Everyone wanted to see who would leave the War Room a victor: reigning champion Jewel or the plucky, fierce fighter on the rise, Peregrine. It was especially exciting for those who remembered the last time they fought against each other three years ago.
This fight was going to be epic.
Word count: 57,266 words
Words written since Week 2: 26,251 words
That “words written since” is actually larger, because I deleted the first 4-some-thousand words that I had whited out for NaNo word count. It’s hard to believe that I’ve written about 30k in one week, but there you go.
On Friday I won NaNo2013. That night, I went to the Overnight of Typing Furiously that our region does independent of the NaNoWriMo’s official marathon, which is why we call it something different. I got a good number of words written, but that was a bad IHOP day. The local management leaves a lot to be desired, with chaos and lying and duplicity, so we probably won’t go back to IHOP. The problem, of course, is that we have a limited number of places that are open overnight. Cafe Brazil told us straight out they’d kick us out in an hour if they were busy, but Denny’s has opened its arms to us, so we hope that works out in the future. Most other 24-hour wifi hubs don’t have outlets, because they don’t want you to stay either.
On Sunday, I concluded the climax of the story. All that’s left is a somewhat lengthy but still essential denouement. I’ve already written the last line, so I know exactly where it’s going. I expect to finish this novel within the week, by Friday at the latest, depending on whether I write 2k or 3k each weekday.
I’m still a little at loose ends on what to do with the novel, since it’ll probably end up a novella after editing. I guess I can figure it out once I finish polishing FF to a shiny finish. After all, I have to finish first before I start worrying about marketing. One thing at a time, A.
One thing I can say for this novel, it’s that it’s flowed so ridiculously easy from beginning to end, even when it felt wrong in first-person POV. The writing has been mostly action-oriented, pausing here and there for Peregrine’s reflections, but the action really drives it forward at a fast pace. It has stunned me that this kind of story has come from my head, since it’s so unusual for me. It’s not my usual style, and it’s not my preferred style on a regular basis, but on occasion, a story simply demands that kind of pacing.
I think it’s important to distinguish that some stories require that pacing, not all, as I often hear in writing advice. I’ll write that way when it is necessary, just as I’ll write at a more leisurely pace or with more bridge scenes to draw out tension when it’s necessary.
The function determines the form, and if that means a gothic cathedral instead of a Wrightesque box, or vice versa, so be it. I am not a slave to present preferred styles, because they too will change and what is written today will be considered bad in the future. Writing in an older-fashioned way isn’t bad writing, just different. I’m a slave to my story at all levels.
And now off my soapbox and onward to my writing once more. See you on the other side.
a. christine writer 