It’s day seven of the 30 day National Novel Writing Month. I pledged to complete the challenge: at least a 50,000 word novel by November 30, 2011. That breaks down to roughly 1,666 words per day. By end of today, that’s11,662 words and I’m at 9,043. Unfortunately, blog post words don’t count.
My story idea is about fifteen year old Jacqui Browne who debates whether she should go into drug dealing to finance her Catholic school education. She believes the school is the ticket to getting to an Ivy League college. A one time drug deal is supposed to get her caught up on her unpaid tuition until the local drug dealer blackmails her into more drops. That’s the gist of the story, right now. It may change before it’s done.
The 50,000 words is a daunting task when there are three kids living at home, all working or in school. That means a lot of errands and rides to work. It gets done most of the time without too many problems. I lie, most days there’s drama going on about why someone can’t use the car anymore, because someone didn’t put in the gas they said they would into the borrowed car.
But that hasn’t been the problem with making my daily words. The problem has been my back. I tweaked it somehow, probably here typing all hunched over, and it’s been a pain in the &ss, literally. Aleve sucks, doesn’t work. Ice packs work, but only for an hour. I tried typing on my side, laptop next to me. Sucks worse.
I’ll stop complaining, since I can use this time to do more words before I have to go pick up my daughter from school. I wonder if I can wrap the ice pack in a towel and belt it around my waist during the thirty minute round trip?
But I digress. At 9,000 plus words, I’m about 2K behind. I’m ‘supposed’ to be at the End of the Beginning Scene, per the Plot Whisperer. She’s right you know and she wrote a terrific post today about that subject. I do have Jacqui and her sister walking by El Lobo’s bar and spotting the “Waitress wanted-must be 18” sign. I dunno, she’s fifteen and needs to be older to get the job. She or her sister will come up with something, I dunno, but I have to get going too.
alvaradofrazier.com 