Day Twenty-Six

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Please post today's updates/excerpts/thoughts/etc. in comments.

Here's today's daily prompt for your updates, excerpts, any thoughts, etc.

Yesterday's post: Day Twenty-Five

Comments

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Does anyone else feel like they've just run out of steam...? I've hardly managed to write a word so far today, and I just feel as if all creative potential has seeped out through my toes (if that's not too horrid an image).

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I've picked up steam on NaNo by virtue of waging a word war with a friend.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Seems to have done the trick (is awed).

[quietann.livejournal.com]

I am a little bit stuck. TNTAML seems to have a lot of mistakes in the parts I wrote most recently and I did not catch them before going to beta... And I have a revision rolling around in my head for days and it needs to be done. But I keep finding other things to do...

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

This pesky life thing has a habit of demanding to be fed, doesn't it?

[spiralsheep.livejournal.com]

I hit my target early and am wholly satisfied with what I've done for picowrimo. ::annoying smugness::

I do have another ficlet in progress but I doubt if I'll finish it because I rarely finish any story unless I know the end before I begin writing. ::shrugs::

Good luck getting your steam back. :-)

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I hit my target early too, so I should feel satisfied! Glad you're feeling smug!

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I hit my original target so early I decided it must have been broken and traded it in for a better one...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hooray for smugness - go you!

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Mine's all been hijacked by the pressing need to get weaving with a sewing project - foolishly I've decided to make my own bellydancing costume for next weekend's hafla...

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

There's always a balance between different creative projects, if you've got more than one talent, that is. (For me, dancing and sewing are equally out.) Good luck with the sewing project!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Good luck with that, and it's brilliant you're being creative.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

You're not alone. I haven't written for days but I did some yesterday (today your time). This is in effect the third ficathon I've done in three months, but at least it's a light and fun story and easier to write than the others were.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm glad you managed to get something done, and you're still enjoying writing despite ficathon overdose.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

I'm writing mechanically just to reach the end at this point; it seems silly to give up when I've less than 500 words to go. But I'm feeling extremely uninspired.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorry you're feeling uninspired. It's so hard to write when life is difficult. I have reached both my original and my revised targets, so I don't think there's much point in plugging on just for the sake of numbers; I was hoping to finish the Heyer story, just because it's been endlessly put off, but I'd grossly underestimated the number of words that would need.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the lack of inspiration - eventually sheer exhaustion does set in and particularly when life is hard. How about a switch to a different project? Like a 'five things' project of 5 drabbles - that would give you 500 words.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's a very helpful suggestion. I've been stuck on working in chronological order because I wanted to have something approaching a complete rough draft to show for PicoWriMo. But if I hop & skip around to fill in with a few drabbles that might set off a spark.

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

I had that yesterday... or was it the day before? Anyway, yes, it's got quite tough lately.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're managing to push on even though the words are proving difficult to wrangle.

[tawek.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've certainly had problems the last few days. :(

Been suffering from blocked sinuses for a while, but the last few days they've got worse, to the point where I have a niggling headache. That, combined with three commitments this weekend where I didn't want to let people down, and I've only managed about 500 words since the last progress I reported. Most of the time I've been taking early nights punctuated with sleeplessness (like now).

At 81.3%, with 3737 words to go, I can definitely do it, but I think I'll need this headache to subside.

Even so, progress has still been great. So if I don't reach 20,000 due to temporary ill-health, I'll still regard Pico as an enormous success. :)

It was strange to walk with her sister and secret bodyguards, in court attire in full view of everyone. Krista felt uncomfortable. One day it’ll always be like this and much worse. Everyone staring. Looking for a mistake, looking for advantage. Rachelle, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed than usual.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's so difficult to write with a headache. Kudos for getting so far, and hopes that the headache subsides.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Those sinus headaches are horrible, I hope it clears in time for you to nail the word count. You've made amazing progress.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I haven't done much on my story recently (having already hit the 5000 mark) but I wrote some more yesterday and at least I now know just where it's going.

Excerpt:

It wasn't that I was concerned about Avon, you understand, just that you don't get that many chances to see him being beaten up by an old trout. So I dropped the pearls and went out into the hallway just in time to see him emerge from another room pursued by a woman twice his size, heaving both her bosom and a weighty handbag at him.

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

Well done for plugging on. I liked the image that excerpt conjures up!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :-)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm so looking forward to seeing the completed story!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to having it finished! :-)

[spiralsheep.livejournal.com]

I'm loving that extract. :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Just before that, she called him a cad.

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

Like other people I have been feeling rather uninspired this weekend. Actually I've spent more time hacking C/GTK than writing. But I did battle through to the end of scene 6, and then went back and inserted an extra scene (4a) to fix some broken continuity.

Running total is 4740 on chapter 5 - and I think I can do some cheating again for the next bit ;)

Excerpt:
"Yes my Lord. Perhaps…" Farll hesitated. "Perhaps you need to… deal with him. Before the other Guild leaders start to defy your authority."
Cortz was surprised at Farll's aggression. "Really D'kon? And how do you propose that I act against him? Should I order the Skurty Guild to beat him senseless?"
Farll looked abashed. "No my Lord. But you are the K'ten – surely you have power to discipline even the K'nel?"
"You will find, D'kon, that much of a K'ten's power is vested in the loyalty of his people."

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I think eventually sheer bloody knackeredness can set in. Well done plugging on with it.