MoonHunter Nanowrimo Blog

[MoonHunter]

Background: http://www.nanowrimo.org ).
Yes, this thread should probably be in the natter section, we can move it there sometime in december

This year I am actually going to serious write up a novel or a rough first draft anyways. (or make a darn good stab at it). You all are picking the what I am writing about, so I will work with it from there. I am still thinking about writing either in Kerren or The Eternal Ring. So until that decision is made, I will write about both.

So of course, I am going to mention stuff in the blog to show how gaming converts to writing and visa versa.

Take Characters. Every Story is based off characters and how the characters interacts with each other and the world. Each important character should its own write up (character sheet). Every character will have one to three plotlines attached to it. Each one of those plotlines will have key scenes, which you can then work out and be ready to drop them into a game.

Kerren: Protagonist
Onterio:  ATH+COM+BND+CMU
12 PHY "Wiry"   15 DEX "Nimble"
15 MEN "Bright" 16 EMO "Determined"  
21 MPY "Child of Kerren" 15 CHA "Nice Guy"

He is the first child born to the colony, on route to Kerren. (Others are born soon after). Onterio's claim to fame is being the first Ryder, the first person to bond with a dragon.

While colonists are adapting to live with megafauna and have settle in Landing +14y, the story begins.  After a friendly encounter when both he and one of the wing fought a critter, he spent time up in the near by Dragon Warren. He and one of the hatchlings bind. He eventually learns to ride (and learns that it is cold up in the sky). During this time we have The Flu Plague, The Mysterious Injuries (zhan critters) and so on.  He will discover the first cluster lost to zhan. He will give the warning. He will fight off the first Zhani that approaches his cluster. He will begin to teach his friends how to Bond. His Wing will fight off the Zhan fall.

Plot Lines:
1) Become the Ryder and First Wing Leader
2) Protect and Defend his Cluster
3) Get the Girl (you knew there was one in there somewhere).

Kerren: The main Antagonist is Zhan (kind of impersonal), so we can have his Cluster Leader against him (relenting in the end), his parents should give nominal support but cave.

Supporting cast: Your average anime group of supporting characters (the girl, the annoying psuedo loner, the buddy, the hyper one, the smart one)

Eternal Ring
Kayla    Racer  L-COM, ATH, VHL, S/T
10 PHY "Endurance" 16 DEX "Lightning Reflex"
13 MEN "Perceptive" 11 EMO "Sensitive"
11 MPY "Lucky"       17 CHA "Damm Fine"

Kayla is an unlikely hero. She is focused on winning races. That is what she does. This avatar is a "thow away" activated for a scenario. However, over the time, it has survived. It has built up skills, while other avatars have been lost.  So now she does races and other things.  She lives on Gothem and travels around to participate in various events. She is anti-guild, very, very independent. She manages to score major coyn by selling her victories to guilds.

Plotlines
To Win The (Draken) Race
To keep out of politics (Proctor, Guild, etc)
Will try to save the world/ ring, just because it is her world too.

Antagonist
Friedrick: Ex Priest. He was kicked off the ring by the other priests. Using his secret knowledge of the Ring, he has returned, and wants to bring it down. Not destroying the Ring (they would just make another elsewhere), but by corrupting it. He wants to actually allow true death to occur on the ring. This would destroy the balance of power and cause many spirits to just run off the ring in fear.   His minion are helping him because They want their Guilds re-instated and for most of the monster they think they are working with a priest.

Now by working out how these plot lines collide and weaving all the character's drives and plot lines together, makes a story.

[MoonHunter]

I have been tinkering with both stories. I have been working on scene construction for both novels. I have come to the conclusion that I should really write the Eternal Ring Novel.

Kerren novel will take a great deal of editing and rewriting to include all the implied details and facts to make it Kerrenese that it does not work with this format.

The Eternal Ring story line will still have a great deal implied, but the first 30 or so pages would have a strong introductory quality to them... as Kayla gets onto the ring and meets up with her cotery of friends, she will encounter The Ring and its portals, A Proctor, A Priest, will learn about "games" on each sphere (and Gothem's are interesting), will be in a game (cab driver Avatars play a racing game), will be going to an Event, and seeing Guild intrigue, all while just getting to where they are going.

In short, this will make much more sense.  I will put up my key scene work tommorow.

On the first... I begin to write.

That is actually my great concern. The sheer volume of this work is something I have never attempted in fiction (non fiction game design, sure... but never fiction.) That is 1600 words a day.

This little blurb is approximately 190 words. I need almost 10 time more. I hope I actually have the time to properly write this thing... or make a damm good stab at it.

[Ancient Gamer]

Good luck MoonHunter. As one of those who have witnessed your impressive capacity for posting I am sure you are up to the task, but I expect that we won't see much of you the next month. May you find your muse

[MoonHunter]

When designing a story arc in a campaign, be it a series defining, major, minor, subplot, or what ever, you should define the key events. These key events are scenes that will happen in one form or another durring the campaign. Everything else is just a mechanism to get you to and from key scenes (of this plot line or another).

I have found to my delight, this is the same mechanism that many authors use when designing a novel.  Develop the scenes and work on the beats, the rhythms of the scenes. So I am planning the novel much like I would a campaign - key scenes and possible transitions.

And the character will do what I want. And I don't have to do this for four or five characters... I can have one star... oh joy the ease of it.

And the handy part of being a novelist, is that your characters actually follow your path, rather than occassionally going out into "back field" and waundering there for a while or worse yet... totally muffing up a key scene (usually by killing themselves off but other failures are an option).

The bad part of being a novelists is that you are held to a higher standard than a GM. If a GM Muffs up, they can blame the dice and the players... so many things are beyond their control (if they are playing fairly). If an author muffs up, nobody to blame but themselves.

Also games are done "live". You get one shot at it. Novels are done and redone and redone until nearly perfect. Thus novels, even bad DnD novels, are held to a higher standard than a game session. And non-game fiction fantasy novels are held to a higher standard than game based fantasy novels. (Let's face it, if many of those DnD novels did not have a built in fanbase who enjoyed all those in-jokes and references to mechanisms, they would not be cluttering up a section in your local bookstore.

Now, back on track.  Every scene in a story or game has a purpose. It can provide action, development to the story, and information to the reader. Ideally it will have all three, but you can't have everything all the time.

When planning a scene, you should include notes on the purpose of the scene and any "scene goals". You should work as hard as you can to hit the scene goals every time.

When planning a scene you might have to do a little research. If you are running it in a flour mill, you might want to know what they are like. Stat out any key terrain features and important NPCs. (the fact that there is a network of beams that can be swung and fought on above the floor, the conveyors, and the grinder.) If you are running a game, you might need to reference the various rules for operating in a given environment (So we might need explosion and suffication and falling rules).

So Here is a list of Brief Key Scenes that I am working out and below it a list of NPCs forming. I will be expanding upon some of this every day.


Phase 1 Intro Gothem to Station
1) Falling: Spirit moving to Avatar  "I'm falling into a dizzying kalidoscope of colors.
2) Apartment and a reference to the hosts "life". we also get first reference to the "big race"
3) The secret safe/ closet where her stuff is kept. More explanation, including what happened last time Kayla left lots of coyns out.
4) Cloak and downstairs around the corner for a taxi (spycraftish)
-Taxi Driver is an avatar playing a driving game
5) Station through the throng to the special train
-See a Priest in the station crowd, see the guild color
6)pigenoholed by Proctor Avery to deliver a warrent
--Mention charms and though she does not practice them, she has been around enough.
--Warrent is more than a normal warrent, it is actuall a recall
--Gets her agent star

Phase 1b (montage of travel) include passing a ring spoke. Kayla is frugal. Ending with Canyon's Out gate and picking up a taxi.

Phase 2 Canyon
We pick this up, at a corral a good distance outside of town as she is checking on her mount. Mount is a dragon, much like the Order Dragons.  She pays to make sure everything is okay (first references to guild politicing and foul play).   She heads back towards town. To a place just at the edge of town.

See an ex-luna guilder in town. (Foreshadow to his existance ... he was a racer of some note... a while back)

One of guilds is buying up much of the mounts, preventing latecomers from getting in on the race... unless they are off  (evil guld politics)  (she should see him buy things.. then it should come up in the racing cotery)

Her cotery (loose group of racing friends)
-These guys are here to explain various aspects of Avatar Life. One guys has a fame (widget hovers and follows him, recording moves) and a "sibling" (young apprentice), one guys ia great racer but with gravcars... unbeatable inthem.. even when avatars die and he looses those skilsl, his innate sense of racing allows them to perform at higher levels (competition), grog Guy and Good guy are messing around, waiting for clearance for flights (something is going on and Protectors are checking stuff). Good Guy is only real friend. Also competiton.
--lots of friendly banter, references to past races, introductions... it is a pilot bar scene.

Just outside: Someone Crashes early one in the practices  
--leads into seeing them later after they found a new avatar and got here. (A local this time)
--They look at it and wince. Complain about the number of Fire Guilders who will come here en mass, with no real skill. Mention the other guild buying up mounts... Proctors should get involved... but nah... they only drive up the price a little and limit the number of people who should not be racing who will try to get in.

A little bit later... Kayla approached by Guild Guy, offered guild position. Offered standard fees for handing over her prize. (political awards that go with the winning)
--- rescued by Good Guy... "Want to get some flight laps in?"

Phase 3 practice flights
Pre-flight Check (check straps, mount up, and so on.
   Warming up... discuss the beautiful desert terrain... once there was water... now there is none... just canyons and stone pillars from the ice and water of days gone by.

Kayla and crew do an impromptu race over another older course. Personal jockying.  
--This gets them to the place where they will see the goblin encampment.

Goblins in wilds watching those practice flying far away from most of the rest of the flyers.
--They are hiding. One wants to munchkin, the other has a brain. They hid.

Finish that race... head out to the watering hole they know of... see the Goblin Camp.

Phase 4 Capture
goblins shot at the racers

Flying ice breathing monster peruse them and take them down.. their mounts don't breath and nobody has weapons. Still we are pros at riding and the goblins are not.   These are supported by Luna peoples... (how did Luna people get here... heck how did they still exist)

Charmed down (how are charms working here? This is a minimal manna zone)

On the ground, there is no real contest... a horde vs them riders.

Discover rogue priest... let him to a villian rant....

Phase 5 escape
Escape. She is smart, but not a full fighter or sneaker. They work together to get it... and the kid is not a racer (so someone is fairly competent at the mechanics)
--Escape by contact with critters, with their distractions, they sneak out from under the camoflauged tent, and get to their mounts.
---They get to their mounts by stealing the wyvrns.. take them along... then abandon them.

Arguements about going back and stopping these things. Somebody splits off to get the proctors (he is working for them).

phase 6 return to stop
--Tackle the Gate, without it there is no way on and off that the Proctors can't completely control.
--Of course get captured again.
---How can he get the charms to work?

Bad guy completely checks them.
--finds Kayla's badge and warrent.
---She gets him to open it, and he gets caught.


phase 7 big race
Goofball comes back.
Pre-flight Check
Four interesting flight scenes...

Ending on who wins... (Do we Care?)
Proctor boy came back. The warrent was for someone that we now have found out was working for Fredricks.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BadGuy stoy lines
--Involving ex-luna guilders
--Goblins are being used as proctors normally use them... as monsters
-- Using goblin "invasion" as a distraction to tag SR proctors with account banning.
-- These people catch him first... he must stop them or his plan is for naught.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NPC Listing:  (These people have full names...except Torval... but we will never hear them.)  Old rule of GMing, never invest more work than you have to.  These people are archetypes, they are NPCs that have been used over and over in my games for a long time... file off the serial number fill in a few details and off you go.


Proctor: annoying, but smart.

Torval: Best Racer known. He specializes in GravCars, highspeed very dangerous. Even though you loose the physical skills every time your avatar dies, he knowledge and vague technique means his novice is still more effective than many people's skilled avatars.  He is going to try out on flying the Grand Prix.

Calavin: He is one of the famous people. He is not that great, but he is popular and has a widget following him around. He is of the Water Guild, but nothing too serious about it.

Togge: Grog guy. He brings kegs with him all the time. He even hires redcaps (messengers) to bring him stuff when he comes to spheres where it is not. He is a contender, but not a serious one.

Reddeck: Good Guy. He and She have been flying Dragons here on Canyon for most of the year.  She and He are the ones to beat.

[Kassil]

As it's just a bit after midnight, Nov 1, and I'm about to undertake my own NaNo effort set in the world of Talislanta...

...Cheers, Moon! Good luck, and I'll meet you at the 50k+ mark!

[MoonHunter]

Many people question why I am blogging this process. It is taking time away from writing. In actuallity, this is my thought process "out loud". I think better when writing or typing, especially since I can back reference vague ideas. Okay, there is some lecturing in the previous couple of blogs. It is explanation of gaming, and game related story functions, in reference to a novel.  Again, I structure everything in terms of a game. So where we are. I am just adding a touch of explanation as to how it works.


So of course, I am ready to go. Have the free time. Got ready to write. Then get sick. N/V/D as we say in my world... classic Gastroenteritis. Earlier in the day (and late yesterday), I thought I had nerves... nausea. It is more than mere nerves. So my first day out of the blocks, and I stumble. Okay. Not a problem.  Here we go with what I have done.

>>>>>>>>
I’m falling. The world comes rushing up at me. Speed blurs things; though towards the end everything snaps into clear focus.

Falling is the best way to describe it, even though I know it is only a metaphorically for shifting vibrations. But metaphors do not make you want to vomit when you arrive at the physical. I think it is the jarring stop.

In one split moment, body, spirit, and ka come into one. I arrive. One deep breath to make sure I am alive. Sleeper to Avatar in one breath.

Timing is everything. It seems she had just gotten home from work. I find myself wearing one of those classic tailored work suit and skirt combination with heels. She is doing quite well at that job. I carefully sort the mail in my hands on the table by the kitchen bar. I check her day planner. She had scheduled to have rest of the week off from work and engagements. Good. The Canyon Grand Prix would be Late Saturday locally. I should just be back very late the next day. It is simply not good form to disrupt the life of your sleeper, even if it is a major event.

Moving to the bedroom, I undress, hanging things up on the waiting hangers. I soon find myself wearing nothing but expensive and racy undergarments. She does have a taste for fine things, even though she dresses much like other office drone. Moving hanging clothes aside, I reach what I want. The wall has a charmed safe, invisible to all but Avatars. Not only does it keep all my personal gear together, but it keeps my stash of coyns out of her hands. Before I has this installed, I made the bad mistake of not banking one of my first major race’s prize awards, but stashing it duffle back here with my gear. I returned a bit later to find her living the high life on a yacht, with jewels and furs, being pursued by good looking men. It would not of been annoyed (as much) if she could of sustained her new lifestyle, but she was quickly running out of cash. I recouped what I could, returned her to her life, and had this built. One learns from things like that. Now I am extra careful as I found out what other games are played on this sphere. Besides, to make up for it when I win something, I always leave her some extra coyns, which look like local money or a debit card to her. If I win The Grand Prix, that petty cash I give her might buy her that week in The City of Lights.


There is a little more, but I am unhappy with it. I will do more when this and my stomach settles. 451 words. To keep pace, I need to average 1600. I would write more but I am a bit distracted and the frequent trips are disrupting things. That is one of the reasons each blog portion is "short" in this entry.

The nice thing about writing a novel is that you can actually write the key scenes in any order you want. Novel writing people say you should write the climax, then the next most exciting scenes, and so on, until it is deadly boring.

I just happen to be writing the first scene and the begining sequence first. There is a density of information, a lot of inference, a lot of suggestion, that will be coming in phase 1.  By the end of phase 1 you should have a good feel for much of the Eternal Ring. By the middle of phase 2, you should be able to game with it.  It is my anchor. It establishes the setting not only for this book, but for an entire sequence of books.

There is one thing about the novel's structure that bothers me. We have resolution, then the big race. So we have a big climax. Then another new cycle of rise of drama then fall, then ends wrapping up... tieing the big climax to the little one (we bring our annoying proctor from phase 1 back to tie the begining, the dramatic end, and the real end together.

This would work in a game. Will it work in a novel? ....

Note to self: I really must do a compulsive "speed writing"/ train of thought drill before I get to writing.  These are sit down and write... do not stop writing... no back spaces... no editing... train of thought at full typing/ writing speed, for five minutes. At no time will your fingers be still. For five minutes. It seems so easy. It is really not.  There are lots of ummmmm... ahhhhhhsss... and so on in the text. .... is another favorite. Yet if you focus on a problem or idea, then begin to write about it... it usually resolves (or brings up the deeper underlying problem behind it... so don't let anyone read these warm ups...).

Heck this novel should be nothing but a really long speed writing exercise.

I am two days behind. Today and Thanksgiving. I need to pick up the pace tommorow.

[Strolen]

Too bad about getting sick. Don't fall into the editing as you write pit! Just write write write. EDIT LATER!!

I didn't realize you were going to actually post it here. If that is too much pressure then just give us a quick synopsis or simply your word count and a quick good day bad day thing. Don't make this blog a hinderance! Just write, write write and let it go. Enter the matrix (or whatever writers have)  and give yourself to it.

It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.  It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.  It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.  It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.  It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.  It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.  It is good to write without worries and let the words and ideas just flow.

[Strolen]

Oops, wrote my post before your edit. You know the drill

YOU MUST TRUST THE FORCE

TRUST THE FORCE YOU MUST

[MoonHunter]

It is not too much pressure. In some ways it is a convenience. I can look at things and read them through at work... so I will be ready for when I can go home and write.

Besides, I'm already online while writing (I am always googling something) or reading the Eternal Ring posts, it is a quick cut and paste to add what interesting parts I have written.

I won't post everything, just some of it.

Now the next segment of the scene is a stumbling block. Even if I was speed writing, I would be talking to myself about how it just didn;t work. These notes won't make anysense to any of you. but to me.

Point of scene... description of character by implied elements. Description of the E-Ring by throw away lines. The point is our narrator knows everything and she is not taking the time to explain anything.

Accent Braid, ribbon now, red streak for competition. Mention priest and coyn.

Mirror in Hall or Vanity in Room or Actually finish dressing.
Riding gear or hair... or both... description included in it.  

Gear is covered over by cloak, looks a little odd. But the whole avoid being seen... don't let anyone (shadow gyld) know you live around here... otherwise they will search for your apartment because they might score charms, but you will have more coyns worth of stuff than normal.

1) Braid of hair.
2) Check of boot
3) Cloak and Sling bag  Key. wishes she was charm skilled in the avatar form. Lost the others, so this is it. ---> this will leave an opening to pick up later about how Kas have several avatars possible at one time.
4) sneaking out and over a block before cab....

[MoonHunter]

It is the start of Day 3. I am 1600 words behind benchmark. I will be more if I don't write the full 1600 tonight. (I have to do 1600 words per day to make 50,000 in 30). Now I am very happy with what I have written so far. There has been an absolute minimum of rewriting or editing "in page" as I have advanced the text. I think because I am going slowly, my mind has time to compose the piece before it flows down.

To speed this process up, I am going to start GMing the scenes before I write them. I can present the scene as I would GM it. I will then speak the scene, like I would be prepping a cue card for an upcoming scene in my campaign. Once I go through it once, I will know what works in the scene. And the joy of doing it verbally, rather than writing and re-editing is that it is faster... by a factor of 10. So wish me Luck, I am at it right now.

I check the main accent braid in the mirror. It is thick and straight, running along the side of my face. The red ribbon I always weave into it looks good. The rest of her long straight brown hair was down and held with a head band, rather than that uptight bun she normally wears it in. Sure I could have an Eternal Life Church Priest adjust it and me for a small fee, but spending the time to braid my hair helps settle me into this life. It marks the difference between me, the Avatar, and the separate sleeper and ka.

With that being good, I check my gear. I adjust my boot some. The thigh high reddish leather boots and the scantily covering strap clothing suggests a very old profession, other than wing riding. Given the temperature here when compared to Canyon’s average 41c, it is seems impractical. I wrap myself in an Irish style cape ready to go. It covers over my exotic, for this sphere, outfit, gives me the illusion of being protected from the cold of The City, it keeps me fitting the look of The City, and is not that cumbersome for travel. In short, it is perfect.

I like traveling insanely light, one jump bag is it. The cloak will actually fill most of it after being folded and will be my sleep roll while there. I snag they keys by the door and head out.

I am around the corner and down a block or two before signaling a cab. I am careful just to make sure no Shadow Gyld can trace me back home. They will always search out avatar homes trying to score charmed gear and coyns. Given that the cops and roobers game the Gyld and Proctors play on this sphere, in addition to the personal drama events normally set here, the risks are pretty high.

The cab pulls up, I get in. Then I realize the driver is an avatar as well. Of all the luck, I get a driver probably playing the “Mad Taxi” game.

“Where too?”

“I should get another cab.”

“No worry, I am not even close to winning right now. For a few extra coyns, I will even drive normally.

“In that case, Central Station.”

After tipping the man who still went way, WAY, to fast, I merged into the throng of the station, still busy with late commuters. I don’t catch any other travelers, though I do see an Eternal Life Church priest in the crowd. Sure he is dressed like a Christian priest; but the mundanes can’t see his slightly green skin tone, glowing green eyes, and florecent green accents. Only an avatar could see that halo glow, and the halo of any other denizen of the Eternal Ring.

I head towards the train that leaves every thirty minutes. The Charmed Veil keeps the throng from noticing. The doors open and I step up and in. I can feel the train pull out, but I am not on a train. I am in a good sized room, the train is only the cover for the Gatepoint that lead elsewhere on the Eternal Ring. Two very bored looking three starred blue wearing Guardsmen standing right by it. I head on over, but they simply shake their head. They point to a five star Proctor standing over against the wall. His proctor blue glowing with near flourencent glow that shows he is an avatar and he is affiliated with The Proctors.

Sigh. “Mylon”

“Kayla, wonderful to see you again.”

“What do you want Mylon.”

“Nothing all that difficult this time. A courier delivery, if you can. It is for an Avatar on Canyon, if you see him.” He handed me the small envelope. It was Proctor Blue. It was also heavy.

“It is not a normal message or warrant Myron. They are weightless, it is not. This is charmed, they are not. “

“I thought you were not versed in charms?”

“I have been around The Eternal Ring long enough to know of all the basic charms even if I don’t practice any. And this is not one. I am not taking it if I don’t know what it is.

“You always used to take my messages and warrents.”

“This weekend is special. I am busy”

“So is this warrant.”

I cocked an eyebrow and gave him a smirk.

“All right. It’s not a normal warrant, informing an Avatar of Proctor rulings or councils. It is not even a normal summons, which would pull them to a judgement gate if they transferred or gated. One Hunter Two Claw has been staying active on Canyon for ten days. He is not using the gate, so I can’t catch him there. He is not returning to the Akashic, so I can’t catch him as he returns to his avatar. He is living there. I figure you know the place and the people, spending so much time there. You might be able to find him. You give that to him, open, and he is recalled to a special holding point. He will be unable to transfer his Ka and the form will be held. Don’t give it to anyone else, unless you want them to share his fate. “

“Ooookay Myron,” I said. This was major charm stuff, seldom used since the weeks of the Luna Guild purges. Given the name, he probably was a “troublesome reminant” of the Luna Gyld.  I really do not want to be involved, but it is Myron. I owe him. “I will see what I can do. No promises. The Grand Prix is MY main concern. “

“I understand. And, hey, good luck with that event.

He hands me the envelope and something else. It is a marker, a blue gyld patch the size of my palm with one star.

“Yes, you might need to prove you are an agent. If you get caught with that enveloped without it, it could be … complicated for you. “

I nodded. “Thanks Myron, I’ll be in touch.  Remember to bet on me. I am going to win.

With Myron’s approval, I walk past his two guard dogs. I pass through the archway, up the one step to the platform to the large red gate star. Like my little agent star, it is an eight pointed star, with emphasis on the 0, 90, 180. and 270 points. I willed it so, and I shifted to the next gate point on the Eternal Ring.

>>1596  +1000 for day, -1600 for month.
Notes to self- This part is not bad, but it will be better.
a) Change the room where the GatePoint is. Add some more stuff to it. It is big and empty. Maybe it is an echo of the big room of Grand Central Station.
b) The transition to Myron, he needs to be waiting there... of course how does he know she will be going there? and we need him waiting somewhere important...
c) A bit of stage direction might be nice.

[MoonHunter]

What this project has taught me.

1) I need to invest more time into writing. It takes me about  half an hour to get into "writing mode". When you only have a spare hour to hour and a half, this is detrimental.

2) I can write 500 words per hour. So give enough time, I can do the project. I should try to write faster. However, I am writing effortlessly. There is no real rewrite need or frustration with the process. However, the pace is plodding.

3) My book is all plotted out. I also figured out that it will be 28,000 words when it is done.

Oooops.

Well I could pad it some, but the story is tight and well paced. Adding more would be detrimental to the book. I would need to entwine another entire story line. Maybe from the villian's point of view.  However, since the book is being written in the first person present tense (which is quite in vogue with published authors), that option is not available to me. (I could write both twines in the narrators voice, but the second twine is not as continuous as hers. Thus not lending itself to this.).

I could write something else. I am playing with the idea.

This is where I am, in the project... thought you would all want to know.

[Ancient Gamer]

How did this go MoonHunter? From skimming the text it seems you began lugging behind. Did you finish?

[MoonHunter]

Oh darn. I was really hopping this thread would just go away...

I got about 1/5 of the way through before the end of the month.  I discovered I write slowly and carefully in fiction mode. I edit myself in my head, so I don't have to rewrite as much when I edit.  This is good for the finished product, but bad for writing. The key to writing is actually writing. You need to put things down on paper. You can edit later, but if you don't write it down in the first place.. you don't have anything.

I am trying to figure out how to change this about myself.  I hope to try it again this november.

[Ancient Gamer]

Hmmm... Useful experience methinks. I will ponder this. Writing first and foremost, editing in an iteration of its own. Okay.

[manfred]

I hear rumors November is approaching again...

[Chaosmark]

Thought: I'm shamelessly pulling this thought from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, but if you're needing a bit more to pad the storyline, you might try adding a sub-plot. Just something on the side that interweaves with the different portions of the story, but doesn't affect it in any way except the superficial. He's done this quite well in his entire series so far; while there's a main mystery/task for the main character to solve, he also has some sort of subplot going on (as well as a complication factor, but you already knew that, right? ...Right?!). The subplot is generally something that develops the character's character, making him seem more human.

I'm quite sure that you can apply this sort of thing to your work without much effort. If something works, use it. And heaven knows Butcher is becoming the next cult classic...

[MoonHunter]

Padding the story line by adding character threads are useful, and something I was doing. However there are not that many applicable people and character threads because this is a single book.

And people.. can we let this thread just die?  I am not going to keep it up. I may or may not try it again.