Chapter 8: Prosecutions - Status Update 2

The more I move forward, the more I realize I need to fix things behind me.

I was going through my outline to incorporate the various chicken-scratch notes I've added as I work my way through the outline and discovered a discrepancy in how I'm notating time passing.  I did not have a particular date for the start of the novel, so rather than get bogged down, I just started listing the date for each scene as a function of time passed since the beginning of the book.  So, for instance, the first scene in Chapter 8 happens on (+7 months, +1 week, +3 days).  Easy and simple to count and I know how long passes between any two scenes in the novel.

The tricky part is the first and last week of a month.  The first week is the +0 weeks and the last week is +3 weeks, days +1 to +7.  Well, I forgot that in the middle of Chapter 6 and have a month with five weeks or 35 days.  Every date after that one is off by a full week.  Pain. In. The. Ass.

I'll straighten this out when I finish the first draft and go back for the first edit.  In the meantime, I've corrected the "dates" for Chapter 8 and they will be correct for the end of the first draft.  As I'm writing this chapter, I'm realizing I'm going to need to telescope the time covered as there are several trials happening.  Some will be important, some will be necessary background, but they will all take time.  Plus, I just want to discuss outcomes, not add "in court" scenes.  Probably.  We'll see what it looks like when I finish the draft and then tweak it like everything else.

Word Count: 60,062 words

I'm only averaging one evening a week for writing, which seems to be drawing this out, but I only have so many Husband Points to spend at any one time.  I'm hoping to be done with the first draft by the end of September and start mapping out the timeline to see what kind of tangles I've left for myself.  Then I can start plugging in the scenes I "missed" as I was writing or decided I needed to expand on.

I've been looking at a program called Scrivener, particularly the Windows version.  I've been writing in MS Word as it is what I use for my day job and I'm very proficient in it.  That said, Word is word processing software, not writing software and there are things Scrivener does that I want for the editorial pass, like being able to move entire scenes in a drag and drop fashion on a virtual cork board.  Plus, Scrivener exports in multiple formats, like .mobi, which is something I want to be able to do on my own.  I haven't decided how I want to publish, but I want options.

That's it for now.  Later!

Chapter 8: Prosecutions - Status Update 1

OK, this will be a quick update due to time constraints.

The restructure of Chapter 8 is complete and the outline expanded from three pages to five page in length.  I've added the first newly written scene (as opposed to the two scenes pulled over from Chapter 7) and I am please at the way things are shaping up.

Word Count: 59,030 words

What?  I told you it'd be quick this time around.

Later!

Chapter 7: War Comes to Speedwell - Draft Complete!

Hoody-hoo!  Chapter 7 done!

I wrapped up Chapter 7 over the weekend in two ways: I finished writing the material in my draft for Chapter 7 AND realized that there was a better chapter break two scenes earlier than where I put it.  What does that mean?  It means that there was a better place to end the chapter from a story flow perspective, so I moved the chapter break forward.  The transferred scenes are more expository (for scenes near the end of the book) and fit better as the start of Chapter 8.

I still need to map out Chapter 8 better and flesh out my (somewhat sketchy) notes for the chapter.  Things still need to happen to wrap up events in the book, but some other stuff needs to also happen to set up things for Book 2.  So I might not get much added to the word count of the story this week, but I will be doing noticeable adding to my outline.

Word Count: 57,239 words

Later!

Chapter 7: War Comes to Speedwell - Status Update 4

Closing in on the end of Chapter 7.  I have about half a scene (really a series of news reports) to finish and then the chapter is done.  I hope to get that written tomorrow as my wife has other plans and I have the evening to myself.

Chapter 8 is going to take some work.  I've looked over my notes and realized they are terribly sketchy and not as fleshed out as earlier chapters were.  So next week's writing time is more likely to be planning time to better flesh out what I want to happen and how.  The ending has to be solid and stand on itself, but also start laying the ground work for the next book.  (Yes, there will be a next book - it will be more of an exploration story with time running out politically.)

Word Count: 56,753 words

That's it for now.  Later!

Chapter 7: War Comes to Speedwell - Status Update 3

It has been two weeks since the last time I got in some writing.  This was due to a combination of being busy and needing some downtime.  I finally spend a couple hours today writing (just before writing this).  I'm working on a large-ish combat scene and needing to work out the particulars of where things are and why there of all places.  This caused me to move the action from Warka to the outskirts of Lublin, which is a more reasonable location for what is about to happen.

Once I get the combat scene done, I have one more "news update" scene and the chapter should be complete, so next week is a likely time for that to happen, maybe the week after - depends on how long I get to write on Friday.

Word Count: 54,944 words

My outline for Chapter 8 is only six pages long, but I know I'm going to have to flesh those scenes out a good deal and probably add some new scenes to wrap up the first book.  I think I'm looking at a first draft of between 70,000 to 80,000 words.  Then I'll set it down a week or two and start diagramming out what I have and where I need to add "missing" scenes (scenes I didn't realize I needed until I was in the midst of writing).  Part of that will be expanding the number of corporate scenes to lay groundwork for events in the second novel.  Then the whole thing will need a thorough editing and I'll be willing to show it to people.

That's it for now.  Later!