Back From The Writing Wilderness With More NaNo Nakedness

Today's writing re-established two things in "Stars, Bars, and the Crown." The first is that supporting character Mia definitely wears the pants in her relationship with main character Liam (she leaves him consistently speechless with her quick wit and great body). The second rediscovery is that I write more words when Mia's not wearing any pants at all.

31,408 / 50,000 (62.8%)

So after spending the day around Chicago with my younger brother and his new girlfriend, I finally sat down to write after a quick nap. Yesterday's writing time was spent seeing Lanny's band at Hyde Park Records when my sister convinced me that I was being anti-social to stay home and write on a Saturday night when this event was happening. It didn't take much convincing to get me down to the south side since I had no idea what I was going to write next anyhow.

Now, nearly 2,000 words later tonight, I was glad that I took a break from the story since it was actually a lot less stressful to spend yesterday night watching a band. And tonight's scene was probably one that I wouldn't have written yesterday. I had vaguely planned to have Liam spend some time in bed talking to Mia but having her rush him out the door while talking to him in the shower (he was in the bathroom with her but not in the shower because I'm still trying to keep this novel PG-13) worked so much better. It definitely shows the frustration he's seeing in all aspects of the relationship as she's finding working for Matthew Starwood more important than talking to him (or, you know, other things).

Plus writing innuendo is just so much fun that the words pour out.

Two lines that I wrote today that were especially fun were the following:

(Liam calling the campaign office to say he's running late and getting the administrative assistant Charlotte Jefferson)

"Yes, this is Liam Hedley," Liam said, "myself and Mia Aritabul are running slightly late this morning."

"Big night yesterday you two? Get married already and then you’ll be on time every morning." Liam caught Charlotte’s innuendo but decided not to answer it. "Well, just get here as soon as you can, Matthew is running around like a child on too much sugar this morning with worry."

(Mia is getting out of the shower and Liam, well, reacts as one might expect physiologically)

"Liam honey," Mia said, "you know that I’m in a hurry. She glanced down at the bulge in his boxer shorts. Patting Liam on the belly with her left hand Mia said, "down boy," and swiped the towel off the rod quickly with her right hand. Wrapping it around herself, she said to Liam, "tonight it’s just you and me and your little friend alright?"

"Little?" Liam said almost in a whimper.

"Sorry," Mia giggled, "your gigantic friend. Has he thought of joining up with one of the snake gangs, they could use the muscle I’m sure."

That's not just word padding, I swear. It's important to the story. :)

Yes, NaNoinsanity is definitley setting in on this keyboard. I was commenting back and forth with oracleofdoom who commented on her journal that her NaNo was turning rather steamy. I responded that "I was tempted to write a lesbian sex scene tonight. But, seriously, I think this happens to everybody every year. It's either sex scenes, horrid comedy, or a scene where hundreds die. It all depends on the mood of the writer but that's known as NaNoInsanity. Seriously, it has a name and everything!"

Actually it was worse than that because I seriously had three male characters strip as part of the initiation for the John Harper Society while Ian checks them for wires (at least that's the idea but I made Ian eye them a little bit too curiously so there might be a storyline right there). And that was entirely unexpected.

And all this happened back on the 14th. It just gets worse from here on in until November 30 if I remember correctly from last year. I need to fall into the "hundreds die" mentality because really there's not much thriller in my novel right now - someone's gotta die soon! It's turning into literary fiction/romance again. Next year I am making the main female character in my novel, be it protagonist or supporting character immensely unlikeable. Maybe I'll even make a female antagonist who's super ugly and not funny or intelligent.

2004 NaNoWriMo: 32,953 words
2005 NaNoWriMo: 31,408 words

incendiarymind: 31,408 words
reliantfc3: 26,120 words

Chris Baty warned in the last Official NaNoWriMo Podcast that the 20,000s are the quicksand that engulfs writers never to be seen again. And when he wrote it early last week I laughed because last year I zoomed through them without even thinking in the chaotic speed chase that was my rising action.

This year I did nearly get stuck. Had I finished with 29,444 words I wouldn't have been surprised since I don't know if I'm had writer's block as bad as I did ever (well except for 2003 when I stalled halfway through Chapter Two but I was nowhere near 20,000 at that point).

Tomorrow promises to be a horrible day for writing as I'm going to watch the Fulham/Middlesbrough match at The Globe Pub and then I have to do laundry. I'm not sure I'll get in any words. But I will not get stuck in the early 30,000s like I got caught in the late 20,000s. Even if Mia has to sit naked in a room for the rest of the story as Liam goes on about his life and occasionally flashes back to past Mia naked experiences.

Or, I'll just write a 20,000 word ode to Mia. Now that would be NaNoInsanity.