Day 16 - It's All Downhill from Here

Feeling better. Made my word count for today and will get a jump on tomorrow's through tonight.

I like the 'two for the road' subplot. The character dynamic is fun - they don't trust each other.

I'm still debating when to burn Andre's betrayal. I might want the group to be larger before he makes his move. No big loss, he's a Dr. Smith plot device prop. A normal plot twist can take his place.

Caught a repeat of the Mythbusters zombie special and listened to the RadioLab segment Emergence. Emergence was about Hive Mind phenomena, ant brains in action. And is that applicable to zombie hordes?

Day 15 - Asleep at the Wheel

Had to take a nap in the middle of the first session. It's going to be a long weekend.

The plot tangent is dialogue heavy, the two leads have taken the ultralight to find antibiotics at a naval hospital just north of Parrish Island.

Day 14 Cover of the Rolling Stone

Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln is on the cover of the Rolling Stone - I suppose it still means something, Biber and Miley be damned.

Long day - short sessions. I am not making the modest quota I set for weekdays. I have two weekends to hunker down.

Started a throw away side trip with the two leads, they take the shark patrol ultra-lite to find much needed antibiotics.

Day 13 - Awake All Day

Had to be wide awake at work all day.

First session is back on track.

Next session is going to be short.

Day 12 Setting Limits

I know this is supposed to be thirty days of literary abandon ... however....

Now that I daydream about the story at work I have to switch my usual notepad for a single sheet of notebook folded in quarters. This is less conspicuous when jot notes at work and I don't want to 'leave my fight in the gym' by overwriting notes.

The typing into the note apps on my phone is too slow and making sense of the jumble on the voice recorder is a job in and of itself.

I hope this pacing strategy works. I was so wrecked after work yesterday I didn't make my thousand words mark.

Day 11 - The Internal Editor Rears its Ungly Head

Just spent the first session of the night outlining revisions for the beginning of the story. I fell victim to the Classic Blunder - Second Act Sag. Just over 500 words.

Vizzini: You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line"

I also have to externalize elements of the story. It reads like a Mime Narrative. Yes, Show Don't Tell - be sure to show enough. I'm inured with the atmosphere of dread but time for gore drenched action. The audience is readers, not mind readers. The beginning, for me. has context from the previous novel - so I cheated the second book.

Day 10 Caveman Writing

I'm getting a better feel for the keys - just relax.

I'm hitting 600 words per session and am taking shorter breaks. I passed 6k just after 5pm. Resting is more important than I realized.

I am writing scenes from up and down the narrative; I don't have a finish in mind, I do have an Idea where the story is going and that this story might be a trilogy. Next year "The Street Where You Live..... and Die"