What kind of weekend it has been

What kind of day it has been

I have been a poor blogger, but the writing is still moving.

Helen’s story, the first chapter, was fun to write. A nice horror chapter, with some good imagry, a deep look into how she reacted to disaster and her full background. Kind of an intro to her and why she is the way she is.

The first “interlude” was like pulling teeth, and was the hardest thing I’ve written. EVER. I started and then deleted about four or five times before I finally decided to go with the meeting in which the characters who will be traveling tell everyone else that they are leaving. It was a talking heads scene, and brings the reader up to speed on things that were in my head. It all felt like endless exposition, so in the rewrite, I’ll have to focus on getting into everyone’s head, and HOW they came to their decisions, since I always find that more important than what they have decided.

The weekend wasn’t an easy one for writing. I help my friend Tommy move all day on Saturday, and after lifting and carrying things for about 10 hours, I just wanted to lay down, not move, and I had no energy left for writing. Fine. I was ahead on my word count after Thursday and Friday, so I skipped it.

Sunday, I was feeling the aftereffects of helping someone move, and could only sit for about a half hour at a time before I’d stiffen up. Still, I got my older characters together with Helen, and have spent the last couple of days mixing the characters, figuring out the new dynamic and setting the main plot in motion. There are hidden agendas, interpersonal relationships friction and such starting to show, and I’m going to be writing the first big “action beat” today on my way home from work on the bus.

What I wasn’t counting on was Ray, the protagonist from the last two novels in is taking over this book. I’d planned to push him to the side and let Helen be the main protagonist, but Ray is putting himself center stage. He’s the kind of character I like to write: Conflicted, a leader who doesn’t want to be a leader, and in this novel he is going through a crisis of faith in himself. He’d been through a LOT of bad experiences, and he’s been pushing them to the side for the last two novels, and this is the novel when they start pushing back.

Only 11,642 words in, and I’ve lost all control of the novel. That’s a good thing, although the main plot is still moving forward.

Today, I have no idea if I’ll get to write, as we are in our busiest time of the year, and I didn’t even have time for lunch…I forgot my laptop (grabbed the wrong bag) and won’t get home until around 9 PM tonight. Still, I WANT to write, and as long as I still WANT to write, I’ll find a way.