Welcome back! I've been hard at work this weekend, trying to keep my word count up. My region is having a slumber party next weekend, and since I'm free from clinical duties, I might actually go this year. I'll have to make an effort to go to at least one write-in before then, though, so I don't seem to randomly show up.
Bit of mystery in this week's post. You don't get to know who the characters are :)
"Good girl," the man said harshly. "All I want is your wallet, phone, and that pretty necklace you have around your neck."
Nodding, she mumbled against the hand. The hand tightened over her mouth, killing the sound in her throat, and his voice sounded in her ear again. "If you scream, I will make you pay," he warned before sliding the hand down from her mouth to lock his arm across her shoulders.
She swallowed harshly and fought the hysteria bubbling up in her throat.
I will tell you that this mugging is no coincidence, and that something taken from her will play a significant role in the story. Any ideas?
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
NaNo Day 8: Meet Dawn
Sorry I neglected to post yesterday. I was frantically trying to make up my word count, since I got 1000 words behind. I managed it pretty well, but I crashed right after I finished. Which might be the same thing that happens tonight, but I'm going to eek out a post first.
So far, you've met Blanche, Aileen, and Jason, and have seen a bit of the interaction between Dawn and Rowan.
Let's meet Dawn, then.
Dawn works in her grandmother's shop, Stitch in Time, as a seamstress. She got a degree in clothing design, and makes full use of it, designing a number of the formal dresses that they sell in the shop. She's quite proud of these dresses, thinking them an accomplishment. She's very much an introvert, and would much rather spend time in the shop working than heading out to bars to meet people her own age.
She also lives with her grandmother, feeling the need to act as guardian now that her grandmother's husband has passed. Her parents are less than approving of the whole situation, thinking her grandmother quite odd, and have thus severed contact with her.
She's best friends with Rowan. Everyone, except Dawn, is convinced that Rowan is madly in love with her, but she'll insist til her dying day that they're just good friends. He couldn't possibly see her that way, and he certainly makes no effort to hide the fact that he dates a new girl every time he goes out.
Right now, she's so focused on keeping her grandmother's shop running that she hasn't stopped to think about what she wants in life, but if you press her, she'll tell you the usual love, family, and success.
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So far, you've met Blanche, Aileen, and Jason, and have seen a bit of the interaction between Dawn and Rowan.
Let's meet Dawn, then.
Dawn works in her grandmother's shop, Stitch in Time, as a seamstress. She got a degree in clothing design, and makes full use of it, designing a number of the formal dresses that they sell in the shop. She's quite proud of these dresses, thinking them an accomplishment. She's very much an introvert, and would much rather spend time in the shop working than heading out to bars to meet people her own age.
She also lives with her grandmother, feeling the need to act as guardian now that her grandmother's husband has passed. Her parents are less than approving of the whole situation, thinking her grandmother quite odd, and have thus severed contact with her.
She's best friends with Rowan. Everyone, except Dawn, is convinced that Rowan is madly in love with her, but she'll insist til her dying day that they're just good friends. He couldn't possibly see her that way, and he certainly makes no effort to hide the fact that he dates a new girl every time he goes out.
Right now, she's so focused on keeping her grandmother's shop running that she hasn't stopped to think about what she wants in life, but if you press her, she'll tell you the usual love, family, and success.
Follow my NaNo progress:
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Teaser Tuesday (NaNo Day 6)
Hope you all have been enjoying the little tidbits so far. I'm starting to hit a bit of a wall in writing myself, not because I'm not sure what to write, exactly, but because I'm not sure how I want to write it. I know the basic events I want to happen, but I need something to happen in between them, and I'm not sure how much of each character I should be writing.
At any rate...
Today you get a bit of a larger sample. Not too much, mind, but more than the 6 sentences you got on Sunday.
In this bit, you get to meet another character, Jason. Jason is near and dear to my heart, because he represents the frustration with my own schooling at the moment. But things will work out for him just like they're working out for me. Just as a quick background, this takes place at Jason's parents' home, where he goes for weekly dinners. He's just come from his work... he is a doctor-in-training, more commonly known as a resident.
Jason scoffed. “Just because I didn't want to spend my entire day in the library trying to cram information into my head during undergrad and medical school doesn't mean that I'm not driven. I am a doctor, after all. I'd wager that it's much more difficult to become one now than it was when you were in school.”
His mother placed her hand on his arm lightly. “Come now, there's no need to be upset. We're here to enjoy a nice family dinner, not to bicker. Harold, our son has done quite well with his life. Jason, we don't expect you to be the same person as your father.”
Jason rolled his eyes and Harold took another sip of his drink. “No, indeed. I've long given up on that expectation.”
Frustrated, Jason stood and left the room, seeking out refuge in the library. He wondered now why he insisted on putting himself through the torture of coming to this weekly dinner. Running his hand through his hair, he glanced around the room, taking in the large volume of books that filled the shelves. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shimmer. Frowning in confusion, he turned to get a better look. After scanning the area for a moment, he saw a cloth tucked between two books. Slowly, he walked over and fingered the cloth gently, then gave it a sharp tug. One of the books it rested between shifted and fell to the floor, leaving him holding a piece of silvery cloth about the size of a handkerchief. He rubbed the fabric between his fingers and it seemed to shimmer more intensely, leaving a slight tingling feeling on his fingertips. Curious, he turned the cloth over, inspecting it closely.
The doorknob rattled, signaling the arrival of another person. Acting quickly, he shoved the cloth into his pocket and turned towards the door, forcing a smile as his mother walked into the room.
“Dear, I'm sorry about your father. He seems to be in one of those moods tonight,” she said, grasping his hand in her own.
He shrugged. “He's always been that way. I shouldn't expect him to change. I do have to get going, though. Got a busy day tomorrow, and I like to try to read up on my patients a little bit before I see them.”
She smiled beautifully and kissed his cheek lightly. “Of course, dear. Will you come back next week?”
“It is our tradition, isn't it?” he responded, giving her a small hug. Once she returned the hug, he pulled back and took his things from the butler. “I'll see you next week, Mom.”
She smiled and walked with him to the door, waving as he slid into his car and pulled away.
What is the cloth, you ask? He doesn't even know yet, so why should you :P Stay tuned for more!
At any rate...
Today you get a bit of a larger sample. Not too much, mind, but more than the 6 sentences you got on Sunday.
In this bit, you get to meet another character, Jason. Jason is near and dear to my heart, because he represents the frustration with my own schooling at the moment. But things will work out for him just like they're working out for me. Just as a quick background, this takes place at Jason's parents' home, where he goes for weekly dinners. He's just come from his work... he is a doctor-in-training, more commonly known as a resident.
Jason scoffed. “Just because I didn't want to spend my entire day in the library trying to cram information into my head during undergrad and medical school doesn't mean that I'm not driven. I am a doctor, after all. I'd wager that it's much more difficult to become one now than it was when you were in school.”
His mother placed her hand on his arm lightly. “Come now, there's no need to be upset. We're here to enjoy a nice family dinner, not to bicker. Harold, our son has done quite well with his life. Jason, we don't expect you to be the same person as your father.”
Jason rolled his eyes and Harold took another sip of his drink. “No, indeed. I've long given up on that expectation.”
Frustrated, Jason stood and left the room, seeking out refuge in the library. He wondered now why he insisted on putting himself through the torture of coming to this weekly dinner. Running his hand through his hair, he glanced around the room, taking in the large volume of books that filled the shelves. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shimmer. Frowning in confusion, he turned to get a better look. After scanning the area for a moment, he saw a cloth tucked between two books. Slowly, he walked over and fingered the cloth gently, then gave it a sharp tug. One of the books it rested between shifted and fell to the floor, leaving him holding a piece of silvery cloth about the size of a handkerchief. He rubbed the fabric between his fingers and it seemed to shimmer more intensely, leaving a slight tingling feeling on his fingertips. Curious, he turned the cloth over, inspecting it closely.
The doorknob rattled, signaling the arrival of another person. Acting quickly, he shoved the cloth into his pocket and turned towards the door, forcing a smile as his mother walked into the room.
“Dear, I'm sorry about your father. He seems to be in one of those moods tonight,” she said, grasping his hand in her own.
He shrugged. “He's always been that way. I shouldn't expect him to change. I do have to get going, though. Got a busy day tomorrow, and I like to try to read up on my patients a little bit before I see them.”
She smiled beautifully and kissed his cheek lightly. “Of course, dear. Will you come back next week?”
“It is our tradition, isn't it?” he responded, giving her a small hug. Once she returned the hug, he pulled back and took his things from the butler. “I'll see you next week, Mom.”
She smiled and walked with him to the door, waving as he slid into his car and pulled away.
What is the cloth, you ask? He doesn't even know yet, so why should you :P Stay tuned for more!
Monday, November 5, 2012
NaNo Day 5
I'm making steady progress. My average word count is up over 1700, which is pretty good. I think I'm going to end up completely trashing at least one of the scenes I've written so far, but I'm going to keep it as a placeholder at least until I finish the book and think of what I can replace it with.
Final word count for today was 8729.
So far, you've met Blanche, seen a bit of Dawn and Rowan, and gotten a couple of snippets from the plot itself.
Today, I want to introduce you to Aileen.
Aileen is by far the most outgoing of the girls. She's spunky, loves to throw herself into situations she probably shouldn't, and is good at going with the flow. She's currently in vet school, and has a talent for, shall we say, 'speaking' to animals.
“As I said, you're a natural at interacting with the horses. I've always wondered how you do it,” he said, squeezing her arm slightly.
She shrugged and discreetly ducked from under his arm. “I dunno. I just seem to get what they're going through and what they want. Some of them want attention. You ignore them and they calm down. Some are scared, or nervous. You reassure them and they're fine.”
David shook his head. “As I said, I don't get how you do it. I can't even do that with people I can talk to, and you can do it with dozens of different types of animals.”
She smiled and rolled the ball of her necklace between her fingers, backing away from him towards her car. “I guess I'm just talented.”
She's friends with both Dawn and Rowan, having gone to college with the both of them. What will be coming down the line for Ms. Aileen? You'll just have to wait and see.
Follow my NaNo progress:
Final word count for today was 8729.
So far, you've met Blanche, seen a bit of Dawn and Rowan, and gotten a couple of snippets from the plot itself.
Today, I want to introduce you to Aileen.
Aileen is by far the most outgoing of the girls. She's spunky, loves to throw herself into situations she probably shouldn't, and is good at going with the flow. She's currently in vet school, and has a talent for, shall we say, 'speaking' to animals.
“As I said, you're a natural at interacting with the horses. I've always wondered how you do it,” he said, squeezing her arm slightly.
She shrugged and discreetly ducked from under his arm. “I dunno. I just seem to get what they're going through and what they want. Some of them want attention. You ignore them and they calm down. Some are scared, or nervous. You reassure them and they're fine.”
David shook his head. “As I said, I don't get how you do it. I can't even do that with people I can talk to, and you can do it with dozens of different types of animals.”
She smiled and rolled the ball of her necklace between her fingers, backing away from him towards her car. “I guess I'm just talented.”
She's friends with both Dawn and Rowan, having gone to college with the both of them. What will be coming down the line for Ms. Aileen? You'll just have to wait and see.
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