Follower

[pjthompson]

I managed 1402 words last week. Not an impressive total, but there was an insurrection so I'm giving myself a pat on the back anyway.

This fantasy novel involves Nazis—the WWII kind—and I can't decide if it's perfect timing or perfectly bad timing. At any rate, it will take me a long time to finish it and by then we will certainly know more about the progress of Nazism in America and whether or not we survive it.

But I'd be lying if I didn't say my own manuscript is giving me the squicks right now. I'd work on something else but this one is doing the talking. Insistently. I know better than to try to shut up what is wanting its time on the stage. I started the preliminary work on this novel some years ago and there were Nazis in it from early days. I wrote about 27k before it stalled last summer. (I also know better than to force something to talk when it doesn't want to. It means I need to figure stuff out before proceeding.) But it started mumbling again about a month and a half ago and during the Christmas break it started talking very loudly indeed.

I just work here. So I follow where I'm led. I will not, however, say that I am just following orders. I'm "channeling" something—and I don't mean anything booga booga by that. Zeitgeist or shadowlands, I can't say. I suppose it will let me know in its own "sweet" time.

Comments

[sartorias]

Cheering you on!

[pjthompson]

Thanks!

[tolcath]

Empathies on the self-squicking because, yeah. It's like that sometimes.

[pjthompson]

I keep telling myself that I'm just seeing where the story leads at this point. Once the first draft is done, then I can decide if it works or not. But there's a fine and difficult to walk line between not having two-dimensional characters and not making them remotely sympathetic.

[tolcath]

I hear you.

[wayfaringwordhack]

I am happy to hear you are writing, but oh do I feel you on the "squicks." I have hit a part in my MS that does the same to me, and I just don't want to go there. :(


I hope you get through it unscathed. In any case, keep a-listenin'.

[pjthompson]

Trying to. As I said above, it's a fine line between making well-rounded characters without making abhorrent ones remotely sympathetic.