writing practice

August 25

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Time worked: 1:13

Work done:  I said a while ago that I really wanted to write something new, and I’ve been feeling that way for a while. However, while still plodding through this revision, it wasn’t easy to change gears. Today, I started thinking about a character who is introduced near the end of “Adventures in Pithea,” but who has a much bigger role in a later story, and what would take place between those stories. I’d always just sort of left it as a nebulous “stuff happens and it just works out on its own.” But recently a more specific plan has started to form. And today, I was hit with an idea for a climax, of sorts, to this in-between story, and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to be able to write it down. Of course, as it often goes, getting down on paper what is floating in my head is a lot harder/longer than it seems. All of the important points are in my head, but there are details that have to be filled in. And even though there’s no rule that says I have to get the details out now, I don’t think it’ll keep as well for me later if I don’t get as much of it down now as I can. So this may take a few days. Meanwhile, poor Missy, Naolin, Julius, Evan, and Quinn are stumbling around in the woods, half of them half-dead.

 

June 16

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Time worked:  ≈1:00

Work done:  Some writing practice, that ended up being an advertisement for the island my stories take place on, Pithea, but from over a thousand years ago, when it was a tourist destination. Also some work on editing in part 3, where one of my sisters is reading and making suggestions.

May 7

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Time worked:  :50

Work done:  Finished rewriting the very beginning of the story. It’s stronger now, though could probably still benefit from some editing. I also wrote a number of notes for a gap of time I’ve always avoided thinking about. I don’t even know if there’ll be a story there, but I was hit with some ideas today, so I wrote them down.

Writing practice from a few days ago follows. Again remember it’s raw material and may not be entirely clear what’s going on. Also from the perspective of Evan Thossan.

My great-grandfather was 110 years old when I was sent to live with him. Think about that for a second. One hundred ten years old. That’s not unusual, I know, but it’s still old. Now think about how old I was when my parents sent me to take care of him. I was ten. That’s an age difference of one hundred years. I’ll never understand why it fell to me to take care of the old man.

Great-grandpa liked to be called Roba. That’s what he said he had called his great-grandfather when he was younger. I think it’s from some old language that our ancestors used to speak, but I couldn’t even tell you what that was. “Roba” never really cared to share his reasoning with me. He only insisted I call him that…when I wasn’t calling him “sir.”

Roba and I didn’t get along at all. I guess it’s because I was never good at what I did. I was supposed to help him with everyday stuff, like making meals and going to the bathroom. It was boring and sometimes disgusting, so no, I didn’t put my heart into it. I was still going to school, too, not that he cared. He complained about my absence during the day, even when I reminded him that my parents had said they wanted me to finish school.

Every day I wished he would just die already. I mean, he was old anyway. He’d lived long enough, and he was keeping me from having a life too. When I first went to live with him, I remember wondering how many stories he’d tell me, how many skills he could teach me. But he never wanted to talk about anything like that. He just wanted to yell at me for burning supper, or ask me why I wasn’t strong enough to chop the wood right.

Even after I left to join the militia, he lived a few more years. Long enough to see me become a respected Swordsman, even if he couldn’t admit it. Not long enough to notice his sword was missing though.

May 4

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Time worked:  :35

Work done:  Only writing practice again. Weekends are hit-or-miss for time to work, and this weekend was definitely miss. But I made sure to do something at least.  I’ve been focusing on the same character for the last three days of writing practice, in an attempt to get a better handle on him.

May 3

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DAE_Kristi

This is a comic version of me. It was done by Errol of Debs & Errol. It’s wonderful, and I love it, and if I ever figure out more of how this site works, I may find a way to make it a regular fixture. Note the pen on the shirt. That’s ’cause I’m a writer.

Time worked:  0:30

Work done:  All 30 minutes spent on writing practice. It was a long, tiring day, and my brain couldn’t really process any other work. But I made sure to get some writing practice in, so I wouldn’t be doing nothing. I don’t know if it can really be considered “progress,” but at least I didn’t do nothing.