Tag: NaNoWriMo2021

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 27

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

Sometimes it takes a failure to make a success.

Well, that’s the theme I’m running with.

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.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 27

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

Sometimes it takes a failure to make a success.

Well, that’s the theme I’m running with.

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.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 26

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

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 score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 26

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

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 score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 25

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

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 pretences. 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.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 25

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

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 pretences. 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.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 24

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

I’ve come to the realization that I’m not going to get this story finished in the allotted time.

In fact, there are aspects of the story that have been bugging me, and it’s been the devil’s own job not to go back and fix some of it up. It’s probably why today’s output is terrible compared to previous days.

What I have done, as elements of the previous part of the story have had to be changed so that what happens later makes sense, I have a copious quantity of post-it notes on the desktop to remind me.

And that tells me that the whole project is getting out of hand.

As it stands, at a guestimate, this story is going to finish up over 100,000 words. If I meet the targets I’ve set myself for the rest of the month, that 30th November total should be around 85,000 words.

It’s an achievement in itself, but I’m not happy with the product as it stands. There’s going to be a huge editing blitz next month if I can face it.

As for now, it’s about 2 am and I’m very tired, I’ve just thought of another change that needs to be made, so I’m going to scribble it down and get to bed.

Thank goodness I don’t try to write all my books in a month!

…

Today’s word count: 1,764 words, for the running total of 63,514.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 24

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

I’ve come to the realization that I’m not going to get this story finished in the allotted time.

In fact, there are aspects of the story that have been bugging me, and it’s been the devil’s own job not to go back and fix some of it up. It’s probably why today’s output is terrible compared to previous days.

What I have done, as elements of the previous part of the story have had to be changed so that what happens later makes sense, I have a copious quantity of post-it notes on the desktop to remind me.

And that tells me that the whole project is getting out of hand.

As it stands, at a guestimate, this story is going to finish up over 100,000 words. If I meet the targets I’ve set myself for the rest of the month, that 30th November total should be around 85,000 words.

It’s an achievement in itself, but I’m not happy with the product as it stands. There’s going to be a huge editing blitz next month if I can face it.

As for now, it’s about 2 am and I’m very tired, I’ve just thought of another change that needs to be made, so I’m going to scribble it down and get to bed.

Thank goodness I don’t try to write all my books in a month!

…

Today’s word count: 1,764 words, for the running total of 63,514.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 23

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

Between researching the locations, and creating personas for the characters, I’m exhausted. Yesterday was the longest day this month because I had underestimated the amount of work needed to bring these characters, pertinent to this story at least, to life.

Plan or no plan, there’s always something lurking in the details that are going to trip you up sooner rather than later.

Of course, not every story is pulled together and written entirely in the space of thirty days, so these sorts of logistical problems rarely cause the angst they are at the moment. You hit a roadblock, and it’s well just ho-hum, let’s do something about it, tomorrow!

This thirty-day deadline, well, it’s like the proverbial rocket you know where.

So, there was a lot of scribbling actual words on a real piece of paper, lots of crossing out, very little erasing because you can’t erase biro ink, not the cheap stuff anyway, and lots of going back and forth, turning pages.

A real page-turner of a different sort!

I can see the humor in it now, but at 2am, there was very little humor and had the shredder not been broken, a few good ideas might have gone through it.

Today is a new day.

The revolution beckons.

…

Today’s word count: 3,579 words, for the running total of 61,750.

A score to settle – The Editor’s draft – Day 23

I have the story, the editor is asking for it, and I’m putting the final touches to it

…

Between researching the locations, and creating personas for the characters, I’m exhausted. Yesterday was the longest day this month because I had underestimated the amount of work needed to bring these characters, pertinent to this story at least, to life.

Plan or no plan, there’s always something lurking in the details that are going to trip you up sooner rather than later.

Of course, not every story is pulled together and written entirely in the space of thirty days, so these sorts of logistical problems rarely cause the angst they are at the moment. You hit a roadblock, and it’s well just ho-hum, let’s do something about it, tomorrow!

This thirty-day deadline, well, it’s like the proverbial rocket you know where.

So, there was a lot of scribbling actual words on a real piece of paper, lots of crossing out, very little erasing because you can’t erase biro ink, not the cheap stuff anyway, and lots of going back and forth, turning pages.

A real page-turner of a different sort!

I can see the humor in it now, but at 2am, there was very little humor and had the shredder not been broken, a few good ideas might have gone through it.

Today is a new day.

The revolution beckons.

…

Today’s word count: 3,579 words, for the running total of 61,750.