Tuesday 3 April Progress Report (Previous Report)
Where My Word Count Should Be: 30,000 words
Where My Word Count Is: 30,039 words
- Overview
Crow is done well before I anticipated today. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact I really do like to write Crow. It is fun to see what I can do with the protagonist and develop the reader’s opinion of her while slowly building the idea that she is not as good as she thinks she is.
I cannot overstate the progress I continue to make with the Writing Challenge and Crow in particular. Ten weeks ago, I was under the impression I had written myself into a hole but now there is so much to the novel, it is hard to see that the original vision had very little substance to it.
- What I Did Today
I spent most of today filling in the blanks missing from Isabelle’s account of the same events, while building up the backstory of Ashley. I find she is one of the more interesting modern characters I have. I don’t know why, but there is something about the way she acts and the way she perceives the world around her that is so relevant these days. I also gave Ashley the various injuries that plague her over the course of the novel.
- The Best Sample From Today
The sample for today built up more of Ashley’s childhood and character. It was quite easy to get onto the page since Ashley is not too difficult for a reader to imagine in front of them.
It was the half-truth in any case. It was easier for me to bluff my way out of a situation that involved the fact that I was the cause of a lot of the trouble in my life. Since I was little, all I loved was causing trouble and that sensation never went away. I visited several psychologists and they all told me similar things. I relished in trouble because it removed my dopamine inhibitors and makes me joyful. A consequence of that was I tended to get into a lot of trouble with alarming regularity. It helped explain why I reveled in the pain I inflicted upon others. It made me happy.
Ashley has a weird way to tell a story and a lot of involves her being quite selfish and uncaring of others. In that sense, Ashley is a throwback to the classic detectives of the 30’s and 40’s. She is quite a relief in the politically correct modern era.
The sequence ties together a lot of aspects of Ashley that might seem random. I like to think of myself as a writer that, when I include something in my writing, it will always mean something in the long run. Everything in my novels has meaning.
- How Productive I Felt I Was
As I mentioned, the time working on Crow flew by today. Everything seemed to make sense and I did not know how much I had written until the last hour of work. I am proud of the fact I am sticking to a relatively coherent plan each and every week, which is a unique experience for me, given I do not write with a plan for most things.
Ten weeks makes a big difference when I look back over my work. My chapters are increasing in length and content yet my writing retains an ultra high quality to it. Every word makes me feel better about myself.
- What I Intend To Write Next Week
I will keep this short this week as I intend to inform everyone of what I intend to do at the end of the week. Keep your minds creative and put those pens onto paper.
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