I’ve been a very bad noveler. I’ve not checked in as often as I told myself I would … but the words are coming along and that’s what counts, right? Right now, I just plodded through a morning writing session and managed a little over a thousand words. The story itself is moving at a faster pace than it did in the previous draft, but my writing itself has slowed down to a snail’s pace. Them fingers are tired! Actually, I’m tired all over. Since the move, Didymus the Cat has become very demanding and has recently discovered the joys of waking me up between 3 and 4 am. And making me get up right when my alarm rings. I feel that I’m barely able to keep myself going on most days… and there’s work and workouts and life in general to contend with. I need a break sometimes and it seems I’ve been taking them more often than not. However, I am more than halfway to 50k, though I’m sure this will be a 60-70k novel. I’m trying to keep it within a reasonable word count for a historical YA, but a story is a story and sometimes it takes more to spin it than a measly 50,000 words.
Going historical was definitely the right thing to do. It’s allowed me to create a much more believable narrative (or so I tell myself), and the research gives me something to do when I’m too tired to right while still keeping me in a writing frame of mind. I do miss working on Anúna, however. These are two entirely different novels, so the one remains in the back of my mind even as I make progress with Cassiel. I told myself I would edit Anúna on the weekends, but that really hasn’t happened and I’m starting to think it will be best to continue writing and go back to editing while I let Cassiel sit (and marinade! go, terrible cooking metaphors!)
So that’s what’s happening in writing land. I need a nap. And I need to get to work. TTYL!
Cassiel, rewrite draft 1 (total word goal)
About Cassiel (an impromptu synopsis)
Her family dead and her life in shambles, sixteen-year-old Cassiel Loriett is placed in the care of Mrs. Maywoods, who loves to parade her around as the ideal charity case. But there’s more behind what happened to her family than Cassiel knows and the only way to find out is to solve the mystery herself. With the help of a few loyal sidekicks, of course.
A YA historical mystery set in late Victorian England.
A re-write in progress…
Follow my Cassiel writing updates here: http://things-she-said.org/tag/cassiel/
marginalia and such 