Take dog out
Bring computer, iPod, and notes down to table
Write: 6815/13333, 7226/13336, 7881/13336

• First steps to writing: open novel .doc, Word 2007 (for word count purposes) , and start up Write or Die.
• Second and following steps: finish first Write or Die session and start again. Repeat until completed or dead.

Break briefly for lunch
Write: 7781/13336, 8617/13336, 9040/13336 (14th chapter begins now-- YES!), 10940/13336 (14th chapter is going to be incredibly long-- oh noes!), 11846/13333 - sleeping now (started about 10:30 AM, ending 11:30PM). Did not prevail, but mostly done. Still, darn.

GOLGOTHA Total Word Count: 41,846, ending for today with needing to begin chapter fifteen next time.

I have officially managed to catch up to the expected word count for today, despite not working on it very much yesterday, and am now weighing in at 6782/6672. This is awesome and I admire me very much.

I also admire me for having written one of the most emotional scenes that I have ever written and for managing to get two people dead and one unconscious in one paragraph. And now there will need to be interrogation, which should be fun. How far can the good guys go when interrogating? Oh wait. There are telepaths. Never mind. This should be fun.

Unfortunately, one of my characters is now incredibly screwed up-- not in an epic fail way, but in an "omg he needs so much therapy" way. This is good for plot, since I kind of needed him to have a slight mental breakdown, but bad for him. Dear Haven: I'm sorry I totally raped your mind, but it will all work out for you in the end. Unless I kill your lover off. Which I hopefully won't do. Definitely won't do. Really. No, really. Too much like is between the two of us.

Today's Word Count (so far): 3375/5000.
Total GOLGOTHA Word Count: 33,375/80000 (roughly).

Favorite Line So Far Today: "Please hold tightly to your belongings and silence your children."

Now will be the true test of my mettle: the school week has started and I have to write another 1500 words for today.

Today's Word Count (so far): 2030/3333 2594/3333 2660/3333 3432/3333

I have also come to realize that not everyone lives in my head with me. This would seem obvious, but unfortunately, it is not. So: the origins of the Android Project.

( Project origins, anyone? )

And let NaNo commence!

I have realized, by the way, that if I plan on continuing my Android Project, I'm going to have to keep a list of the slang, because I can't remember all of what I've used and Tanner insists that his section has to be full of it.
 

( So, cut... )

And then I would like to add in... Daily Word Count (so far): 1900

Note: Layout changed in honor of NaNo and what I'm working on. For as long as I can stand it changed, anyway.

So, character profiles for new Nano (I.E. The Android Project takes over the Nano). Let's start with the newest first. Yeni's might be changed. I'm still trying to figure out how to modify his character to the new story. I should be adding to this a bit, since I don't have all of my resources with me as I'm writing this. For example, I usually check astrological signs before assigning anyone a birthdate. Note - Present day is 631 PCE (Post-Cataclysm Era). Story starts in late spring, about May, and Tanner and Haven meet in mid-June to mid-July-- need to check dates.

( Cut for length... )

I was working on GOLGOTHA in an attempt to get it up to a definite 30,000 words for beginning NaNoWriMo-- yes, to all who do not know, I am working on a pre-started novel for NaNo. It promptly decided to eat three characters from another story that I had abandoned. Which is complicated for one reason: the abandoned story that was eaten is attached to one I'm still poking at. I'm supposed to be dividing up the characters of the one I'm still poking at and passeling them out to their own stories, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up yet. Yet, apparently I am, because Cordan, Yeni, and Mal are definitely appearing as members of the Android Project. I've been thinking about having them be members of the Android Project for a while, now they're definitely in.

Dear all things holy and beautiful, such as chocolate and caffeine:

Please to let me never stop loving the Android Project, because it is just too damn cool at this point. Also, I just can't deal with passeling out characters again. It's very stressful.

Thank you for your help, gods of caffeine and chocolate. I promise to pay homage to you soon.

Love,
me