Writing Report Week 6 – Reality

I spent the morning of today working on my Mum’s front yard overhaul with my eldest brother. I ended up sunburned as a result, but it happens when you have skin as pale as I do. It did not affect my writing and I feel I did an extraordinary amount of good writing today. Not that I think my writing is bad per say, but I know I can improve.

Saturday 10 March Progress Report (Previous Report)

Word Target: 2,500

Words Written: 2,505

• Overview

Reality was not as challenging this week as I anticipated. I came in expecting the worst day in my writing history, but the ease with which everything came to me was a shock. I do not know if I can repeat it in the future, but I set a standard for myself that I will endeavour to match with each day.

• What I Did Today

Today was more of looking into Max Parker’s psyche while also presenting a new look at the world around her. As such, the chapter gives a little insight into why her reserved nature hides a lot of demons. I envision Max Parker as a broken pedestal and I feel that came through in exceptional fashion today.

• The Best Sample From Today

Today was a mixture of complex artistic work and subtle character building, even though I am more than fifty percent complete with Reality. The best sample from today continues to show the changing psyche of Max Parker as she does things she has never done before.

“You want me to insult you to your face? Sure. I got no qualms about burying a sister fucker six feet under. Why don’t you make the first strike, huh? I bet you claim to be a tough sonuvabitch to your friends when no one is around that will hurt you. All I see in front of me is a dumb cunt with no respect for anyone but himself. Touch me. I dare you to lay a finger on me,” I said.

I stretched my arms out to the side and cocked my head amidst the chorus of cheers. Sweat lined the brow of the tradie and he gave a nervous laugh. His punch did not faze me at all, even though he scored a direct hit on my jaw. He could not smile at his attack. With lightning speed, the crack of my fist echoed along the beach. The tradie went down like a tonne of bricks, clutching his face.

The sequence shows a sadistic side of Max Parker and how, without any restrictions, she is not afraid to pull punches in a metaphorical and physical sense. The sequence intends to invoke the typical schoolyard jock who thinks he is all that and it comes through beautifully as I used my own experience with people like that to present the sequence.

The paragraph where Max lashes out is something that has half happened to me in real life. The day I punched the last bully I ever had in the face was the inspiration. It hits home how unfeeling Max is after the accident when she does not even react to being hit. It also provides another sneaky reveal to the twist at the end which makes complete sense at that reveal.

• How Productive I Felt I Was

The story is heading into the final acts and it is beginning to feel like it as I move further down the rabbit hole that is Max Parker. I laid the foundations of the alienation of Max Parker from her world in the most subtle way possible.

Since I did precisely what I intended to do last week, this was an amazing day for my writing. I may have had a busy day overall, but I did not let my real world distract me from my creation and my consistency this week was broken this week in a positive direction: I finished my writing faster than I ever have for Reality. That is an achievement in my mind!

• What I Intend To Write Next Week

Next week will bring the current chapter to a close with a shocking twist and allow me to look at the events that follow from the other character named Max. Max Taylor has been removed from the story for a little while, but the interactions between him and Max Parker are about to become a lot more prominent.