Whoo hoo!

Well there is editing and all that, but Act One is now completely written. Yay!  I’m so happy.

Tomorrow I will start Act Two and begin that looooong journey.  If I don’t slack off anymore (ok, did you hear that cackling?) I can have this book done by the end of August, as planned.  *crosses fingers*  Just in time (or slightly after) learning whether or not my entry finaled in the Stiletto contest.

Now, well after I make spaghetti and meatballs, I can continue with my brainstorming for Shadows and Mirrors.  I’d really like to start outlining that tomorrow, so I can have that done by the end of September.

The scene I wrote today was rather interesting.  So far, I’ve felt that most of the scenes since Giada has entered the house have been kinda distant and abstract.  Today’s scene involved a quiet moment between Giada and Jake–my heroine and hero.  It still needs to be fleshed out some, but it felt intimate and private, which was my intent.

I have one more scene in this chapter, which then takes us to beginning of Act Two and about 2 months in the future.  Most of the women are gone, so there will be a more intimate feel to the dealings with everyone.  Plus, at that point she has changed some too.  I don’t want it to feel like she made some huge dramatic change off page, but that pretty much is what will happen.  I’m hoping by having her not realize she’s changed, it will help the balance of it all.

If I took the time to show each change as it happens, there would be a lot of bullshit scenes.  At least I’m not telling what happened.  I’m going to start after she “changed” and then show the new changes as she continues in the show.  With her being unaware of her transformation, we’ll be able to see it more directly.

I believe that is where the story really kicks into gear and the scenes will become more varied and entertaining.  I mean, how many times can one have lunch of dinner with a group of women and make it sound interesting?  I truly can’t wait to break up the monotony.

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Pages that is.  It’s not my usual five but at least I got them out.  I’m trying to just push through those moments when I’d rather pluck out my eyeballs than write.  I figure if I at least get something down then it’s an accomplishment.  So today was a pluck my eyeball out day.

Now that I’m done I can’t help but think, “that wasn’t so bad”. LOL Yeah, I’m strange that way.

So, the new “horror” idea…  I can’t officially call it horror, because I seriously don’t know if I can pull off fear.  I’m writing about a subject that if I placed myself deeply in this character’s head could really sadden, hurt and scare me, but at the same time I don’t know if I can get those emotions on paper.

I think I focus so much on the external…or maybe I simply don’t spend enough time in them.  Maybe I stay one step outside, in the distance.  Maybe I write what he/she should be thinking, feeling, tasting, etc. and don’t actually feel what they feel.  Hmm…  Definitely something to ponder.

In a conversation at Romance Divas we are discussing what scares us and where we get our more sinister ideas from.  In mentioning I am fearful of losing my kids, dying and leaving my kids behind and being completely alone, other members allowed me to see that the wonderfulness behind horror is not the monster or force but the fear.  So instead of death being the catalyst (cause how horrible is that?), there are other ways a woman could lose her kids or be removed from them.

So, what if I combined by three greatest fears into one?

What if a woman lost her kids as a result of being removed from them and then learned she was alone and on her own?  *insert evil, maniacal laugh here*

So, serial killers get put on hold (especially since the hero refuses to speak to me) and greatest fears are on.  And in the meanwhile, I am on Chapter 6 of AMTDF.  I plan to have that written by the end of this week, then I have two months (personal deadline) to write the next two acts.  Sounds easy and smooth, but I know full well it won’t be.  Nothing ever is with me.  I make problems for myself cause the world doesn’t create its own, ya know.

Today, I woke up at 7:47 and realized my alarm (set to music but obviously to low) had been playing for 57 minutes.  I watched the last 13 minutes of Buffy, then wrote my next scene for AMTDF, worked on medical billings, read emails and then began judging the Stiletto contest.

I received eight entries and began with the first one.  It turns out it isn’t in the right category, so I emailed the co-coordinator and informed her.  I stopped reading in the meantime, while waiting for a reply.  So, I moved onto the next one.  I read all 35 pages (well forty when you include the synopsis) and then read the scoresheet, where it told me to make at least 20 comments in the actual document.  Damn!  I filled out the questions, adding up the points and stopped.  I didn’t feel like going through it again right then, so I’ll get back to it another time.

Then I went and worked on my third one.  That one I completed correctly and completely.  It was actually a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to do more this week.

I’m starting chapter 6 tomorrow, and when that is completed–hopefully by Wednesday night–I’ll be at the end of Act One.  Act Two is where my heroine starts to really change (it starts almost two months after Act One ends) and where the story gets better, I think.  Not to say it’s boring now (at least I hope not), but Giada stays in the background when it comes to what is going on in the house.  Later on, she gets very involved, which hopefully adds more comedy to the situation.  We’ll see!

I need to have the entries judged by Aug. 6 and then we learn who finaled by the end of Aug. I believe it’s the 26th, two days after my daughter’s birthday, but it could be the 25th.  Either way, I plan (crossing fingers and toes) to have the whole novel written by then.  Unlike last year where I didn’t finish until Oct. 4.  Yes, I still remember that.

So, right now I’m researching fairytales and urban legends for future ideas, even though I haven’t finished brainstorming my serial killer idea.  I will but this is taking precedence at the moment.  Something always does.