julian_griffith

Project: Unconventional Unintentionally Arthurian Romance Novel
Deadline: haven't got one
New words written: 1243
Present total word count: 20051
Reason for stopping: Ran out of things to say, for now
Mean things: The lieutenant hasn't got a dressing-gown (short section); the viscount reflects on what he'll give up with his marriage (long section)
Fun things: Knot-garden with lavender hedges; hand-kissing; quoting Pascal in French
Stimulants: Caffeine at weird hours
Words Word don't know: None today

Broke 20K, W00T!

It's been a bad couple of days. Fortunately, I was able to get the damn refill today. Last night, with my brain chemistry still off, a very small amount of caffeine kept me awake, and I crunched out a whole section on the viscount's proposal of marriage, which is a highly unorthodox one, being an interesting hybrid of the historical marriage-of-convenience concept and the modern approaches to polyamory. He's not actually asking permission to be unfaithful; he's laying out terms for the best way to approach it if SHE should ever wish to be so. Startled the hell out of his intended bride, but didn't displease her at all. She thinks it's all very hypothetical, though. Of course, she's only eighteen.

Naturally, that whole section was WAY out of sequence. I haven't INTRODUCED the bride yet, in the linear progression; I'd left off in May of 1802, and she doesn't turn up until summer of 1804. I only got 110 words for May 1802 following the sex scene.

The next LINEAR thing involves meeting the lieutenant's Ma. Who, among other things, can't read very well. I'm still trying to get a handle on her. I don't have an actress-voice yet. I know there's plum-cake. After that, we'll FINALLY get to meet one of the two secondary characters around whom the B-plot revolves. I need to look up which prize-agent went bust and ran off with what money they could salvage, because otherwise there's no explanation at all for that character being reduced to his half-pay, and he is unquestionably so reduced.

I haven't decided if I'm going to be mean enough to inflict a lack of coffee in their breakfast at the inn. They might have to make do with tea. Present-day reviews of the inn mention that their breakfast is Continental and scanty, not a cooked breakfast, so I may do that to them for my own amusement; after all, they got a very good dinner (ALSO mentioned in present-day reviews of the inn). It amuses me no end that the inn is STILL IN BUSINESS.

I was worried for a while, but it seems like it's still moving along.

Project: Unconventional Historical Romance Novel
Deadline: haven't got one
New words written: 341
Present total word count: 17947
Reason for stopping: bedtime
Mean things: Drunken postillion
Fun things: well, *I* thought it was fun to create that small hassle; also, fresh-caught pike
Stimulants: pizza
Words Word don't know: None today

Today was a bad day for words. All I needed, I thought, was a brief transition to the Sex Scene.

Yeah. That's what those 341 words are, and to get them I spent a great deal of time noodling around with Google Maps, nature preserve websites (that was about the fish), Hannah Glasse (to know how the innkeeper's wife would COOK the fish, even though I'M NOT EVEN DESCRIBING IT, although it might work its way in tomorrow), and a couple of sites about tile-hung architecture and how that worked - which is DEFINITELY not in any of the words I wrote, but would my brain let me do anything until I knew about it? It would not.

It may also have something to do with the emotional depletion of doing my taxes, which was bad even though I'm going to be getting a refund. But they're done.

Also there was a delay on one of my two regular prescriptions and I can sort of feel my brain grinding its gears without it. Tomorrow: bugging the pharmacy.

The thing that probably broke my brain hardest, though, was realizing that I'm freaking well writing fix-it fic again. Lancelot/Arthur/Guinevere fix-it fic. I DID NOT DO THIS ON PURPOSE. But the number of tropes I'm hitting is positively ridiculous. Well, it explains Caroline a little bit better to me, now.

Ill-Made Knight. King who didn't know he'd be king. The young bride.

THIS TIME THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FUCK IT UP, DAMMIT.

why, yes, I've been angry at their story since I was twelve. And yes, I'm pleased to be able to fix it.

The coolest thing, I think, is that knowing this gives me Mordred-era hooks for a sequel. AND I CAN FIX THOSE TOO.

Take THAT, Malory. And Tennyson. And Bradley. And White.

So, tomorrow, there will probably be a lot of words.

I hope.