Tis the last day, but not the last day, if that makes sense.
I did not get the story done in the 30 days, but I did knock a big hole in it. All 85,177 words of it.
I did not anticipate the story would go that long, or consider that it might even be longer, say, around 100,000 words.
But, this is what happens when the story tells itself, going down narrow alleys and ending up in dark corners you never anticipated at the start.
That and the fact the characters evolve, and some even begin to start stealing the show and have to be reigned in.
It’s been an enjoyable journey though, and fun to write, but after I’ve got the first draft done, there is going to be a 6-month hiatus because so many other projects got put on hold so I could get this done.
And fortunately, at this time, we have the perfect weather for writing, continuous rain, so it makes it easy not to regret not going out.
There will be further updates through December, until the book is done.
But, for now, it is done!
…
Today’s word count: 3,784 words, for the running total of 85,177.
I’m not going to get this finished, but there is an upside.
After writing the latest parts to the story, it gave me a sense of how it is going to end.
This story is probably the first where I had the end written before it started, a novel idea to writing stories, and it’s good to realize that after neatly 80,000 words, the end ties up the story exactly the way I wanted it to end.
It’s just what happens between the beginning and the end changed a lot during the month.
I dropped out the revenge part, which became a short story in itself, so it will be told later in a novella, and it made sense to stick to the original plan, the main character starts out as the protector, and is slowly drawn into the revolution.
He doesn’t have an active role in it, just maintaining a presence in the background, until Teresa forces his hand.
The rest, well, you’ll have to read the story when it’s finished. Tomorrow I’m going to try and write a blurb, that will give the reader some idea of what the story is about.
…
Today’s word count: 2,088 words, for the running total of 81,393.
I’m not going to get this finished, but there is an upside.
After writing the latest parts to the story, it gave me a sense of how it is going to end.
This story is probably the first where I had the end written before it started, a novel idea to writing stories, and it’s good to realize that after neatly 80,000 words, the end ties up the story exactly the way I wanted it to end.
It’s just what happens between the beginning and the end changed a lot during the month.
I dropped out the revenge part, which became a short story in itself, so it will be told later in a novella, and it made sense to stick to the original plan, the main character starts out as the protector, and is slowly drawn into the revolution.
He doesn’t have an active role in it, just maintaining a presence in the background, until Teresa forces his hand.
The rest, well, you’ll have to read the story when it’s finished. Tomorrow I’m going to try and write a blurb, that will give the reader some idea of what the story is about.
…
Today’s word count: 2,088 words, for the running total of 81,393.
We’re near the end, and I have to say, it has been hard work.
Today I’ve been writing and revising and reading. There are aspects to the flow that are bothering me, and I know I’m supposed to let it mull for a while before I started editing, but I’m like that, I have to do something about it now, not later.
While I’m doing that, I’ve been working on a musical theme for the writing and hit upon the big band sounds of the 1940s and ’50s.
I have always been fascinated by that era of music, particularly Benny Goodman, but not so much the Dorsey brothers.
It’s then led to the final chapter, as I was playing Sing, Sing, Sing, I had the vision, in the ballroom, just our main character, and Teresa, with a few selected guests.
I’m also one of these people who like happy endings to the stories, or at least until the next book in the series starts.
Two days to go and I can rest.
Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.
…
Today’s word count: 4,499 words, for the running total of 79,305.
We’re near the end, and I have to say, it has been hard work.
Today I’ve been writing and revising and reading. There are aspects to the flow that are bothering me, and I know I’m supposed to let it mull for a while before I started editing, but I’m like that, I have to do something about it now, not later.
While I’m doing that, I’ve been working on a musical theme for the writing and hit upon the big band sounds of the 1940s and ’50s.
I have always been fascinated by that era of music, particularly Benny Goodman, but not so much the Dorsey brothers.
It’s then led to the final chapter, as I was playing Sing, Sing, Sing, I had the vision, in the ballroom, just our main character, and Teresa, with a few selected guests.
I’m also one of these people who like happy endings to the stories, or at least until the next book in the series starts.
Two days to go and I can rest.
Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.
…
Today’s word count: 4,499 words, for the running total of 79,305.
Of course, the leaders of the revolution take that failed attempt as a bad sign, but a severe setback sometimes causes that sort of introspection.
And the revolutionaries never quite know who’s on their side and who isn’t.
And there are those who are trying to keep out of harm’s way, do their job, and still get caught up in the middle of a war.
Revolutions are more than just the capture of radio stations, army barracks, and the airport. It’s always a good thing when a country doesn’t have too many airports or army bases. It also helps that the country is small and manageable and that its current leaders are corrupt and self-serving, and some very dangerous.
They are also helped by having the heart and soul of the citizens, not so much that they would take up arms and fight, rather, do nothing and get in the way. That in itself could be dangerous, but sometimes people act without thinking of the consequences.
Those you would least expect to step up and be counted.
It’s going to take more words than I have before it is supposed to be written by the end of the month, so this story is going to run into overtime.
So, stay tuned, for daily reports on how the revolution is progressing.
…
Today’s word count: 3,271 words, for the running total of 74,806.
Of course, the leaders of the revolution take that failed attempt as a bad sign, but a severe setback sometimes causes that sort of introspection.
And the revolutionaries never quite know who’s on their side and who isn’t.
And there are those who are trying to keep out of harm’s way, do their job, and still get caught up in the middle of a war.
Revolutions are more than just the capture of radio stations, army barracks, and the airport. It’s always a good thing when a country doesn’t have too many airports or army bases. It also helps that the country is small and manageable and that its current leaders are corrupt and self-serving, and some very dangerous.
They are also helped by having the heart and soul of the citizens, not so much that they would take up arms and fight, rather, do nothing and get in the way. That in itself could be dangerous, but sometimes people act without thinking of the consequences.
Those you would least expect to step up and be counted.
It’s going to take more words than I have before it is supposed to be written by the end of the month, so this story is going to run into overtime.
So, stay tuned, for daily reports on how the revolution is progressing.
…
Today’s word count: 3,271 words, for the running total of 74,806.
There is a history of strong female characters. They don’t have to be the lead character in order to become a focal point in the story.
I’m reminded of the CIA agent in Cuba in the latest James Bond Film, No Time To Die, where she literally kicks ass. To my mind, that is a girl to be reckoned with, and no, I would not want to meet her in a dark alley or be her enemy.
I wanted one, and put her in the Zoe series, an assassin without a conscience, but has one of those life-defining moments that doesn’t take away anything from her character, just adds another dimension.
This story is going to have one too, Teresa, only she is a different kettle of fish, to quote an analogy.
She is just the sort of person our main character’s handler recruits in a heartbeat. The fact she is in jail when we first meet her just adds to the mystique.
And when the main character and her meet, it’s like water and oil. She had a role to play, even if it’s not the one our main character is led to believe is.
The trouble is, I’m having too much fun playing to the two off against each other, so much so, I’m beginning to like her, as much as I would, in real life (if such a person existed) fear her.
Interesting question: how would I react if my imaginary world suddenly become all too real?
I guess that’s another story.
…
Today’s word count: 3,914 words, for the running total of 71,535.
There is a history of strong female characters. They don’t have to be the lead character in order to become a focal point in the story.
I’m reminded of the CIA agent in Cuba in the latest James Bond Film, No Time To Die, where she literally kicks ass. To my mind, that is a girl to be reckoned with, and no, I would not want to meet her in a dark alley or be her enemy.
I wanted one, and put her in the Zoe series, an assassin without a conscience, but has one of those life-defining moments that doesn’t take away anything from her character, just adds another dimension.
This story is going to have one too, Teresa, only she is a different kettle of fish, to quote an analogy.
She is just the sort of person our main character’s handler recruits in a heartbeat. The fact she is in jail when we first meet her just adds to the mystique.
And when the main character and her meet, it’s like water and oil. She had a role to play, even if it’s not the one our main character is led to believe is.
The trouble is, I’m having too much fun playing to the two off against each other, so much so, I’m beginning to like her, as much as I would, in real life (if such a person existed) fear her.
Interesting question: how would I react if my imaginary world suddenly become all too real?
I guess that’s another story.
…
Today’s word count: 3,914 words, for the running total of 71,535.
A writer has to be all people, and, sometimes that can be a difficult remit.
To start with, I know what it’s like to travel, stay, and work in remote, sometimes primitive, locations. Getting there is sometimes a laborious task, battling the weather, the people, and the authorities.
It can be scary at best and terrifying at worst.
And it can be lonely with tenuous links to those back home.
Now, supplant that with the fact you are in that place on false pretenses. You now have to channel all of the above and find a degree of both bravado and confidence, which most times, in reality, you don’t have.
Easy, you say, to write about, because you’re not really there, so you can be whatever you want, do whatever you want.
The problem is, it still has to be believable.
So we’re starting with a character that has a job to do, preferably to be on his own so he doesn’t have to be responsible for anyone he’s working with and can use any or all means available to get the job done.
Still not a difficult portrayal.
Quite often there’s no need to complicate the character by adding a background life, which might mean that he has a wife, which is unlikely if he is an agent provocateur, a girlfriend, which is also unlikely, because as a lover, he doesn’t need the distraction or the problem of keeping secrets, which, because of his job, would be a necessity.
But…
Time to add a complication.
His boss sends an assistant, or partner, one that he’s not told about.
And is a woman.
Suddenly his dynamic changes completely, and we need to have some character analysis, like his attitude to partners, and attitude towards women.
The problem is, how the reader is going to perceive this characterization, and that’s where the job becomes harder because on one hand, you want him to be the epitome of the new age man, and on the other, the hard-nosed agent that has no time for building relationships, and particularly because that person is female.
It’s going to be an interesting dynamic, and now that I have thought about, enough to write this, I can see some elements of his character will need to change.
Needless to say, she is going to be a strong female character, so more about her tomorrow.
…
Today’s word count: 1,587 words, for the running total of 5,751.
