Much-delayed update
Jun. 8th, 2012 10:58 pmProject: Age of Sail Arthurian Angsty Romance Novel
Deadline: Labor Day-ish
New words written: since my last update? About 10K
Present total word count: 46246
Mean things: First appearance of The Girl
Fun things: First appearance of The Girl
Stimulants: I bought myself a thermal carafe and now I am drinking ALL THE TEA
I believe I have churned my way out of the Dreaded Middle of the Book!
I was pretty stuck for about a week, there. Part of it was that I thought I needed two more letters before I hit the dinner scene, when it turned out I only needed one.
But I made it through that, and then the dinner scene was fun to write --![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
eternaleponine reminded me that we'd decided that Alexander had acquired a puppy. Having a large Newfoundland puppy get dog hair on milord's fine white breeches and slobber on his handsome red coat is good for breaking the ice! And I did in fact work in that dick joke.
After the dinner scene, an abbreviated sex scene in which I got to indulge my interest in Men Playing With Each Other's Long Hair. *guh* And a waking-up scene in which 175 words were inspired by one especially lovely animated gif.
Then it was time to split the lovers up again. Not much fun. But more letters. And then another reunion, because of a fortunate assignment for harbour defense, in which I FINALLY joined the narrative-so-far up to the Petit Point Scene that I wrote back in MARCH. And then another separation when war was declared and our lieutenant was sent to join the Brest blockade.
Then more letters. Which I hope are not too dull a way of getting the military information across. And a chance for the secondary couple to see each other again, briefly, framed by a letter. And finally... a letter framing the first appearance of The Girl.
In which I got to write one of those classic Austen/Heyer ballroom sequences. With reflections on the pitfalls faced by a gentleman who knows he's a catch, and the NON-Darcy approach to forestalling gossip. And in which I got to join up the narrative to the very first flirtatious exchange I wrote down for the viscount and the girl!
By "framing," I mean I start the opening of the letter, and then shift to the letter-writer's thoughts, which proceeds to fade into a playing-out of the scene he's thinking about; at the end of that scene, fade back to the closing of the letter. I like it, and my beta thinks it works.
The next scene? Will be the first one I write from The Girl's POV. In which I hope to make the reader like her, rather than resenting her for the (temporary) effect she's going to have on the m/m romance. And in which I get to show off a little about sidesaddles, because she and the viscount are going riding.
I don't know if I'm working on that tonight, or tomorrow. But I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Deadline: Labor Day-ish
New words written: since my last update? About 10K
Present total word count: 46246
Mean things: First appearance of The Girl
Fun things: First appearance of The Girl
Stimulants: I bought myself a thermal carafe and now I am drinking ALL THE TEA
I believe I have churned my way out of the Dreaded Middle of the Book!
I was pretty stuck for about a week, there. Part of it was that I thought I needed two more letters before I hit the dinner scene, when it turned out I only needed one.
But I made it through that, and then the dinner scene was fun to write --
eternaleponine reminded me that we'd decided that Alexander had acquired a puppy. Having a large Newfoundland puppy get dog hair on milord's fine white breeches and slobber on his handsome red coat is good for breaking the ice! And I did in fact work in that dick joke.After the dinner scene, an abbreviated sex scene in which I got to indulge my interest in Men Playing With Each Other's Long Hair. *guh* And a waking-up scene in which 175 words were inspired by one especially lovely animated gif.
Then it was time to split the lovers up again. Not much fun. But more letters. And then another reunion, because of a fortunate assignment for harbour defense, in which I FINALLY joined the narrative-so-far up to the Petit Point Scene that I wrote back in MARCH. And then another separation when war was declared and our lieutenant was sent to join the Brest blockade.
Then more letters. Which I hope are not too dull a way of getting the military information across. And a chance for the secondary couple to see each other again, briefly, framed by a letter. And finally... a letter framing the first appearance of The Girl.
In which I got to write one of those classic Austen/Heyer ballroom sequences. With reflections on the pitfalls faced by a gentleman who knows he's a catch, and the NON-Darcy approach to forestalling gossip. And in which I got to join up the narrative to the very first flirtatious exchange I wrote down for the viscount and the girl!
By "framing," I mean I start the opening of the letter, and then shift to the letter-writer's thoughts, which proceeds to fade into a playing-out of the scene he's thinking about; at the end of that scene, fade back to the closing of the letter. I like it, and my beta thinks it works.
The next scene? Will be the first one I write from The Girl's POV. In which I hope to make the reader like her, rather than resenting her for the (temporary) effect she's going to have on the m/m romance. And in which I get to show off a little about sidesaddles, because she and the viscount are going riding.
I don't know if I'm working on that tonight, or tomorrow. But I'm definitely looking forward to it.
