Some caffeine and alcohol in the afternoon helped me to lay down the rest of their dinner. I’ve over 1k words beyond that, but it’s another day and back to political stuff with Teresa. I hope to wrap it up tomorrow and then wait and see what comes next. I think there will be one more installment with Mac, followed by the POP back to ‘present’ of Nichole with the Nation on the move…
Category: writing
Carbs are poison
They really are. You can learn a lot from reading my stories.
Tired from DayJob but wanted to jot down the rest of the dinner scene before it leads into Mackenzie’s history. The only problem is: they’ve not shown me anything of her history! I think the rest of her family is dead, but I’ve no real idea. I got to the last line of the tiny entry of what’s below, walked away from the computer, loaded the dishwasher, made sure my clothes were ready for the morning… and: nothing.
Tomorrow, depending on when my family returns, will be chaos. I hope we can learn the name of Mackenzie’s brother, soon.
Friends; for dinner
Enough politics. The second section of this book is supposed to highlight Mac, so let’s get the camera back where it belongs. Hopefully my RealLife family is back in two days, so I might be busy cleaning up tomorrow. It’s good to be writing again; we’ll see.
Questioning Civic Orthodoxy
Taking to Americans, especially White Americans, about any form of government different than what we have now is a huge exercise in futility. Europeans at least have a couple of thousand years playing about with nations and states. Northeast Asia has had some clever mixes of despotism. But here, it’s always “1776!” and “muh Constitution!”
It’s not just because I know history so well. There are plenty of folks who know history better than I do but flinch as if shot when I suggest that our federal republic has outlived its usefulness. I really think it has to do with family: that fact that mine is so old and predates the Republic helps, but is not the only factor. Still, having ancestors is a tremendous psychological cushion, as it were, when looking at our day to day crises.
Witch
Trying to keep some momentum up. After Mass this morning came home to at least mow the front yard. Haven’t done that in two years – what are kids for? – and managed to not have a heart attack. Did some cleaning about he house for fam’s return this week. While I miss them all, I’m really missing my wife, if you receive my meaning. Still, have managed to lay down some more words about what leads up to Nichole’s mission to the Nation: the Huns living in the badlands far east of Portland. Sneakers gotta sneak.
Buttercup
Typed a little during the week. Spent most of my off-work time drunk. Beginning to wonder is that pain under my right ribcage is at all related to that? Dog still dead, fam still gone… one of those two should be back Wednesday or Thursday. Three weeks to Matsuricon.
WTF is going on in Nichole’s Part Two?
Pulling my pants down
It’s been an awful week: dog dead, family off on vacation, my boss back… an Iliad of woes. Very difficult to write in such an environment.
Thus, even a pantser such as I must break down and make some outlines, becoming a plotter, lest nothing be written at all. Below the fold is a pic of the notes I made this afternoon; I was able to lay down about 700 words in the evening, but things are in flux.
What were I an OCD such as Acire: able to plan an entire month! Two partial days on the heels of tragedy is the best I can do. Content tomorrow… what else is left to me?
N2 P2
After an awful time last week, I try to crawl back into the cockpit and see where in the hell this flight is going. Oh, yes: time to get started on Part Two. Let’s start with a little exposition. After that, I’ll – as I do – fill in the backstory, then come back to “realtime.”
I’ve looked down from the Blue Mountains toward Pendleton over a dozen times. It’s breathtaking.
Half-halt
Any successful, sudden, military advance and breakthrough must be followed at some point by a pause: you can only outrun your lines of supply for so long. So, too with stories. I took an half-hour around noon to think about what I’ve written in Nichole’s second book while sitting on my back deck and taking the view in.
Something was off. In the timing. I could not put my finger on it, so, ignoring the nice day, I went back inside and put a pen and notepad next to my netbook and used ‘Find: “month”‘ to search through what I’ve written. Sure enough, there was a two month discrepancy. I’ve re-written that section and even went back to my ‘Friend & Ally’ manuscript and made two minor changes there, as well.
I also went on to write a page and a half of notes about Part 2/3 of the new book (the newer book, I guess I should say). It’s hanging together better: the ‘barbarians’ new leader, called Ruin, is much more politically savvy than the guy from ‘F&A.’ So much so that he will win, to his later surprise.
Nichole is smarter, faster, stronger than any human. But she’s also isolated, even with her human allies. The men about the Mayor and the tribesmen closest to Ruin function the same way as a General Staff does, and it is very, very difficult for an individual to beat a good staff.
The coming week, even with sick dog’s appt Tuesday afternoon, is a working vacation: my boss is off. I expect much productive time!
001
At 19,074 words, the raw manuscript of Part 1/3 of Nichole5’s second book is complete. While trying to keep it light-hearted and romantic, I had no choice but to lay some groundwork for what’s coming: Nichole & John Brunelli personally reconning what’s going on across the Columbia River, to the far northeast of the City. Teresa both a passive informant as well as secretly excited at the possibility of succeeding her father in power*. And finally the simple girl, Mackenzie: who just wants to make beautiful art, about to become a double-agent.
Nearly 20k words, and not one battle! I must be thinking back to my roots as an author! Wonder what that bodes for Part 2/3? Will it open in the middle of combat, or will things continue to progress slow by slow? The world wonders. And for Nike and Zom’s? I’m not remotely close to looking past that curtain.
*I recalled the scene from Robert Graves “I, Claudius,” where, some days after being picked to be Emperor by the Praetorian Guard, Claudius meets with a select few of the Senate leadership:
A senator: “You are not fit for this job!”
Claudius: “I agree. I am old; some say I am without my wits. But I am alive while dozens of my family went to the grave with theirs fully intact! You say I have no experience… do you have more? I’ve been in the Imperial Household since my birth, watching how it works. Do you know more?”
Expect Teresa (via Nichole) to have a similar speech in Part 3/3… if she’s still alive. Also, I hope in this installment I’ve captured Nichole’s recognition of the moral grey zone she’s stepped out into, by asking what she does of her friend. I realized, just now, that she’s created a box of safety around her boyfriend. Good Lord, but that’s going to backfire.
machciv 