NaNoWriMo: The Second Week
With the month half over, the good news is that I’m more than halfway to my goal of 50,000 words. (Of course, there’s still going to be a substantial gap next week over the Thanksgiving holiday.) I’ve also completed the first four chapters. Here are the titles:
1. No Service 2. Meanwhile, a Hundred Years from Now 3. Just Because You’re Paranoid… 4. …Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Out to Get You I’ve also rewritten a couple of parts of Altered Seasons to reflect recent unexpected developments on the political scene. On the plus side, the one thing I’m not going to have to worry about is the book’s whole premise suddenly being forestalled by effective action on the international level. (Note to self: re-check definition of “the plus side.”) I have a confession to make — there’s a substantial swatch of the second half of Locksmith’s War that I’m still a little vague on. However, I had this same problem with Locksmith’s Journeys and I’ve had it three or four times while writing The Dead Skunk, and I always managed to put the thing together in the end. I’ve developed a certain confidence in my ability to write my way out of the messes I write my way into. As we Quakers say, the way opens. I feel like I should be including snippets of my own writing on this blog. Problem is, there’s not a lot of snippets of Locksmith’s War I can include that wouldn’t spoil the first two books. So here’s a snippet of Altered Seasons. This is Isabel Bradshaw right after a TV interview goes… badly: Isabel’s face might have been turning a malevolent shade of pink, but she kept her composure until she was off the set and well away from the cameras. Then she stomped into the green room, yanked her jacket off the coat rack and picked up her purse. The only person who was even trying to meet her eyes was Lisa.
“Um… don’t forget your gift bag,” said Lisa, holding it out nervously. Isabel snatched it out of her hand and glared inside. There were a couple of books, a T-shirt, a hat, a “medical” pot brownie and a couple of bottles of liquor that were just the right weight to smash over somebody’s head. Or to drink from until she blacked out. Either would feel pretty good right now.
Lisa was biting her lip again, looking at Isabel as if she wanted to apologize for having been in the building at the time. “Is there something else?” Isabel said, trying to keep her voice neutral.
“Yeah. Um… I’m sorry that ended like it did, but… the thing about Walt…” Lisa bit her lip again. There was a long silence.
“What about him?” Isabel finally asked.
“He wouldn’t have said that if he didn’t… um… if he didn’t think you could handle it.”
“Yeah, he’s only nice to people he doesn’t respect,” said Adam from the corner.
“Thank you,” said Isabel flatly. “I have to go.” Lisa stepped out of her way as she left the green room.
If you enjoyed that, here are two more snippets: Isabel's Awkward Thanksgiving National Governors Association Smackdown!
