Word count: 79

Still reading and working with Protag 1’s dossier.  I added a little bit to something I finished, too.  Also, my word count spreadsheet says I only have 84,956 words, so I have updated my counter to reflect that.  Not sure where I went wrong; I probably entered a number incorrectly.

There’s a scene I want to write, but I’ve been avoiding it until I can get a few more words under my belt.  Or perhaps I should just do it.

The most difficult part of a book to write is the middle.  It tends to sag sometimes.  Whether you start at the beginning or skip around like I do, the middle bit is like that stretch of dull, endless highway between your home and your destination.  You’ve gone too far to turn back, but you’re not sure you have enough energy to go on.

And on, and on, and on….

Image:  Wikimedia Commons

You get sleepy and you try to focus on your craft, but you’re anxious to get to the end, and so it suffers.  You drift.  Sometimes you get so far out of your lane that when you go back and reread what you wrote, the incongruity of it is like the blare of a trucker’s horn snapping you out of your doze.  You veer back into your lane and vow to pay attention.  You’re dedicated.

If you want to see an example of dedication, watch this video about a man in India who has cared for his feathered friends for over ten years.  And did you know there are wild parakeets in southeast England?  Yes, it’s true.  I’ve seen them.

Word count Day 8:  0.

Word count Day 9: 1682.

All right, it’s not Canada Day and I’m not in Canada, but I liked those, okay?

I hope everyone survived the weekend and you’ve recovered from Monday.  The Back of Doom is better– I managed to do a set of stair climbs today (just one, but that’s progress) at work.  And I finished another lingering scene.  Yay!

I was not hung over from Saturday’s experiment, I promise.  I drank a huge glass of water before bed and managed to sleep long enough to awaken with nothing more than a very slight headache.  But an entire week of working while in major pain really took the starch out of me.  I was tired on Saturday, and Sunday I just could. not. even.  I didn’t even get dressed.

You need that every once in a while.

Image:  tiverylucky / freedigitalphotos.net

So we’re back in the saddle again, and I’m starting to get more into Protagonist 1’s head.  That person’s scenes have been woefully neglected while I carry on my rekindled love affair with England.

Time to go to sleep for tonight.  My office is closed on Wednesday (Veteran’s Day in the US, Remembrance Day in the UK), so hopefully I have some catch-up time.  See you then, Wrimos.

Word count as of 8:51 pm CST:  144

STUUUUUUUCK

AAAAAAHHHH

I’d have a drink to loosen things up a bit (hey,maybe all those alcoholic writer tropes are there for a reason!), but I have to skate in the morning.  So I’ll sit here and babble in Word for a bit and hope I can pull something useful out of it.

My sister texted me and we started texting emojis back and forth and I found a hamster one and it reminded me of this.

Oh dear God.

Help me.  :)

Word count:  971

And I’ve finished a scene that I left hanging when I stopped writing before.

Three cheers and a tiger for me; I’ve won!

Image:  looneytunes.wikia.com

It has a plant in it for a future event.  I’m thinking I may not have been as subtle as I liked, but given this character’s anxiety, perhaps a bit of foreshadowing will work here.  Why should he be the only one who worries?

It’s getting late; I had to work through lunch and didn’t get to sneak a few words in today, so I shall sign off with this video of elephants at the Oregon Zoo playing with their food.   Enjoy!