Writing Report Week 5 – Reality

Saturday went by slow this week. I don’t know why, but I lacked the energy I have on most other days of the week, but that did not make it harder to write. The weekend is one my busy periods of every week, as I have a lot to focus on. It is the time of the week when I need to care for my lizards, my turtle and monitor and continue to adapt my burgeoning vegetable garden. I guess this year is a revitalisation of who I am and this reflects in how I write.

Saturday 3 March Progress Report (Previous Report)

Word Target: 2,500

Words Written: 2,501

• Overview

Reality continues to prove a challenge to me each week. I mentioned in previous reports it contains things I do not work with in my other novels. The setting is one of the trickiest I have ever conceived and it shows why I find Reality a difficult novel.

While the novel takes place in an undisclosed Australian city in New South Wales, there are hints that is not the true place that the novel takes place. I cannot elaborate on that further without spoiling the entire plot of the novel, but I say it so that you, the reader, can get a better understanding of how the characters speak and the world they live in.

• What I Did Today

Today I looked more into the changing psyche of Max Parker and how she is starting to do things she would not do before her accident. I am starting to strip away her good characteristics and signify that who she sees herself as is not who she wants to be. In that aspect, Reality is a very psychological novel and today’s work reflected that.

• The Best Sample From Today

The production of artistic work took a backseat to the conflict and subtle changes that are now trying to consume Max Parker’s mind. The best piece from today highlights a massive dissonance in her character and is a major indication to the reader about where the novel intends to lead.

Hailey smirked and pulled herself up. She swung the bag with our change of clothes around as she skipped around to me. I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand. She led me to the change room and we spent a few minutes getting dressed. I knew Hailey beat me out as I found myself distracted by seeing my reflection on the screen of my phone.

I did not know why I opened the camera, but it felt right as I took photos of either my semi-naked or naked body. I took at least a dozen before I snapped out of the strange funk. I panted and looked at the photos. A smirk came across my face. I opened up messages and clicked on Max Taylor’s name. Without a word, I sent through a couple of the less risqué pictures and turned my phone off. I chuckled and got dressed into my swimwear.

I have never written passages like this before. I write similar stuff in all my novels, but none of them put any focus on a real world task. The use of a phone camera places the reader in a mundane task that people take for granted.

While they are an obvious and blatant set up to a future event, that is what makes the paragraphs work. It builds up an expectation in a reader’s mind about what will happen. I will spoil by saying it will not end where people expect it it.

• How Productive I Felt I Was

Today was slow but methodical in how I wrote. I managed to set up a lot of key plot points in the middle of the novel without ruining story flow. I did deviate from the goal I set last week, but all writing changes as the writer needs it to. I focused on the second point from last week – how Max sees herself.

While I hit my goal, I cannot say I was ultra productive today. I contemplated not even writing today, but I knew that would do me no good. I channeled the slowness of the day into the words today and let the quality of the words speak for themselves.

• What I Intend To Write Next Week

Next week will be more or less the same sort of work, with a heavy focus on Max Parker’s changing character and how she starts to alienate those around her with her choices. I intend to do it in a very subtle way, but that plan alone is enough to get me pumped up for the next block of Reality.