NaNoWriMo update #2

Okay, another week has gone by and time for another update on my National Novel Writing Month project. I had the free time to write this week and have been able to power through a significant chunk of the start. The chapters ended up being a little meatier than I expected, but as of today I've written four chapters adding up to 21,500 words.

I've also decided to use Smashwords NaNoWriMo set up in order to keep publishing my work in progress. So if you want to read what I have written so far (through chapter 3 at the moment, I'll update it at the end of today), you can download the entire thing for free here:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/252206

Here's a little excerpt from yesterday and please follow the links below to the updates from my fellow Absolute Writers.

A Daughter's Revenge: A Necessary Evil Tale (Chapter 4 excerpt)

“Down here.” 

A voice from my feet startles me. I look down to see a grate in the cobblestone. Two tiny hands push the grate up and slide it out of the way. The resulting hole is tiny and black.

“Come on.” I can tell the voice belongs to a child but can’t see anything. I don’t know if it’s one of the gang luring me into a trap or an angel sent to save me. I look at the approaching guard and realize I don’t have a choice. I crouch down, drop my feet into the abyss, and lower myself down. My feet hit something solid while my head is still in the air. My shoulders hit the top of the hole and I’m stuck halfway in and halfway out. The guard makes a desperate lunge to grab me and I feel hands on my waist pulling me down. With a pop I descend into darkness. 

The ham fist of the guard follows me, but it’s all that the guard can fit through the opening.  I’m sitting on wet stone and slide myself back from his reach. I bump into something soft that gives when I hit it. I can just make out the outline of a tiny person.

“Come on.” A hand grabs mine and pulls me away from the cursing guard and down a tunnel. With one hand on the ceiling to protect my head, I walk hunched over, led on by the gods know who. It feel like we’re walking downhill. The reek of the city is replaced by a stronger reek of shit and piss.

“Wait. Who are you? Where are we going?” I ask.

“I’m Jack. We’re going to sunnyroom.” I’m pretty sure he’s a boy. His voice is calm, as if his answers are complete. For some reason I don’t think he’s a threat, but I keep my guard up. There’s nothing I can do in the dark, anyway.

“Thanks for the help, but if you can just show me a way out I’ll be fine.” 

“Them snipers gonna be around for a while. Best wait them out.” 

I’m not sure what to ask or how to refute his logic so I follow in silence. It feels like we take several turns before I notice that my hand can no longer reach the ceiling. I can now walk fully upright. And I think my eyes are adjusting to the gloom when I can start to make out the outline of Jack walking in front of me. Then I realize that the tunnel is getting lighter – there is actually a light at its end.

Jack leads me out of the tunnel and into a cave. The cave is the size of a small room, the ceiling a large latticework of iron. Beyond that are brick walls that lead up to a sky that’s grey but bright. The walls of the cavern are rough stone, cut out of the earth itself. They sparkle. Like a million gemstones flashing their brilliance, the crystals in the stone reflect the day’s light and make the place feel alive. There is another tunnel leading out opposite where we entered, but Jack stops in the middle and releases my hand.

“The sunnyroom,” he states.

List of AW participants:

Aheïla: http://thewriteaholicblog.wordpress.com
Orion_mk3: http://nonexistentbooks.com/
CJ Michaels: http://www.christinajmichaels.blogspot.com/
Meowzbark: http://www.lizzylessard.com
Michael Shoemaker: www.michaelshoemaker.com
Moreferarum: http://mahirnaem.blogspot.co.uk/
Wonderactivist: http://luciesmoker.wordpress.com
Ito: http://www.thehammerdott.com/
Lady Cat: http://www.carolsrandomness.blogspot.ca
MaggieAmada: http://maggieamada.com/mblog/
Randi.Lee: http://emotionalnovel.blogspot.com
Tezzirax: http://thomascardin.blogspot.com
Proach: http://deannaswriting.wordpress.com

Booking Through Thursday - Stormy Weather

BTT

Apparently last week's Booking Through Thursday was missed due to hurricane Sandy.  But it's back this week so be sure to jump over there and check out everyone's response to the question(s):

1. How do storms affect your reading? Do you go for comfort reading? 2. How do you deal with power outages? Do you read by candlelight? Flashlights? Use a self-lit e-reader or tablet? Skip reading altogether for the duration and instead play games with the family?

Here in California we weren't affected by the hurricane. We're rarely affected by any storms. But I grew up in Minnesota, and we had good ol' winter blizzards and tornado season in the spring. Both would knock out power on a regular basis but the response was always quite different.

When the snow and ice knocks out power you are not only in the dark for the moment but realistically stuck in the house for a day (or two) until the roads are clear. But you are perfectly safe so you can relax and enjoy the isolation. This involves lots of blankets, maybe some hot chocolate, and a good book. I read a lot of epic fantasy as kid and would sit in bed and finish off an eight hundred page whopper in a day. 

Tornadoes, on the other hand, always hold the danger of impending destruction. You can't just light a candle and relax. We'd have to gather up all those warm blankets and head into the furnace room in the basement in the center of the house. Maybe even get all the way back under the stairs to be ready for the house to collapse on top of you. Not really the easiest place to read.

I can't remember the last time we lost power for any reason around here. But my laptop has a battery and I've got a cellular modem. I'd probably still be checking email, reading on my kindle app, or hopefully still writing away. Times and technology change everything.

NaNoWriMo Work in Progress

Smashwords has created a special section for NaNoWriMo books. The idea is to allow people to share their progress and people can keep downloading the book as you update it. I think it might be cool for people to see a rough draft as it develops.

Now, there's also the risk that people might look at it and judge your work in comparison to completed projects. But I really don't think that many random people who don't know what NaNo is are going to stumble upon the book. So I've decided to share my NaNo work so people can read the whole thing as it's created. I expect to have a completed novel with light editing by the end of the month.

So if you want to see what I have so far, you can find it at Smashwords:

A Daughter's Revenge: A Necessary Evil Tale

NaNoWriMo update #1

So I've started a new book for National Novel Writing Month. A bunch of folks over at Absolute Write are doing the same and thought it might be fun for everyone to do an update on Fridays. Here's mine, and check out the links below to see what other folks are writing.

I wrote 4,100 words on day one. That's a full chapter and a little bit more. On day two (today) I almost finished off the second chapter but I'm taking off for the weekend so only got in 2,000 words. But it feels good and I'm getting into the character's voice - starting is always the hardest part for me so I'm very happy right now. Here's the start of the story:

A Daughter's Revenge:

I hope I don’t get caught. It was stupid to sneak out to visit Tomas, especially when I’ll get to see him on market day anyway, but we won’t be alone then. It’s much more fun when we’re alone. I know I shouldn’t be letting him do those things to me, touching me like that, but I just can’t help myself. It doesn’t really matter – as soon as he reaches his eighteenth birthday and his father gives him a share of the mill he’ll be able to pay my dowry and ask Father for my hand. We’ll be married before winter solstice and then we’ll be able to do more than just touch each other. It’s so hard to wait.

The first warm, clear night of the season is another reason I wanted to go. The whole world is quiet and beautiful. It’s easy enough to find my way back home through the woods with the moonlight slicing through the bare branches, leaves just starting to return to the aspens. Everything is cast in a pale white, even my arms glow under the fae light. Tomas wanted to walk me home but I knew I’d be happier to have the time to myself. I never get to be alone. Besides, if he came along he’d just try to get under my smock again. Enough is enough; I’m still a lady.

I top Fletcher’s knob and noise reaches me from below. Shouts or screams I can’t really tell, and the forest blocks my view of our house. I could climb the rock on the top of the hill to see but something tells me I need to get down there as fast as possible. I run through trees, the moonlight now creating sinister shadows where roots and shrubs jump out to trip me. I fall twice but keep running as it becomes clear that there are many people at the house and something bad is happening.

Nearing the edge of the tree line I see different colored lights, the orange of torches moving hurriedly back and forth. The voices are more distinct: men’s voices yelling in heat and anger, hysterical screams from my mother and sisters, the wailing of my little brother, and over it all a laughter full of evil joy. I stop at the last large oak and gasp for air as I take in the nightmare before me.

There’re a dozen men, on horses and off, surrounding the house. Most carry a torch in their hands though several have swords or cudgels instead. I make my way closer to where the road follows the woods so I can get a better view, stopping behind a large trunk. Some men are coming and going from inside but most have gathered together on the dirt path in front of our porch. At the center of that group I can make out my family. My mother is clutching my sisters and brother to her as she kneels on the ground. My father is also on his knees but he is being held there but two men. He is facing the rest of the family but is separated from them by a single man standing at the center of it all. The screaming is stopped when the man walks to my mother and slaps her with the back of his hand.“Enough!” 

List of participants:
Aheïla: http://thewriteaholicblog.wordpress.com
Orion_mk3: http://nonexistentbooks.com/

CJ Michaels: http://www.christinajmichaels.blogspot.com/
Meowzbark: http://www.lizzylessard.com
Michael Shoemaker: www.michaelshoemaker.com
Moreferarum: http://mahirnaem.blogspot.co.uk/
Wonderactivist: http://luciesmoker.wordpress.com
Ito: http://www.thehammerdott.com/

Random spots of beauty

Well, there doesn't seem to be a Booking Through Thursday prompt today. Probably too busy with NaNoWriMo like the rest of us (I'll update on that tomorrow). But I just wanted to add a little something connected to my post on internet resources yesterday.

I've been a grumpy facebook user for years. I was petulant when I had to start tweeting. I still complain that the internet is not an equivalent to personal interaction. But I'm starting to change my mind a bit.

In addition to the nice people I've been meeting here and other places, I've seen some very cool things on the internet lately. Things that make you want to say 'awwww'.

On Twitter I've seen a well-established author sincerely congratulate a random aspiring writing for finishing one whole page of a project, people get help when 911 was down, support for people clearly depressed and despairing.

On Facebook I've seen friends get well wishes and advice while going through tough medical situations, random photos showing random kindness in the wake of Sandy, and even some people encouraging voters or all persuasions to participate.

I've received positive comments on this blog that suggests it IS worth doing, I've given and received advice on forums, I've found people who I can call friends even if I have no idea what they look like.

Sure, there's lots of ugliness out there, too. But much of that beauty that I've found would have remained hidden if not for the internet and social media. Maybe it's not the same as live interaction, but it is personal and it does mean something.