picowrimo | Day 20 (Team July)

Unfortunately RL has come around and hit me hard in the face with a barbed wire covered baseball bat. (Besties mum died so we've had funeral and stuff to deal with)

I have not got anywhere with my plans for writing so far. :(

At the moment poor Mikael is still wandering around barefoot in the ashes of the old kingdom and trying to deal with his family's death as best as a 7 year old can and then whoosh to 25 years on when he stumbles upon the woman of his dreams but is too damn stubborn to admit it

This week I was hit by a very nasty gastric virus going around the office and I'm only just getting my strength back. I slept and read most of the time, but today I actually wrote a scene, over 550 words.

I may have to abandon my target as I doubt I'll reach either 10,000 words or the end of the story.

Anyway. Servalan is meeting with Bercol and Rontane.

An excerpt:

"It occurred to us that you are incarcerated," said Bercol.

"With so little chance to spend your accumulated monies," said Rontane.

"Which we could help you with," said Bercol.

"You see, when I left the president's service, I did so with the presidential stationery and the a copy of the presidential seal," said Rontane.

"Planning ahead can be so useful," said Bercol.

"And profitable," said Rontane.

For those who are fans of these two, all is not as it seems. I'm not sure that I'll reveal what they're up to before the story's finished though. :-)

Edited 2012-07-20 08:56 (UTC)

You are truly evil. ;)

I assume it's an aftereffect of the virus, though, so I forgive you. *g*

Edited 2012-07-20 16:24 (UTC)

Still with Torchwood.

The eraser makes its grand entrée.

Excerpt: (a bit long, sorry)

Jack didn’t know what exactly he’d expected the eraser to look like, but it most definitely hadn’t been this. The closest thing his unconscious mind had come up with had suggested something like an oversized Cyberman: huge, metallic and generally clumsy. Something slow and stupid.

What emerged from the waves instead appeared to be some kind of enormous, chitin-armoured worm, not entirely unlike a caterpillar in its shape but covered with jagged chitinous spikes that, at second sight, were probably rows upon rows of highly advanced biomechanical sensors. Two pairs of short, sturdy legs, segmented like those of a grasshopper, were attached to the middle and to the end of its body… armour… whatever, making it move forward with alarming speed; presumably also enabling it to walk upright or to make long jumps.

It had several segmented appendages right below its head, probably concealing ray weapons or projectile launchers or whatever kind of weaponry its species had come up. Said head was covered by an elaborate helmet, shaped a bit like those of high-speed bikers and attached to the rest of its armour by an accordion-like neckpiece.

Jack’s experienced eye recognized some of the built-in technology, despite its alien nature: surveillance systems that gave it an almost 360-degree-vision, atmospheric compensators, targeting systems and the crack lines that suggested that the three-piece visor could be opened outwards like a triple window. There were other pieces of technology not even he could identify; but again, the armour was supposed to sustain its wearer in the vacuum of space, so it had to be extremely advanced. And redundant.

RL :(
Hope things get better for you soon!

Hope you feel better soon!

Forward planning - very clever of them :)

Great description!

I'm so sorry.

Sorry to hear you've been ill; hope you're feeling fully recovered very soon. And Bercol & Rontane are always of the good :)

Wonderful description! These beasties sure are scary!

Well, yes, I wanted something different than the usual menacing robots, and I can't imagine anything more alien than insects.

Heirs and Graces

Phase 3 -- July's writing:

No writing yesterday, because I was travelling, and only a few words today because I've been doing stuff with Mum and Dad. Part of which was a research trip, which I still need to repeat on Sunday, but they were very keen to go to the place as well. Unfortunately some parts I wanted to check out aren't open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays. Back to 1963, and Edward has been persuaded to go out for the evening:

"I said, it's good to see them looking so happy, isn't it?" Nicky's tone implied he'd asked the same question more than once before.

"Sorry, miles away." Edward sipped his cognac and looked across the floor to where Julia and Bridie were dancing. Having got into the club unrecognised, and then secured a corner table, he was staying alert to all potential threats. Consequently, he'd been ignoring his companions a little too obviously. "All settled between them? No lingering bad feeling on either side?"

Not good. Hopefully things will look up for you soon.

Hope you feel completely recovered soon.

I do like how you write those two though.

A fascinating alien there.

Kudos for getting some words down even with other things distracting. And research trips absolutely count!

Having got into the club unrecognised...

This is all going to go horribly wrong, isn't it...

Thanks, and well, I'm not always totally mean to my characters...

Some more editing, and ~300 words more on the Firiel story, but then I reached the end of the scene and couldn't decide what the next scene is so am rather stuck for now. Hopefully tomorrow with bring new ideas.

Later in the same scene
"That reminds me. As we are talked about arrangements, would you like to see the other bedrooms? Some of your ladies will be expected to sleep here with you while I am away. I will not insult you by demanding that one share your bed, but it would excite too much gossip for you to be up here alone."
"I would not wish to be alone - it would be too quiet." She got to her feet. "So, finish the tour? After the earlier interruption?" She said teasingly.
He laughed and she joined in. He got up and put an arm around her, drawing her down the corridor. There were another four full bedrooms - each with sleeping space for two people, plus a small room that looked to be suitable for Elwien, as well as another bathing room.
"Very nice. I assume in time that these will come to be for our children."
"Yes," Arvedui said, pulling her closer and kissing her deeply.

All words are good :)

Wonder what is going to happen next... somehow I doubt that his luck is going to last.

Thanks. You never know, I may be kind to my characters for once...

Cute scene.

It's been a disturbed evening, with only just over a hundred words so far; I hope to write a bit more later. Everything I've produced in the past couple of days just feels like pure handle-turning rubbish -- but perhaps that means I'm feeling happier with the first few pages? Now for a slice of chocolate cake :)

ETA: I have come up with a provisional title for the piece. It's not inspired but it's a bit better than '[Title]', which is what it's been called up to now...

Edited 2012-07-20 22:25 (UTC)

There's always that damned paternity question in royal families, isn't there? Hope tomorrow brings clarity on where the story wants to go.

Cake generally helps, I find.

Chocolate cake is the best writing incentive :)

Day 20 (Team July)

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Lightning Bolt

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Re: Lightning Bolt

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