sings_off_key

Just verified my Nano at 50,001 words. I have large swaths of scenes in summary form instead of actually written out but the first draft is complete. I ended up getting what I think are good ideas for the final scenes. Less lame than the vague mess from my outline, anyway. So I'm going to let this mess set awhile and then get started with the edits.

Lots to do there. My tone still wavers between serious and non. My characters need more distinctive voices. There's a long soggy middle that needs major surgery. Working from an outline had a lot of advantages for me but it felt more like a series of compass points and not a true road map. Not sure if that's good or bad but I know I need to explore this tool some more.

I ended up falling out of hate with my story. Can love be far behind?

Had a nice Thanksgiving at my sister's house. Ate plenty, listened plenty, talked some, good time was had by most if not all. I was particularly thankful that the feast wasn't at my house this year--we left my sister with a mountain of dirty dishes, heh heh.

Managed to get caught up after a couple or three slacker days. Once I got everyone killed and Solaufein whisked away to Cania, I'm having a lot more fun with the story. I'm making some serious changes from the game plot. Instead of the Sleeping Man and the lame puzzles, I popped in an agent from Asmodeus who wants Meph reined in and feels the bond with Solaufein is the easiest way to do so.

I'm probably going to have to skip/summarize some more scenes to finish the first draft by the end of the month but I'm now hopeful I can get there. And that makes me thankful.

Ok, three weeks into this thing. I'm at 35K words, right on schedule. Why, oh why, do I hate this story???

Lifeless characters. Inane and pointless plot. Why did I think this was a good idea? I've lost any sense of humor or wit.

I'm skipping scene after scene with naught but notes in brackets; otherwise I'll end up with 100K of junk instead of 50K. If I can get through the battle with the Valsharess tomorrow (and that's going to be a BIG stretch), that will leave me almost a week to write the Cania scenes and have a complete first draft done. Then I'm going to stick this whole tired story in a deep hole somewhere and hope it ferments into something I can tolerate.

Over the halfway point and I am caught up. I'm able to write with a bit more enthusiasm now. Still crap but, you know, enthusiastic crap. I've got Solaufein feeling all sleazy after being used by Matron Mother Myrune and I've got Nathyrra refusing to go on a guilt trip over poisoning the drow party outside the beholder chasm. Everyone gets chased by a bebilith.

Ready to cut over to Valen and Haer'Dalis--I wonder how they will enjoy traveling together. Not much, I'm thinking. Hard to see the urbane sophisticate schmoozing the angsty berserker. Need to think about how to retrieve the mirror, or its shards, without stupid riddles and contests. What, I wonder, are the chances that any of the avariel would have known Aerie? With so few of them left, it seems not impossible, unless the communities are widely separated from each other.

Got behind yesterday with the kids home from school; got caught up today. Suddenly reached that "OMG I'm writing crap" stage with its accompanying flood of disillusionment. Not sure how to get my enthusiasm back other than to keep on trudging. I had to break down and use Write or Die to get through some boring exposition. Maybe I'll think of a better way to handle it later. Now I'm at the sparring matches, so that's more fun. Although I think I'm writing crap here too, darn it. Solaufein and Valen are about to step into the ring and (I hope) they're both going to lose their tempers. Valen might accuse Solaufein of using a strength belt and the crowd will suggest they both strip. I think Deekin is going to run to the temple to call for a healer...

I haven't written much today (not yet anyway) but am still slightly ahead of schedule. I'm at the fight where Halaster is freed, slogging through it, really, without much inspiration. What I've got is "okay". I don't really want an amazing fight here, so I suppose that will work. What continues to give me fits is technical issues with darkvision/infravision and invisibility. Don't really want to take the time delving into the details of the spells but I'm not sure what I'm doing actually works. I'm trying to throw various sources of light and heat around in the hope of confusing the enemy. Think I'm mainly confusing myself.

I'm also playing fast and loose with 2E/3E rules and giving Haer'Dalis spells he shouldn't technically have in the NWN1 game. Another issue is the Silence of Lolth. I'm running on the assumption that her clerics are gutted of spells and I have them using rods and other items. The game does not do this. (Unless all those handmaidens worship one of the other drow gods, which seems pretty damned unreasonable to me.) Maybe that's why there are so many duergar clerics. Hmm.

Halaster himself is a blast to write and I am looking forward to his freedom and his punishment of Solaufein. Other than the geas, haven't quite figured out how he is going to humble and humiliate my poor hero. Heh heh. I had thought about dispensing with the clone but I don't know, two mad mages can be fun.

Hit the basic quota by 9 am although I'll write some more and continue to build a word cushion. This time last year I was seriously ready to quit but I'm having fun this time. Writing the "prequel" in Sept and Oct helped because I can plunge right into my story. And once I decided this could be a humorous take on a serious quest, everything became much, much more enjoyable. I'm pleased with how the story is going and the ideas continue to flow. So today I've got a naked party crawling through a filthy airshaft (the grig: I hope you tallfolk brought some grease), the attack of the half-baked golems, Sharpbriar threatens to put an arrow through Solaufein's exposed gonads and on top of that, some Deekinisms. Oh boy.

Made my first day's quota on the Solaufein fic and I expect I'll get some more done this evening. I'm having a hard time settling down to work. Pretty much like my previous two years, I'm afraid. I do have an outline but it is very vague and not particularly helpful once I sit down to write. Don't know if that is good or bad. If I had a scene-by-scene guide, I suspect it would drive me out of my mind with boredom.

The penultimate chapter (I hope) is finally posted. The chapter went long, and ended up being a series of talks, as Keeta went from companion to companion. Probably would have been better if I'd broken it up with some action but I honestly couldn't think of anything she'd do at that point.

The last bit will fit into one long chapter, I think. I've got a rough outline but don't see how I can get it written before Nano starts. I suppose for Nano I'll pick up the Solaufein tale. I've already written some 15K words, almost all of the first part. I don't think I'll have much trouble making parts 2 and 3 run to 50K, so the advantage with this story is I've got a good shot at getting a completed first draft. I've got a pretty decent outline and my characters are defined. I think I'll like writing it and it gives me a chance to see how notecard plotting works for me. Disadvantages: even though I won't count what I've written, it's still cheating. Also, I haven't worked on this in at least a couple of weeks and it's not fresh and clear in my head anymore. (That may actually be an advantage.) And I keep telling myself I'll get out of the fanfic business.

My other idea, my fairy tale mystery (for lack of a better description) will be fun to write. Problem is, I haven't figured out where I'm going with it yet. Most importantly, I don't know how it ends. I think it's OK not having it plotted out but I really, really need to know where I'm headed or it's going to be a ramble. I'm afraid if I get going on this too soon, I'll end up with so much unusable crap that I lose all energy for the project. I would hate that.

One of the joys of fanfic is you can do the impossible. I staged a match I'd love to see: Balthazar vs the Ravager! I've never gotten very far in BG playing a monk and I'm considering using ShadowKeeper to cheat me a character similar to his just so I can try it out.  The game AI makes such pitiful use of his special attacks...

Anyway, I posted the new chapter. Depending on how I draw things out, there are only two or three more to go. I'd like to blow through all the high-level summons fights the game forces you to slog through and get right to the confrontation with Melissan. I'd rather concentrate on the reactions of the companions as they sense and fear what's about to come. I'm not sure the scene I just wrote with the solar will set this up adequately. Hmm.

I do have a good shot of finishing this before Nano, if I don't slack off worse than I already have. Don't know when I'll get back to Solaufein unless I cheat and work on that story for Nano. Will probably be easier to write than the new story, which isn't plotted at all and is still vague and unformed. Might be fun though.