ROW80 Week 7: Matched

(Other ROW80 check-ins)

Last week, I sped ahead with Gormenghast, but didn’t read much of Writing the Fiction Series.

This week has been the opposite. I finished both my current chapter of the writing book, and the next — on marketing, so not very applicable to me. I’m not (yet :-]) trying to publish anything.

Only one chapter to go!

I also wrote 1,600 words of prose (outlining for Conkers, and other background material).

The only catch is that I haven’t read any more of Gormenghast.

Good luck and happy writing!

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ROW80 Week 6: Density

(As usual, here’s the link to other people’s check-ins.)

Reading Writing the Fiction Series is turning out to be more work than I thought. The exercises in the later chapters are forcing me to think seriously about how I want Conkers to work, and I’m not getting through them anywhere near as easily; I only finished another half a chapter or so this week.

It has been helping my writing progress, though; as well as two sonnets, I got inspired to write a new scene in the Conkers setting, and I had a good idea for how to link one of my villains in with the rest of the cast.

I also made good progress with Gormenghast; I’ve now only got 40 pages to go.

Good luck and happy writing!

For The Sleepers

They are asleep. They will not wake for me,
Who storms and dragons dared, and braved the waves
And chasms, of these waterfall-fed caves,
To reach at last, this calm and silent sea.

I bent before the first, to touch a brow,
Realised she would be woken filled with fear,
In vain struck notes on all the gongs set here;
Then knelt upon the sand, and made a vow:

"So long as I still live, and they still sleep,
I'll join the dragons and the clashing rocks,
Confront with them each challenger who knocks,
And let none past who cannot make me weep."

If I in vain did win my way within,
Then none who's not my equal need begin.

ROW80 Week 5: Sideways

My Week 5 of ROW80 (linky) was dominated by family visits and by planning for Conkers.

I didn’t get as far through the craft book (Writing the Fiction Series, by Karen S. Wiesner) this week: only one chapter, and I didn’t quite finish the exercises.

But that’s mainly because the exercises got me thinking about Conkers again. Working through them, and reading some advice from RA Stone on character motivation, I’m getting a much clearer idea of what I want my editing to achieve.

My other goals went without incident: I wrote two sonnets and some prose, and put some time into booking the rest of my Europe trip. I only read 14 pages of Titus Groan (80 to go), but I’m still on track to finish it in Week 9 or 10.

Good luck and happy writing!

ROW80 Week 4: Parallelism

Week 4 of ROW80 has turned out fairly well.

The both-books-at-once strategy for my reading goals is working so far: I read two chapters in the writing book the day I got it, as well as exactly 20 pages of Titus Groan earlier in the week (94 pages are left).

At this rate, I’ll finish the main content of the craft book pretty soon — it only has six chapters. However, it’s got plenty of worksheets in the appendices, so there’ll be plenty to go on with once I’ve read the chapters.

My writing goal is also up to speed: two sonnets, and some miscellaneous prose.

I should probably increase my word count goals, but I’m reluctant to do that until I’ve got my overseas trip sorted out. Some of the bookings sorted out, but I’m hoping to finalize the rest of my accomodation in the next two weeks.

To keep that process moving, I’m making ‘progress on accomodation bookings’ an extra goal for this week.

Good luck and happy writing!

What Endures

I dreamed that writhing shadows wreathed a hall,
While celebration's song was heard within.
The lighted windows each in turn grew small,
As darkness piled up, then filled them in.

The music kept to perfect pitch and beat
While silence showed the screaming throats the knife.
The sheep and cows as one made their retreat,
And left the song the only sign of life.

The darkness rose, to snuff the stars, the moon,
And leave a world blanked out, but for the song.
I knew the sun would not be rising soon;
I knew the music would continue strong.

How long it held, and whether light returned,
I do not know. I woke before I learned.