How To Get One Word Out Of Thousands
Ugh! So what was my excuse for only writing 2.25 hours today (to bring me above 20,000 but barely - 20,835)? I spent the afternoon arguing with member of the New York City team about the comparitive ethnic diversity of restaurants in Chicago versus New York City. And then it tangented into a bit of a spat with one particular member of the team about if the United Nations was in New York City or if it was an independent entity.
Anyhow, it was pretty pointless regardless. The embarassing remains will be on the New York City Word War thread for the rest of the month. Actually until next October.
Though it did get me nice and ready to write a fight scene in my novel. Too bad there was none to be written. About all I got out of it, word count wise was to get to use the word "jacktard." Which is what I wanted to call the other person but I had to keep it civil. Now I remember why I don't use interweb bulletin boards for the other 11 months a year.
The portion of my novel where I actually use the word "jacktard" is quite possibly the first spit milk line that I've written in a while. The whole section is generally humorous so here it is:
“Don’t forget,” Andy said, “I knew Tabitha way before you did. I think I know her at least as well as you do. She’s got you on a pretty tight leash, right?”
Kate went into pause mode for a second before admitting, “like a drill sergeant. Surprised she hasn’t made me drop and do pushups yet.”
“I never made you do that,” Andy said, “at least you can give me credit for that.”
A little laugh came out of Kate. “As long as you promise no axe play,” she said, “I’ll come upstairs. But only for a few minutes, okay.”
“Don’t worry,” Andy said, “I haven’t bought an axe in the time since you moved out.”
If I could have dropped myself to the floor, I would have when I saw the apartment. It was absolutely “spotless” (as you humans would call it but I’ve noticed that you humans usually don’t decorate your apartments with spotted patterns to begin with so aren’t all your apartments “spotless?”). And there was a new carpet in the room with the television. This was what Kate’s eyes seemed to be focused on.
“Nice carpet,” she said.
“Thanks,” Andy replied, “it matches the drapes.”
“You really are a jacktard,” Kate said trying to hold back a laugh for a reason that I really couldn’t understand, “but a jacktard with nice new carpet.”
High quality writing all around but at least I brought the funny for once with my human characters. I sometimes feel like I'm writing two novels. One breakup melodrama with the human characters and then the narrator making fun of it all. I don't know how that's going to play with an actual reader.
Though I guarantee at least one person who is going to fall out of her chair when she reads that line. And it's going to be not-Kate.
---
Right after I wrote those lines, I actually had to go into the Romance thread and requested assistance. See Andy tries to seduce Kate into having "that messy thing that you humans do in the room with the bed" (as the Little Green Envelope calls it) on the new carpet.
And I wasn't sure yet, at this point, if I should have her take him up on the offer or not.
So I posted a thread called "Do they or don't they" in the Romance genre lounge. It's a place I'm never totally comfortable even though my novel is a Dude Lit novel (or a satire of Dude Lit novels) and therefore technically a romantic comedy (like "High Fidelity").
But they were very helpful. At least the first person who responded (I'm assuming it was a woman because in my times in there, I've come across maybe four other guys) was and he or she gave a definitive, "no."
So they didn't. Instead I just wrote this melancholy scene where Andy stands in the doorway feeling rejected for about 10 minutes after Kate walks away down the stairs and out of his life again.
And then the Little Green Envelope makes fun of him. See the cycle?
Actually that doesn't happen but I don't want to give too much of the plot away. Even though I'm sure I'll excerpt too much in the remaining time in NaNoWriMo.
---
I still mean to finish "Pets" tomorrow. I think that I've written about 3,000 words too many in it. The envelope was going to be mailed back in the original plotting the day that Kate moved all of her stuff out of the apartment.
This is the event that triggers "Drugs" (or the part called "Drugs" though I was going to have Andy turn to drugs).
Now I think that instead, Tabitha is going to bust into the apartment and take the DVD for herself and shove it (and probably Andy's head) into the mailbox. That will then set off "Drugs."
I blame the Word War for these extra words. I'm putting off starting "Drugs" until I know what's going to happen in it just so I get a word count every day. Not that I'm not fond of what I've written extra in "Pets" it's just not the pacing that I wanted.
Anyhow, it was pretty pointless regardless. The embarassing remains will be on the New York City Word War thread for the rest of the month. Actually until next October.
Though it did get me nice and ready to write a fight scene in my novel. Too bad there was none to be written. About all I got out of it, word count wise was to get to use the word "jacktard." Which is what I wanted to call the other person but I had to keep it civil. Now I remember why I don't use interweb bulletin boards for the other 11 months a year.
The portion of my novel where I actually use the word "jacktard" is quite possibly the first spit milk line that I've written in a while. The whole section is generally humorous so here it is:
“Don’t forget,” Andy said, “I knew Tabitha way before you did. I think I know her at least as well as you do. She’s got you on a pretty tight leash, right?”
Kate went into pause mode for a second before admitting, “like a drill sergeant. Surprised she hasn’t made me drop and do pushups yet.”
“I never made you do that,” Andy said, “at least you can give me credit for that.”
A little laugh came out of Kate. “As long as you promise no axe play,” she said, “I’ll come upstairs. But only for a few minutes, okay.”
“Don’t worry,” Andy said, “I haven’t bought an axe in the time since you moved out.”
If I could have dropped myself to the floor, I would have when I saw the apartment. It was absolutely “spotless” (as you humans would call it but I’ve noticed that you humans usually don’t decorate your apartments with spotted patterns to begin with so aren’t all your apartments “spotless?”). And there was a new carpet in the room with the television. This was what Kate’s eyes seemed to be focused on.
“Nice carpet,” she said.
“Thanks,” Andy replied, “it matches the drapes.”
“You really are a jacktard,” Kate said trying to hold back a laugh for a reason that I really couldn’t understand, “but a jacktard with nice new carpet.”
High quality writing all around but at least I brought the funny for once with my human characters. I sometimes feel like I'm writing two novels. One breakup melodrama with the human characters and then the narrator making fun of it all. I don't know how that's going to play with an actual reader.
Though I guarantee at least one person who is going to fall out of her chair when she reads that line. And it's going to be not-Kate.
---
Right after I wrote those lines, I actually had to go into the Romance thread and requested assistance. See Andy tries to seduce Kate into having "that messy thing that you humans do in the room with the bed" (as the Little Green Envelope calls it) on the new carpet.
And I wasn't sure yet, at this point, if I should have her take him up on the offer or not.
So I posted a thread called "Do they or don't they" in the Romance genre lounge. It's a place I'm never totally comfortable even though my novel is a Dude Lit novel (or a satire of Dude Lit novels) and therefore technically a romantic comedy (like "High Fidelity").
But they were very helpful. At least the first person who responded (I'm assuming it was a woman because in my times in there, I've come across maybe four other guys) was and he or she gave a definitive, "no."
So they didn't. Instead I just wrote this melancholy scene where Andy stands in the doorway feeling rejected for about 10 minutes after Kate walks away down the stairs and out of his life again.
And then the Little Green Envelope makes fun of him. See the cycle?
Actually that doesn't happen but I don't want to give too much of the plot away. Even though I'm sure I'll excerpt too much in the remaining time in NaNoWriMo.
---
I still mean to finish "Pets" tomorrow. I think that I've written about 3,000 words too many in it. The envelope was going to be mailed back in the original plotting the day that Kate moved all of her stuff out of the apartment.
This is the event that triggers "Drugs" (or the part called "Drugs" though I was going to have Andy turn to drugs).
Now I think that instead, Tabitha is going to bust into the apartment and take the DVD for herself and shove it (and probably Andy's head) into the mailbox. That will then set off "Drugs."
I blame the Word War for these extra words. I'm putting off starting "Drugs" until I know what's going to happen in it just so I get a word count every day. Not that I'm not fond of what I've written extra in "Pets" it's just not the pacing that I wanted.
posted by incendiarymind at 8:06 PM
1 Comments:
I've used "jackhole" and "pricktard", but "jacktard" is new to me. I'll try to use it in a sentence today.
Post a Comment
<< Home