The lack of updates doesn’t mean there’s a lack of work! As of this writing, I’m only a couple hundred words away from the 50,000 mark that will count as a “completed” NaNoWriMo. In that sense, I am almost across the finish line.
But in another, more accurate sense, I’ve only just started. Today, I completed chapter 16 out of 56. At my current pace, the first draft will have about 175,000 words in it. I always lose a good bit in editing, so it will probably end closer to 150,000.
The past week or so has been difficult, what with Thanksgiving approaching (and now passed), work, and having been sick. I have not missed a day of writing, though! One thing I have noticed is that I seem to write better first thing in the morning. It makes sense, of course: after a day at work, my brain is pretty fried and I just don’t have as much creative energy in me late in the evening.
I’m doing what I set out to do in each chapter, the main issue is writing quality. Those nights when I’m just low in energy, I can tell the work isn’t my best. But that’s what rewrites are for, eh?
In terms of pacing, some big events are coming up. Things get “interesting” for two of the storylines in chapters 17 and 18. Chapter 25 marks a huge turning point in the remaining storyline. A lot of things ramp up in chapters 30, 31, and 32, and these events set up the rest of the book. Each storyline has its own climax: chapter 46 for one them, 50 for another, and 54 for the last. I actually didn’t set out to have each of them climax exactly 4 chapters apart, it just ended up shaking out that way.
The most recent chapter (16) contains a ton of world-building. Those chapters can be a lot of fun to write, and hopefully their details make them interesting to read, as well. I’m not the type who likes to dwell on some small detail for a page and a half–usually, I’m more about sketching out enough of a place to let the reader fill in the blanks, so the story can keep moving. Too much exposition, of course, is like being stopped dead, trapped in an elevator with somebody you just wish would shut the hell up.
And on that simile, I will conclude this entry! Starting tomorrow, the book progress widget for Fortress Ghosts will likely change to reflect that I’m no longer on the NaNoWriMo model. Not sure if I’ll bring more frequent updates–as we get into the holiday season, that seems unlikely. But after the new year begins, I should have more time and be able to mine my old material for more interesting background to post up here.
Have a good weekend!