Day 1

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Here's today's prompt for you to post your updates and any excerpts and thoughts etc in comments.

I also thought I'd provide a link to a simple word counter, the Picometer at Writertopia.com. To make it easy, just copy the following HTML, changing 1340 to the number of words you've written, and 5000 to whatever your target is:

<img src="http://picometer.writertopia.com/words=1340&target=5000" />

The result for this example is:

Comments

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ah, this is what this comm is good for. I was forced to start my story, and I've done the first scene.



Here's an excerpt.

"Could you leave a brother or sister like that, Avon?"
Avon winced very slightly. "Yes. It would be kinder."
"To you, you mean?"
"Of course. He--the mutoid--wouldn't care."
"Yes, but what if you could reverse the process?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Vila."
"I'm not. Look, it seems to me that the Federation might want some sort of out. I mean, what if they wanted to get the person back, or get their memories back? Some mutoids are people being punished, but you know a lot aren't. You know, "Join the Mutoid Corps and Forget". Very romantic, that is."
"Vila!"
"Well, it is to some, Soolin. Like that Keera Landradi, you know, the actor. Career going downhill, a few lines starting to appear, her lover leaving her, so she makes the grand gesture. People like that, they'd like to know there was a chance of getting it all back."
Avon looked thoughtful. "Hard as I find to admit it, you could have a point. I shall see what Orac can find out."

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Career going downhill, a few lines starting to appear, her lover leaving her, so she makes the grand gesture

God, that's horrendously creepy! What a brilliant idea!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I watched 'Duel' recently and wondered about Keera, whom Travis described as once "very beautiful, very much admired".

You may like a ficlet I wrote a while back: Poppy Day (http://www.farsight.net.nz/fiction/ljfiction.htm).

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll look at that later on today!

[kerravonsen]

Seconded. That makes a wonderful amount of sense. More sense than the fanon that says that Travis was once in love with her.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

He certainly knew who she was, but that can be interpreted in lots of ways. Anyway what he said implies that she was a star in some way.

[avon7.livejournal.com]

Oh yay! B7 to read! I grinned at:
You know, "Join the Mutoid Corps and Forget". Very romantic, that is."

It sounded very Vila.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Not of course that Vila wouldn't be horrified at the thought of himself or anyone he knows doing it. :-) He lets his mouth run away with him.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's a good hook :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I have a lot of scenes already sorted in my head, but vast amounts are blanks so far. :-)

[akane42me.livejournal.com]

You're off to a great start!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I often find starting is the hardest bit, and choosing how to open.

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

I'm mostly impressed by your word count -- almost ten per cent on the first night!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ah, but I'd like to finish the story this month, and it will probably be quite a bit longer than 5000 words.

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

It's still an excellent start, methinks.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Damn these people setting high standards!

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

How dare they? They make me feel all inadequate and depressed on Day One...

[muninnhuginn]

Excellent, B7! And mutoids!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yep, this one's about mutoids! :-) Soolin wants her sister Ilka back.