Word Count Goal: 33,340

Achievement: 37,254 (2,527)

Soundtrack: Playlist of Epica, Within Temptation and Nightwish with a sprinkling of Hayley Westenra.

I am learning to embrace descriptions. Descriptions of what people are wearing (however brief), of how they look, of the locations involved. Tina’s finally made it to the blood magic party and because it’s a brand new location I felt I had to delve into what the place looks like. Surprisingly, a loose end tied itself up with me. Apparently the party’s being hosted by the vampire that’s been looking for Tina for staking her vampire ex-boyfriend (Tina’s, not the vampire’s). The vampire only has a place holder name at the time until I find something more era-relevant. I think she’s about eighty years old. It makes sense to me to have a vampire hosting a blood magic party, but seeing as how she’s newer to town than even Tina is, I’m trying to figure out how she rose to such power so quickly and made friends with the coven of blood magick using witches.

I didn’t want to start writing today and considered taking some time off. I didn’t want to write because although I’ve been thinking of this sequence a lot, I was a little afraid to put it into practice. Luckily once I started writing it flowed relatively easily. I haven’t hit another wall like I did at 10K, I am simply procrastinating because I don’t think I can translate what happens in my head well enough to the page. Luckily, Tina’s already gotten in to trouble – just add conflict is my motto after all! As an added bonus, Connor (remember the guy from the #nerdpowerpost?) is at the party as well, so even though Sarah and her boyfriend Nick are kind of helpless if any bad shit goes down, Connor can back Tina up.

I know several things need to happen, but I’m willing to let them take their time: Chelsea has to show up and Tina’s given the opportunity to use blood magic on her, Sarah gets tortured for punching Chelsea (sorry, Sarah! But you’re just about the most important thing there to Tina) and Ten breaks in with a bunch of allies to rescue Tina from Lachlan. I don’t know how I’m going to settle this problem with the vampire, seeing as how she needs to survive to the climax, but it looks like I’ve got a lot of action and fun to be writing for the next few thousand words!

Word Count Goal: 31,673

Achievement: 34,727

Soundtrack: Nada

Sometimes I wonder where my word count goes. 1667 per day doesn’t seem enough when I’m really getting in to something. But it’s a good place to stop because I have other things I need to do, like finish a galley and start critiquing a manuscript for a friend that’s relying on me.

And like I said yesterday, every time I think I’m nearly at the blood magic party, something happens that adds drama and conflict and I can’t quite get there yet because what I’m writing is setting it all up and is so full of awesome. Like today, when Tina punched Lachlan in the face for being an asshole (yay #teamniceboy!). And in fact, I only really wrote about 1K worth of that part because earlier in the day I suddenly saw Tina confessing to Ten that she’d been the one to stake Noah and I had to write 500-ish words worth of that scene down, even though it’s not due to take place until after the party.

Eh, you take what you can get when you’re a writer. I used to write sporadically, all over the place. I’ve tried to train myself into being a more linear writer and for the most part it’s worked. I occasionally get snatches of conversation I need to write down and save for later.

I might come back and write some more after I’ve finished my book. I’ve been looking forward to the party scene so much now I’m quite scared anything I write on the page won’t stand up to what I see in my head.

Word Count Goal: 30,006

Achievement: 33,026

Soundtrack: Assassin’s Creed Revelations Soundtrack.

I’ve done it again. A little bit of violence, and hoping that Tina doesn’t come off as a victim. It’s one of the things I’m most desperate to avoid in all of my writing: my women are never victims, even when violence is perpetrated against them. And because I tend to write warrior-type women: ninja cyborgs, elemental sorceresses, and now a demon hunter, they often get at least one and often two violent episodes per novel. Sometimes they get knocked about: I don’t like making them perfect, so they do get hit about and they never come up perfectly clean with every hair in place. They do come up, though, because they’re tough.  And even though my women are good warriors, sometimes there’s nothing you can do against a particular assailant if they get you in just the right place. I’ve learned this from wrestling with my hubby, who is by far the strongest man I know. Even he’s helpless sometimes against me *wink wink*.

Every time I think I’m about to start writing the party scene I realise I need to do something just before it. So I’m still not at it just yet. Which is fine by me. I know I’m developing things, weaving things together, giving Tina and Lachlan more character. And I know why there’s a party going on, too. Someone very important to the plot and to Tina is in charge of it, and Tina’s going to learn a few things before the night is through. I can’t wait to write more about Tina and Sarah’s friendship, and the part when Ten comes crashing through a window to save her? I’ve been aching to get to it. Even a tough girl needs a friend or two to rely on every so often.

Word Count Goal: 28,339

Achievement: 31,049 (2710)

Soundtrack: Nothing.

Today was another one of those wrap-up-the-scene days. So there’s not much to talk about except that I’m weaving more stuff about Lachlan messing with Tina’s mind while she’s on the coolest date I could think of. Tina’s beginning to question it: in fact, she directly confronted him when he yelled at her to stop asking so many questions. I took Daniel from Fallen as my inspiration there. I’m so pleased with myself. Except that Lachlan has this ability to cloud Tina’s mind and make her think he’s just the bee’s knees. She broke out of it just before I finished what I was writing. I don’t know what’s going to happen because I want her to totally confront him and break out of the spell completely, but I need her under his spell and on good terms with him for the blood magic party. I get the feeling she’s going to get pissed and then realise she needs to go with him so turn on her girly charms to convince him to take her along. The blood magic party is the scene I’ve been most looking forward to writing – it’s going to be equally sexy as it is disturbing.

I’ve decided that I’m not going to finish when I hit 50K (which I am due to on the 27th as of today). I want this to be at least 70K, and I know I have to go back and write in some more Tina and Ten moments early on so they’re oh so very close to being a couple before Lachlan gets his paws on Tina. Tina needs to resist more, which gives Ten a chance to shine as he uses all his manly seduction to bring her a-quiver. It will be a really cool way to show the dichotomy between Ten and Lachlan. But I also need to re-shuffle a few things because I had them kiss quite early on and I don’t want them doing it quite that early: I want a little of the whole ‘will they/won’t they’ vibe going on between them, which should be really easy to get into now that I’ve thought about it on account of Ten being a demon and Tina being the one who hunts demons. So it should be easier to get some teenage angst in. #amiright?

 

I also discovered THE COOLEST WRITING HELPER EVER. Positive reinforcement totally wins.

Word Count Goal: 26,672

Achievement: 29,034 (2362)

Soundtrack: Doctor Who Season 1.

I had a lot of fun writing today’s scene. You can tell by my word count. The NaNo site is glitching so it doesn’t tell me how much I’ve written so I’m back to relying on my Word stats. The words flew easily today because I could tell exactly what was happening and how. I only paused to do some research about something I’ve never done myself, but I read a bit and watched some YouTube videos so I think I’ll manage to pull it off. I don’t want to reveal what it is but suffice to say it’s a totally awesome dream date!

I think I’m really starting to portray Lachlan as this horrible kind of guy. Not intentionally, you know, but the way Edward Cullen is represented on the page is basically in two different ways: First there’s the guy who’s in love with Bella and would do anything to protect her, and then there’s the stalky paedophile who watches her sleep. Well, Lachlan’s starting to reveal that he’s a bit of a control freak as well, which is totally appropriate because that’s exactly what I’m aiming for. I want Lachlan to represent everything that Edward, Patch and Daniel stand for in their novels (Twilight, Hush Hush and Fallen respectively). Most girls can’t see past their abs, hands and eyes to the controlling, manipulating assholes that lurk beneath. Part of me thinks there’s a real irony in that: the whole ‘beauty is only skin deep’ really applies to those YA ‘boys’ (who are really hundreds or thousands of years old but still fall in love with teenage girls like it’s all the rage). At the same time, Lachlan is totally hot but totally an asshole – only Tina doesn’t realise it yet. She’s starting to suspect, but every time she confronts him, he confuses her again with his magic. I can’t wait til she breaks free and kicks his ass demon-hunter style.

I always knew it was an awesome idea to have a male witch in this book.