Writing Report Week 6 – Crucible

I don’t know what it is about Crucible. I seem to have the urge to do it better and quicker than the novels that come before it. Perhaps it is how I have chosen to go about it, but that would not make much sense. Crucible is not my main style, but I still treat it as if I have done it for years.

Wednesday 7 March Report (Previous Report)

Word Target: 2,500

Words Written: 2,503

• Overview

I need to state this week that Crucible contains a lot of elements from my original idea for Eden. I made a conscious decision to rework both novels to be something quite a good deal removed from their original layout. Crucible especially got a massive buff to the story, given I intended it to be a short story of around 20,000 words.

I’m also working more effectively as summer has finally passed me by. I no longer need to worry about maintaining a sub 30 Centigrade temperature in my bedroom where my office is located. I do need to worry about the fact this is prime illness season for me, but I pushed through it today and it helped me feel proud of what I accomplished.

• What I Did Today

Today was focused on the first half of the trip of the journey through the desert to Laas Neda. I took the opportunity to add in a little background to the world and give character to an inanimate place, while also showcasing the dangers present in the world. Today was all about having Lumi realise that she is not, to steal from L. Frank Baum, in Kansas anymore.

• The Best Sample From Today

The sequence for today is a paragraph couplet that details Lumi’s first experience with the wild weather outside the Havens. I felt that today was an appropriate time to up the ante and raise the stakes. Lumi is on a race against the clock, and I need the reader to feel that too.

Ash smiled but before she could say anything, a stinging wind blew in from the East. It carried particles of sand with it and lowered all visibility to the minimum. I struggled to see a few metres in front of me and the howling of the wind obscured all sounds. My skin started to burn as the wind picked up speed. I tried to look toward the source, but the sheer force that pressed against my face was more than enough to hinder any of my efforts. I reached out to try and feel for any sign of Ash. The grains of sand scratched and ground the skin on my arm as I reached out. I had to collapse to the hot ground to avoid the worst of the savage sandstorm. All I could hear was the whistle and howl of the wind as it tore all around me.

I do not know how long the storm lasted nor did I know the damage it was causing to the exposed skin of my extremities. Several times over the course of the squall I heard cries of anguish and agony. I felt legs and hands brush against my body as they scrambled to grab hold of anything useful. The ground began to shift underneath me before the winds died down and the yellow tint of the world faded in favor of a vibrant coloration. I dared to lift my head out of the sand and I could feel the pile on my body shift to my movements. I did not care about the heat. I was happy to be unharmed, if a little worse for wear.

I do not have much experience writing storms, but I took cues from the fact that I have received praise for the visceral feeling I invoke in my writing without being too obscene or rude. What I feel the sequence amounts to is a variant of torture in the world of Crucible. It also serves as a turning point in the novel. This is the point of no return and I had to make it feel that way.

• How Productive I Felt I Was

Since today invoked the travel to Laas Neda, or at least half of it, I find I did a superb job painting the world and shedding new light on how things work without exposition dumping a reader.

I took the cue from last week and sowed the seeds for Lumi and Ash’s romance that will form part of the backbone of Crucible. There is evident animosity between the two, but they remain courteous and respectful, as people are wont to do in real life.

• What I Intend To Write Next Week

Next week builds on from what I did this week. Most of what I do next week will focus on the characters being tested and their sanity called into question, while I also continue to weave Lumi and Ash’s romance. Crucible is a contemporary tapestry, and I must take great care in ensuring people see it as such.