Getting the creative juices flowing

So here's where I stand on Into the Flames, the novel I WILL settle down and finish this year.

Word Count: 18,526

I think I'm about half way through the plot right now, maybe two thirds, but I'm pretty sure I can add some scenes and embellish throughout to make it a "real" novel length.
I don't have any chapters right now, but I do have breaks where I can make them into chapters later if I so choose. I think I have about six chapters right now. Tonight I'm trying to finish a scene I'm adding to Before the Revelation (can you tell I'm procrastinating though?). I think this part, before the big secret reveal, is really important, because I want to completely define these characters apart from their powers. Yeah, their powers are essential to who they are, but they can't be shallow, two dimensional characters with their personalities hinged on what their super power is. This is also very important to the relationship between Rahab and Jean and Hawkins. I want her to want to be their friend even without having this bond between them. My favorite line from my novel, and a theme that I want to bring out even more, but am not sure how, is this:
"Rahab decided that it wasn’t so much their powers that brought them all together, as the fact that they had each bared their darkest secrets to each other, and had found understanding. And that was all that they really wanted."

Somebody in my creative writing class brought up the fact that now that Rahab was in on their little clique, Jean might get jealous that somebody else is talking to Hawkins telepathically. It wasn't something that I ever would have thought of, but of course she's right that it's probably the most likely thing to happen in that situation. I know I would get jealous if somebody encroached upon my and my friend's inside means of communication. This can also expand and deepen the section between the revelation and Christmas break (which is the scene before things start to get really hairy).

I could make this discussion with myself last a lot longer, but I should probably get to writing. That's the important part, getting it on paper first and foremost. Listening to 3 Doors Down to keep me in the mood.

"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well will you be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, Kryponite."

(In case you didn't know, the title of this novel comes from the 3dd song "Going Down in Flames.")

Book list for 2010

Book Count so far for 2010: ten
1) Heat Wave by "Richard Castle"
2) About a Boy by Nick Hornby
3) Pirate Latitudes by the sadly defunct Michael Crichton
4) All six of the Rebecca books in American Girls series, but just counted as one book because they're so thin.
5) Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
6) Anthem by Ayn Rand
7) Rest You Merry (a Peter Shandy Mystery) by Charlotte MacLeod
8) Specials by Scott Westerfeld
9) Ice Palace by Edna Ferber
10) The Hand of Mary Constable by Paul Gallico

Onward and Upward!

manager

Today I learned that...
I start my managerial duties on Monday! I'm going to be opening weekdays for now on. Let's hope this turns out as well in reality as it did in my mind.

bleh.

Today I learned that...
if I don't get any snuggle/sleep time with Sean, I wake up cranky, and the whole day goes downhill from there. Probably not the best supportive wife for the stressed student.

carhopping and stuff

So after taking my poll and having two people vote (thanks mom and mar!), I have decided to rededicate my life to that which is the ultimate goal in my life: finishing a novel. Since it feels like I spend about eighty percent of my life in Edmond, I decided that whenever I'm in Edmond but not at work, I will be writing my novel Into the Flames. (Until it is done, which should be sooner rather than later.) Usually this is like three or so hours a day. However, ever since I made this goal for myself, I have been staying late at work so I haven't gotten any writing done at all! I worked for eleven hours today, not even a break. It wasn't really that bad except my feet started to hurt after about eight hours. It didn't feel like that long; I had clocked out at four so I could clock back in as a carhop (different hourly wage between carhop and drive-thru, which is what I had been doing all day), and when my time card read eight hours I was surprised! I had honestly expected it to say five or six hours. Anyway, so lots of tips and hours today. Maybe tomorrow, though, I will get some writing done! I know, I know, I could just make up for lost time by writing now, and maybe I will. But I also want to set some time aside for reading great novels, too. Can't be a good writer without knowing what's out there.

Today I learned that:
The sun may be shining, but it can still be cold.
I can work for eleven hours and still consider it to be a good day.
The brown sugar in my pantry is all crusty.

come to the poll!

I think one of my originals purposes in this blog was to do post bits of my stories on here, like I used to do on myspace. But I keep putting it off becuase I know that I can post a lot more story than I can write, and I don't want to get to the end of what I've written and leave everyone hanging. So I've told myself that I will wait until I finish one of my novels to publish it, one chapter (or half a chapter) at a time, on this blog. I don't know why I'm posting this except maybe that it will make it a more concrete goal. So here I am, committing to finish a novel for you, my few readers. Now, I have two stories that are my most complete, and I have most of the plot of both worked out in my head. I just need your votes on which to dedicate myself to, because I can't decide!

Vote! Either:
1) City of Orphans. Affectionately mentioned in conversation as "Pocatello," this story has been ruminating within me for over a decade, undergoing so many changes that you wouldn't notice anything similar about its current and present forms except the name of the countries Umberland and Windswept. I worked on this story this November to win NaNoWriMo 2009 and have been slowly revising it for the past three months.

2) Into the Flames. Also a story I've been working on for at least eight years, although Rahab was originally a secondary character, Into the Flames is near and dear to my heart. I worked on this story during Creative Writing in the Spring semester of 2009, and was very pleased with the positive response I received among my peer reviewers.

If you need any more info (such as plot elements) to make a decision, ask me. But you must vote! It is your duty as a supporter of the Arts!

snow "storm"

Today I learned that...
it can snow and I still have to go to work!

A story with a little change

As most of you know, I am a carhop at Sonic. When I come home at night, it is customary to empty the contents of my apron into a half-gallon pitcher next to the couch. This is usually a couple or more dollars in change; I never bother to count. The change in the pitcher has been accumulating for about six months now and last night it finally reached the top of the container. I decided that rather than find another container to put next week's change in, it was time for me to turn it into cash. I've actually thought about doing this several times over the past few weeks, but I'm never home when the bank is open, but this weekend, I was determined. Therefore, on the way out of town on Saturday morning, I gathered up my pitcher of change in both arms and carried it into Midfirst. It weighed more than my border collie and I could almost hear my old boss from the Chamber ask me "Do you want a dolly for that?" I felt a little silly when I saw the long line of customers staring at me as I entered the bank lobby. This moment of awkwardness increased as I attempted to locate the change machine. Then, when I did find it, I was confused because it told me "Do NOT put change in machine" with very formidable "Prohibited" signs on either side of the notice. I looked around the bank in dismay. What was I supposed to do? An eldery gentleman with a plaid flannel shirt called out to me, "Can I guess how much you have in there?"
"Sure," I said.
"Six hundred."
I laughed. "I doubt it." I had stopped counting at a hundred and fifty or so dollars months ago, but I didn't believe that the pitcher could contain more than two hundred and fifty. But the man's banter caused me to relax. I turned back to the machine and decided to push the "English" button that I now noticed on the touch screen. It instantly popped up with the next screen: "Mid-first customer, or non-customer?" I selected the correct option (non-customer) and then the bottom of the machine started spinning. Time to put in the coins!
In my own clumsy way, however, I couldn't figure out how to open the top to pour in the coins. A second customer, this one with a long gray beard, saw my helpless look and came over. He showed me the latch and I gave him a grateful smile.
It took a long time to pour the coins in. The opening was large, but the spinner seemed to get stuck if I put too much in at one time, so I had to keep pausing and making sure everything went through correctly. I had thought that the rest of the customers had lost interest in me, probably because I became so engaged in the coins disappearing down the chute that I forgot about them. The last of the change went through and I looked around the bank in triumph. Then I noticed three people in line shouting at me, "There's some coins in the bottom!" with along with the appropriate finger wagging.
I looked down and gathered up the small pile of change that the machine had spit out back at me: A bent quarter, two Canadian dimes, and a Canadian quarter. "They're Canadian," I explained to my rapt audience, shoving them in my pocket.
"They didn't want them foreign coins," someone said, while the man in the plaid asked, "What's the damage? Three hundred sixty-seven?" He had read off from the big red total on the touch screen. "Well, I was going to guess 365 after I saw how many pennies you had."
I shrugged, not believing him, took my receipt from the machine, my empty pitcher under my arm, and got into the back of the line.
After that none of the customers in the bank took notice me. I was just another customer in a long line of people waiting to receive money. My little show was over; my fifteen minutes of fame had run its course. But at least I had gotten $367.58 out of the deal. I think that was worth it.

*This story brought to you courtesy of the suggestion of Aaron Pogue, www.unstressedsyllables.com*