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It’s started.

As one of about sixteen people in all of Montclair who did not lose power… well, I’m lucky. Also, I do wish I could have started oh say a week early?

But NaNo has started, and even though I was out much of the weekend I did manage to not get too far behind (even if i’m not ahead).

Managed to figure out a way to approach the fantasy series without boring myself. Problem: this is set up as a novella series. Which means that 50k is on the high side. Still I feel like doing two at 25k is a bit slow. I’ll have to see how it goes.

Heck if I do 35k of story and 15k of world building to be excised later I think I’ll be doing good.

This one even has a working title!

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NaNoWriMo 2012

I am doing my setup for this year’s NaNo and am wondering if it would be better this year to just write for a certain amount of time.

How far behind would I get, were I to do it time based rather than word based?

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Foyle’s War

Been watching Foyle’s War, cause, you know, umm… research?

What I find interesting about it is that it truly highlights the contemporary subtext of detective-as-priest; moreover, I find it interesting that the driver character’s actual father is an actual vicar, and her surrogate father is a surrogate priest.

At one point there is even a moment where he talks to a woman who believes her brother is wrongly accused and there are many discussions of him possibly helping her cope with it should her brother be guilty.

He speaks of doing what is right; his morality is unimpeachable; people are driven to confess to him.

No one, not even doctors, face chaos in modern life (or is it just pop culture?) as do detectives.

But often this is coupled with isolation. More than a priest, a detective may be closer to a shaman: appeasing the capricious spirit of justice, descending into the depths, completely alone.

Also, chain lightning. Ok, maybe tasers? So they’re enhance maybe, dual wield something something.

I also admit I like all the Spitfires. I’d kvell for some Lysander footage. I would.

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Working

Funny. When I was young I thought everything was talent and creativity and I felt helpless, no matter how many times I was told I was talented and creative.

Being told to just keep working–well. At least it’s something I can do, something I can control.

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The Guns of August/Tuchman

I’m not going to try to seem cool and say I didn’t like the movie–I did–but I never got the fascination with the Titanic. As a tragic marker of the end of an era it never worked for me, possibly because I was too familiar with the names Ypres, Marne, Somme.

The first chapter of this book does. Called “A funeral”, it is one of the most heartbreakingly lyrical pieces of historical writing I’ve ever experienced. The lists of royalty and leaders march in words like they had in the funeral procession of Edward VII in May of 1910.

The war never seemed so pointless or so inevitable than in those fourteen pages.

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Structure and subplot

Listed all the subplots within the 1950 manuscript.

Interesting — they are all about the collapse and loss of family. Inspired me for a couple more concrete details to add to the book in general.

However, it does not expose gaps as well as I had hoped.

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Editing and Research

Recent research has included:

  • The Street with No Name (for the 1950 story);
  • Guns of August/Tuchman (for the adventure story);
  • The Crimean War/Figes (for the adventure story);
  • Wish Me Luck (BBC series) (for the 1939 story);
  • Carve Her Name With Pride (film about Violette Szabo) (for the 1939 story).

I really could use some working titles here!

Current editing:

Still trying to understand the structure process. Getting lost in midsection (story-world). Next step: peel out individual subplots and character arcs to help see where they have holes.

Eventually, I really hope to get a story structure process together. It feels so mysterious.

Incoming:

Need more work and thought around either fantasy or sf story lines. Both are currently too thin and the character voices are not strong enough to talk me through.