130,487 words

130487 / 120000 words. 109% done!


As of today, at 12:17 PM local time, I have finished the first draft of Invisible. Laboring over it since June 1st, 2010, it has taken me 704 days (or 1 year, 11 months, and 5 days) to finish it. My God, I did it. My first full-length novel is completed.

I have no idea what to do now.

...

Play me off, Maurice White and friends!

Whoops, I overestimated...

After looking over some of the scene note-cards I made for Invisible, I realized that, in all honesty, the novel isn't going to need about 17k words to wrap the whole thing up. I can easily wrap up plot threads in about half of that, maybe even less. As I thought about it, it appeared that there wasn't much else to be said. I have truly written the falling action, now the denouement is upon me.

Looks like I seriously overestimated. Even if I add more scenes to earlier parts, I doubt it will make a huge impact. Not something to the tune of 17k.

But we'll have to see.

Would you believe I'm still not done?

Here is the latest word count...

121934 / 120000 words. 102% done!

I still need about 9000 more words in Part 4, then an additional 8000 for the epilogue, which will put this first draft at about 140,000 words.

...

Well damn. I wasn't expecting that.

*ahem* Lemme put it this way. There is no effing way the final product is gonna be longer than that.

Oh look, everybody, there goes a flying pig! I'm gonna so eat my words here!

Eff that noise, it's gonna be much longer when I redo it. Lord knows my stuff tends to do that. And that's not even counting a few scenes I forgot to add in earlier parts!

Yea! Ladies and gentlemen, this is gonna hurt!

Keep on truckin'

I've been working on various bits of writing, including the never-ending Invisible (now on the halfway point of Part 4) and a flash fiction piece to resubmit. The piece was rejected and I received an email with a ton of critique and overall good advice. After poking at it, I think it's ready for prime-time. I'll wrap it up and send it off by the end of the week, see what happens.

'Bout it from here. See y'all later...

Update on Invisible

After going on a writing marathon over the weekend (on Saturday night, I clocked in at a NaNoWriMo-esque 5,208 words), I am about 94% complete with this novel project. If I keep at my pace of about 2,000 words a day, I should finish Part 4 by the end of the month and the epilogue can be done in less than three days. Ah yes, the end is in sight. Early March is the time and place. Mark your calendars, kids!

Hey, I'm still here!

Sorry for nothing after the last entry. I've been busy doing nothing, as usual, but I finally began working on Invisible again. Damn, took me way too long to begin working on it again. I noticed, as I was writing, that I was cringing what I was writing. Where are the details? Man, I can't paint a good picture of pure chaos. So, that what was truly holding me back. I was afraid of not doing it right the first time. Ahhh, but you never will get it right the first time. But the next time you will. Sounds like Billy Joel lyrics. (Yes, I was thinking of "Get It Right the First Time" from The Stranger.)

Either way, on that and doing some stuff to prepare for a most difficult job search, that will include possibly moving away in the next few months. We'll have to see.

On a lighter note, here is my (so far) favorite song of 2012:

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for this breaking news...

Here is the current status with Invisible:

102870 / 120000 words. 86% done!

Y'all... it's gonna happen. This f***ing thing will get finished this year.

Tiny update on the novel

Well, been chugging along Part 3 of Invisible and making some progress. And thus, I decided to do the Internet bar thingy again.

*Drum roll*

86019 / 120000 words. 72% done!

Hell yeah! Now, just need to finish this before the end of the year... among other things.

Whoa, where are the entries, y'all?

Not really the readers' responsibility for providing me with the content in order to stick to my schedule of MWF, isn't it?

So far, some really interesting things have occurred. For one thing, I pretty much refuse to drink caffeinated beverages. They tend to make me sleepier than they should. Atop that, since I'm the picture-perfect writer, coffee has the complete opposite effect also and usually don't drink it. If given a Coke, I would probably have it, but I don't miss it.

I also picked up a new hobby: bookbinding. So far, three out of the four items I made turned out very well. I would post pictures, but it's getting late so it'll be put off until later.

I got back into Invisible, but stopped again only due to my own silliness. It's going pretty good and I hope it may be completed in mid-July, at least that's what I'm aiming for.

Nothing much else going on, other than the usual boring things (e.g. waiting for my new glasses, waiting for my new license, etc.). And so I go... until next time.

Novel update via Internet bar thingy...

59109 / 120000 words. 49% done!

~
You can do it too, click here!
~

Thank you for your time...

*didn't want to post this immediately after the Brian Jacques entry, so here it is a day later...*

Freezing like boxed dinners here...

Well, here's a surprise: Texas with freezing temperatures. Apparently, in my major big-major city, there are rolling blackouts to meet the demands (and also, half of a power plant has been shut down for service, or so my father tells me). I do work tonight at the bookstore, so I'm sure things will be interesting.

The below-freezing temperatures are expected to be here for at least two more days and then, right back to the average of at least 55 degrees. Weather here is very interesting, to say the least. 

~

As for the novel, yeah, I'm stuck again. I was rolling into Part 2 like a boss (as usual) when I started thinking about how poorly constructed and written Part 1 (and some of the Prologue) was. We're talking about missing scenes, lack of description and development. So after pondering about it (i.e., freaking out), I lost courage and haven't done a thing in about a week now.

I do have tentative plans to go back through the Prologue and Parts 1-2 once I complete Part 2. But should I just soldier on and finish the damn thing? You see, normally novels get shorter when going through drafts and editing. I feel that Invisible is going to get bigger. Seems like a random complaint. But y'all, it's hard, alright?! /sarcasm

I just need to rediscover the courage, or just jump into the cold water. In this case, it would probably be ice-cold.

Brrrrr.

Well, since I rely on action, better put on a swimsuit!

Small update

Hello everyone, it's your favorite unpopular blogger coming to you from a computer I'm borrowing at the moment. So far, I've only updated some things on my Tumblr and Facebook, but nothing here. I'm happy to report on the swift moving of Part 2 of Invisible. I'm also planning to submit poetry very soon to various magazines, so I'll update you on that.

As for the Murakami challenge, since the moderator welcomed me so kindly (hi tanabata!), I've finished Sputnik Sweetheart and will not begin on after the quake, but Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World instead. I read somewhere that it's a book to read if you liked Inception. Hey, I liked Inception! So why not? And yes, I will do a review. In fact, for those in the challenge, I plan reviews of Hard-Boiled and 1Q84. So there you go!

I'm gonna sign off for now. Bye!

OMGwat, about time, right?!

After dragging my ass on getting back to writing Invisible and thanks to a sudden bout of "I don't wanna sleep for more than four hours for some reason"; I finally finished Part 1 of the novel. As I predicted a while ago, there will be a Part 3. Whoop-whoop.

Hell yeah, onto Part 2!

"Invisible" is alive once again!

I've been hard at work for the last few days to get the end of Part 1 of the novel. I can't believe it. Nothing really inspired me to go on, other than this need to do it. It also helps that I read Stephen King's On Writing (I read it while working on Blues when I began to hit some rough spots). I've waited over two months to try again and this time, I swear there will be no breaks like that again.

Let's do this thing right.

It's a Wednesday update!

The reason why I didn't post something on Monday was because I rediscovered Fallout 3 and got to Level 30 on my character (a blonde named Louise). Since I can run around that game and do whatever I want now, though I won't earn any experience points, I'm retiring Louise and moving on to my next character (a redhead named Zachariah).

Aside from my gaming obsessions, I've decided to proceed with Invisible and slowly get my feet back in the metaphorical waters. It still feels like I could add in more detail, but that'll have to wait until the second draft. This needs to get done, like damn.

I haven't read that much, kinda burnt myself out by accident reading this book about how to live as an introvert. Lemme clarify this by saying I read the whole thing (about 300+ pages) in a twelve-hour period. Since, y'know, I'm one of those introvert things. The book's called The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney. It's really good, I recommend it. It had some great tips on how to socialize and go on dates. I haven't tested them out yet, but I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I looked back at some of the video game reviews I'd written on Gamespot. Some of them actually got positive reactions from other users. Not too bad. I think, for Friday, I may link or post the one review that got the most recommends: Silent Hill: 0rigins.

In smaller news, I got a recliner. Well, I'll be getting one in a month and it's replacing my old papasan chair. 

Other than that, nothing much else. See y'all on Friday...

Novel update with a side order of lulz

I know, I know, I used chatspeak. What are you gonna do about it?

Yeah, that's what I thought. Nuthing. So pfft to you too.

So, I'm pretty far into Part 1, having to backtrack to fill in some deep holes. Y'know, descriptions, emotions, and showy stuff? Yeah, not really supposed to do that or I'll never get the damn thing to a draft, but powerful forces beyond my control (i.e. guilt) don't let me go any further.

So, I found this article earlier. It's about this prose-analyzing software that checks your language and style, which then tells you which respected author you apparently sound like. For the lulz, I ran Part 1 of Invisible through and got William Gibson.

But when I ran the Prologue to Invisible and then the entirety of Blues, I got this:

I write like
Vladimir Nabokov

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Holy s***. And to think I ripped on Lolita earlier this year. BTW, I do plan on rereading the book, so my chances of going to English Major Graduate Hell lessen... and maybe half of my buddies from college don't attack me.

Until next time, take care and watch out for the nuclear porcupines. Those little f***ers are getting bad this season...

~

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I know this writing analyzer thing isn't meant to be taken seriously. This message was for those who actually clutched their pearls and thought "Egads! Lindsey's no Nabokov! And shame on you, especially since you didn't like Lolita!"

Top Ten Lists ('cause I was bored, okay?!)

"Invisible" is coming along, currently on Part 1 with over 6,000+ words. I'm trying to crank in about 1,000-2,000 words a day. Most of it is retyping scenes from older drafts. Whee, split screens! But it's fun to resurrect scenes with new ideas, seeing them coming to a new life.

~

While faffing about instead of working on "Invisible", I came up with a definitive list of my top ten favorite books, albums, and movies. The books list is a reworking of an older list I posted eons ago.

Here you go, for your reading pleasure!

My Top Ten Books:

1. A House Like A Lotus by Madeleine L'Engle
2. Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
5. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
6. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
7. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
8. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
9. after the quake by Haruki Murakami
10. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
(Bonus! 11. What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson)

My Top Ten Albums:

1. Fear of Music by Talking Heads
2. Out of the Cradle by Lindsey Buckingham
3. Hounds of Love by Kate Bush
4. The Nightfly by Donald Fagen
5. Silent Hill 2 Soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka
6. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Brian Eno and David Byrne
7. Warm Strangers by Vienna Teng
8. Security by Peter Gabriel
9. Little Love Affairs by Nanci Griffith
10. The Nylon Curtain by Billy Joel
(Bonus! 11. The Red and the Black by Jerry Harrison)

My Top Ten Movies:

1. Casablanca
2. The Agony and the Ecstasy
3. The Shining
4. Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense
5. The Silence of the Lambs
6. Brazil
7. Jacob’s Ladder
8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
9. Vertigo
10. Empire Records
(No bonus, but I can't decide between Suspiria, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Misery)

~

There you go. Feel free to share your favorites, very interested to see what y'all have to say. I'll keep updating about my writing as before. Until then, good night.

Update on "Invisible's" Prologue

A quick update on the progress of the prologue to "Invisible". Well, hot damn, I got to it last night and found myself on fire. It worked all in my favor. It is almost finished, so I can move onto the rest of the story.

So, in other words, I griped about something that amended itself in less than an hour? Ouch, it hurts.

Point of the entry: proof that I am ridiculous.

It's time to emerge from the shadows... Or: Good Lord, don't write parts before writing the whole novel.

Okay, something serious happened while working on "Invisible". I can't call it a derailment. Maybe a volcanic explosion. I could ponder on better ecological or mechanical metaphors to describe the failure I ran into, but that will get boring very fast. Instead, here is what happened: I wrote parts.

What does that mean specifically? Instead of writing the whole thing through, I wrote little scenes to add in later. I have read that isn't always a bad idea, in fact I dealt with sticking a part I wrote for "Blues" (last year's project) and didn't run into problems. To be cliche, lightning doesn't strike twice.

Then again, "Invisible" has been in pre-production for about ten years and I have rewritten the prologue more than three times. I discovered, while writing the prologue for the fourth time, that the best draft was written around November of last year. Needless to say, I was pissed. So I decided to finish the prologue from November, combine it with some new details, and another part of another drafted prologue. Not surprising, it all blew up in my face.

Defeated, I started working on another novella, the one I write about in this entry, the idea about the amateur spotter. Yeah, it became a novella. (I will be working on and off on this alongside "Invisible". This project will be known as "Wind".) I got to the first 2,000 words and also stopped there. I haven't written a thing since, until now.

It's simple to say that I need to get back to working on "Invisible" and tackle that prologue. Yeah, it would be. And so, I sit before my laptop waiting for inspiration to give me a swift kick in the ass. Unless I act without waiting, it'll be another age before I do it again. Sure, this time around I have bigger problems but it's what I need to know how to face. So if you excuse me, I have a prologue's ass to kick.


P.S.: I'm shocked Neil Young wrote this song. Sure, Wikipedia says that the original take was not as happy, but the lyrics don't present that right away.

Novel projects and other fantastic ideas that I never do...

Sorry for the long silence, especially since I've been back since, well, Tuesday. I was planning to write out a bit on my trip, but I've been recovering from an ass-kicking (and not the awesome kind) cold. Some other things have come up also (including a concert I forgot about), so my recap of the trip may be delayed.

~

But yeah, it's that time again: the new novel project. I might start it earlier, like in an hour. It will be a longer one, no novellas this time. It is a novel, with a purported word count of 100,000.  The estimated end date likely will be September 8th.

I have a superstition about revealing the full titles of my longer works, so that was why on the last round, I only referred to my project by the last word of its title. This time, it will be the same. Y'all shall know it simply as "Invisible".

The story is set in San Francisco, the year 2000. It focuses on a group of college students, primarily on one (an Anthropology major) and she is trying to salvage a friendship with an Art History major. They have a fallout over the Art History major's decision on handling this one male student's ardent affection towards her. After a while, the male student and the Art History major drop out for no reason, prompting the Antrolopology major and all her friends to figure out what happened. Their sleuthing leads them to something different and more insidious.

Yeah, just like before, the plot doesn't sound like much. Hell, it sounds like something I wouldn't read. But I must keep it all minimal for now.

It begins now, so let's do this thing!