| 11:01a |
getting started
I turned in the manuscript to The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover just before the end of October 2007, and promptly went into a brain stupor. I didn't even think of writing for all of November. I began to be a bit nervous of my empty brain in December, thinking of the deadline for book #2 on the contract, but the holidays were coming up, and I knew from past experience I wouldn't get any writing done then.
The year turned, and began to worry more. I sent back my signed contract. Deadline for book two is August 2008, and I'd just realized the idea I thought I was using just wouldn't do, as those characters and those ideas were for a type of book that just wouldn't fly as an erotic romp. So far as one can romp in World War I. I needed new characters, and fast. I brainstormed and polled and worried.
Saturday the 12th, I got up far too early, full of adrenaline, and wrote 1000 words of random scenes using my new characters. Tried to write that evening; was empty; fretted. Had an idea just as I fell asleep that night, so got up and made a note of it. I got up Sunday morning and wrote another 1000 words. Had another idea just before falling into a nap that afternoon. Wrote another 1000 words Sunday night. Only 97,000 words to go!
Monday, was empty again. Fretted. Fretted Tuesday. Tried not to push myself. Fretted Wednesday. Just as I was falling asleep last night, an idea for how I could start the novel filtered up from my subconscious. I got out of bed, wrote it down, and resolved to keep the notebook and pen closer to the bed in future. [relief]
I have a feeling this pattern is going to repeat itself rather a lot in the next few months, until I get an actual plot and figure out this book's shape, and more about its characters. It's a New Experience, trying to write a novel from scratch in a limited amount of time.
Stay tuned. |