Pico day 9

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

Here is the post for any comments, snippets or thoughts.

May the magic be with us all!

Comments

[avon7.livejournal.com]

Well, I really wrote it last night, but I wrote 320 words and started a new section of the story/ies which I'm not sure I want to write but I think I should. I hope I'm not head jumping, but I think I am.

“You’ll be all right in Slytherin. Stay away from Gryffindor and Potter and all those Weasleys. Study hard, make the most of your chances…” his father paused and looked at him almost helplessly.

Scorpius nodded. Anything if his father would stop looking so worried and his mother would take off that frozen mask she had worn since his father had announced he would be going to Hogwarts rather than Durmstrang.

His father bent down and gave him a quick and unexpected hug. Scorpius hugged back just as hard, trying not to cry. Draco pushed some galleons into his hand and whispered, “Neville Longbottom - herbology. He’s a fool but he’ll never hold your parentage against you.”

[akane42me.livejournal.com]

Very good progress! I like this snippet - the advice to stay away from Gryffindor and Potter and all those Weasleys!

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

Oh, so we're seeing the Malfoy side of things as well? Intriguing!

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

A great character study in that conversation.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

This is a really good character sketch, everyone comes alive in the short scene.

[saki101.livejournal.com]

There are these stories again, going this way and that, without regard to what we want to do!

I'm fascinated by the school choices. Had to look up Durmstrang today. I can imagine that would have been a difficult choice. Scorpius will have a lot to bear on the parentage issue.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Nice, rather wistful family moment...

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Great progress!

Interesting scene - it sounds like the problems at Hogwarts aren't fixed at all (but that is not too surprising).

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Around 500 words - although split over two incomplete scenes. The story seems to be moving along nicely and moving in the right direction. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I'll have a chance to edit through what I've got and then be able to post snippets.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, you make excellent progress!

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

Nice wordcount, and it sounds like generally good progress all round. Well done!

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Progress indeed.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're doing great, that's a substantial amount of progress!

[saki101.livejournal.com]

Great progress! Eager for snippets!

[akane42me.livejournal.com]

moving along nicely

Sweeter words never said:) Congrats on 500 words!

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you're happy with the progress!

[akane42me.livejournal.com]

Another hour today! I'm pleased.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Go you!

Terminus, Chapter 6

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

We had a long and boring teachers' conference in the afternoon (after I had 6 lessons with language groups varying between grades One and Eight), and then I got stuck at school by a thunderstorm, so I haven't done any actual writing today. But since people seemed to like Data and Rina discussing things, below is a little tease from a later part of the discussion, which will, hopefully, lead to the big action part, soon. *crosses fingers*

Excerpt:

“You can really make people do your bidding?” Data asked.

They were talking in low voices and the security guard at the door gave them their privacy.

Rina nodded. “Anytime. I try not to do it, though.”

“Would you make an exception for me?” Data continued.

S/he stared at him in shock. “What?”

RE: Terminus, Chapter 6

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a deeply tedious day! Good luck with the next bit.

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

265 words today. I decided to jump a bit further back in the story and give you all a bit more background...


'Really,' Emma said, 'I ought to let Jay tell you himself. But this is the favour I'm doing Jay.'

'What, letting him drive the bus?' It still seemed to me that the favour-doing was all on Jay's side.

Emma's eyes were dancing. 'He's got his own reasons for wanting to go to Leicester.'

'Oh,' I said, disappointed by the sordidness of the world. 'Dan? We go filming, and Jay has a dirty weekend away?'

'God, Phyl,' Helen said, 'you have such a dirty mind. He's eloping.'

The bus lurched over a pothole. I slid forwards and grabbed the armrest to steady myself. 'You're kidding.' I looked at Emma, being the more reliable of the two Ackerleys.

'No,' she said. 'I'm not kidding. He's going to marry Dan, and we're going to be there.'

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Things start to slot into place...

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Today was mostly red pen edits, but people have been wanting to know what else was said between Edward and Kate, so here's another snippet from that scene:

"Not Thomas. You remember Father transferred the London properties to me back in '63? Well that was a sort of wedding settlement – since Connie didn't have any family who could do that for her." He felt a twinge of guilt at using his Anglicised pet-name for Consolata, but he wasn't going to get into a discussion of her Catholicism just yet.

"And you have a son? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Connie took him to America. This will be the first year she's allowed him to come and stay with us for the holidays."

"You married an American?" Kate's tone implied that she might have accepted an American heiress, but one without family or wealth was most definitely beyond the pale.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Such a mesaliance indeed! (sp???)

[elmey.livejournal.com]

Well I guess this is my week for whining. I did sit and write before I opened my e mail :) Managed 248 words but I don't like them. It's not so much that the writing is bad it's that I don't seem to be going anywhere that makes sense. Hmmm. I'm going to have to do some serious thinking about where these characters actually stand in relationship to each other and maybe narrow the focus a bit.

Well, that's what pico is for...

[saki101.livejournal.com]

It is and you implemented your pre-email writing plan, so that and the words are progress. Even if the scene doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment, your brain had a reason for wanting to write it.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

About 400 words... this is partly older ones, partly new :)

Rodney looked slightly ill. "Radek, look here -"

"What?"

Radek tried to peer into the murky console interior to what Rodney was pointing out with his flashlight. There was a long, jagged fracture across the dingy coil of something less like metal than... unfleshlike flesh. Uncannily if vaguely like a tear across some sort of unknown and unthinkable... he couldn't help but think it, muscle. Black and scabby, pockmarked and oddly...

"Putrescent," Daniel murmured.

One could always count of Doctor Jackson for the words, Radek thought -

"Like some form of decomposing organic technology. "

- could always count on him for words that would bring up an image they didn't want to think about.

"Or synthetic biology," he offered, as a somewhat less not-to-be-thought-about idea.

"But very very dead and not so very decayed."

"Yes," Rodney's face, in the dim light, looked even more ill, he obviously and for once agreed with Radek. "That's not it - though thank you for that image."

I've found some piccies that I am using for alien inspiration, may put them up tomorrow :)

[saki101.livejournal.com]

Excellent word count and very unsettling and evocative excerpt.

[saki101.livejournal.com]

A little over an hour's work. Not a lot of words, but some, and more thinking about backstory. Meanwhile, in the Jag:

***

The car door slammed. Alistair could hear the steel tips of Anthea’s heels on the pavement for a few steps, then the revolving doors swirled and she was gone.

“Let’s hope Round Two is more productive.” Alistair turned his attention back to the black blade of his knife, finished cleaning it and folded it into its handle. “I’ve never used this on fish before,” he said.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

That last statement certainly leads to some unsettling thoughts! I have a feeling you're coming up with a very interesting backstory.

[candidlily.livejournal.com]

I thought I wasn't gonna have time to write today, but I managed to sneak in a few minutes. 146 new words that I'm not super happy with, but better than nothing.

[saki101.livejournal.com]

Far better than nothing! And you kept to the plan of doing some every day. Well done!