I am definitely going to have to revise this whole thing
This one character of mine needs to show off his wit more. I must go back and fix that
I’ve added in some important information that probably should have revealed itself sooner. At least it’s done now
My lead character is very forgiving
I’m back on track for having 15 chapters. I don’t know how I have so few
Someone’s about to die :o
I am at 46,709 words, which means I’m 3,291 words away from winning! I’m so close I can almost taste it! I am predicting I will be done on Thursday - if not tomorrow! :o
I’ve been writing so much (and often late at night). I’m pretty sure I look something like this:
And now, my usual “last thing I wrote”:
“My guess would be that he didn’t want to stick around and see this, so he’s off sulking somewhere. That’s his usual modus operandi.”
I thought I had added a chapter, but it turns out in writing the added chapter, I also got rid of the need for an upcoming chapter. It’s all good: I’ll still make it to 50,000, I believe.
I really need to make my villain much more evil.
I need to make my hero do more. She observes a ton but doesn’t do a lot. I think that will all change after this next chapter - though the book will be half way done then. Eep!
I’m currently at 41,112 words, which means I’m ahead of the count that I’m suppose to be!
As always, the last sentence I wrote for the day:
“Help me,” she said, and in tears collapsed into Shadow’s arms.
Yes, my actual writing itself isn’t that good currently. But it’s a first draft, so I think that’s okay.
I really wanna write more words each day, so I’ll be closer to finishing the novel by the end of the month rather than just finishing the 50,000 words.
I think I’ve decided on an ending. Mostly. Maybe. It keeps changing, really. So I just lied. Sort of.
I’m casting more of my characters unintentionally, but I have no regrets. They work perfectly for the roles
I’m now at 36,828 words. I hope to be at 39,000 at least by the end of tomorrow.
Per usual, my last sentence of the day:
Her hand reached the doorknob, which was cool and dusty and clearly untouched for some time.
I’m looking forward to what she’ll find on the other side. ;)
I definitely need to add more of one particular character, at least. I find he’s becoming more important to the ending.
I also feel that more backstory is necessary for this same character. I don’t know why he’s been slipping through the cracks.
How do people struggle with word count? I’m hardly giving any detail (I want to give more) and yet I still often find it very easy to achieve the necessary words each day. (And I’m not near the end of my story)
I have definitely cast Evanna Lynch as my lead. And her recent promotional stills for Sinbad just confirmed it for me
She’s absolutely my lead. It’s a good thing this will never be published and made into a movie, because I’d demand her to play the role.
Also, I’m up to 35821 words - I wrote approx. 2300 today. Here’s the last sentence I wrote:
Brandin frequently closed his eyes, cringing at what his home had become.
How’s everyone else’s NanoWriMo coming along?
PS Congrats to everyone who’s already finished! Four for you!
I need to go back later and add more character development and show more of their dynamics
I’m falling in love with my villain, which isn’t a good thing, because now I want him to live, but I don’t think he can
I think I got through the most challenging part of my novel and will soon be back to the fun stuff that will make me write 3000 words in one day :D
Since I have a bit of time tomorrow, I might answer questionnaires as my various characters so I can get into their mindsets. But that’s only if I write all my words for the day first
Oh, and here’s the last bit that I wrote for today (yesterday now) :
It was another week until they got back to the Fields. Key was most insistent and urged their movement. Without her, it probably would have taken much longer.
Welp, I missed a day. But I wrote enough today so that I’m still only one day behind. Hopefully by Saturday at latest I will be back on track. I’m going to try to catch up completely tomorrow.
Story-wise, my hero has finally been kicked out of her comfort zone, and is weirdly automatically accepting of the man who will later be her best friend. I want her to be less trusting, but she’s just ridiculously trusting right now. Eh, I’ll fix it in revisions.
Last sentence written:
I don’t like to go down without a fight if I can help it.
I feel like that is symbolic of my NaNoWriMo experience right now.
I don’t have much time to write a lot today, so my average word count is suffering. But hey! I’m on track with as many words as I need to have right now.
My story is going well. Not much has changed since the last update. Currently, our hero (Paige) is in hiding and about to get caught by some crazy people. It’s fun. :D Last sentence written:
And though some of them ran out, I was pretty sure that at least he had stayed behind. Crap.
One of my teachers at university announced that the class was having a field trip of sorts. We were each required to find our own means of getting there. I had a friend in the class, so she and I (and her friend) planned to carpool together. Separately, another girl/acquaintance asked if I could check with my group and see if she could come with us. (She didn't have a car and didn't want to ride the metro alone.) I agreed to inquire on her behalf.
It's the day of the field trip. My friend (and her friend) and I arrive at our destination. At this moment, I remember the fourth girl, and I remember the empty seat next to me in the car - a space she could have easily filled. I had forgotten to ask entirely. I feel a sense of guilt as I settle down into my seat as the beginning of the day's plans commence. My friends encourage me that, even though she isn't here yet, surely she has found a ride and is just a little late. I allow them to comfort me, so I enjoy the trip.
And enjoy the trip I do. I make jokes. I laugh. I ask questions. I try to see everything I can. I have a sensory overload. I cannot help but smile when we were return to our original room for the end of the trip.
Then I see her: Sitting in the back with a couple of other girls, my acquaintance. She had made it! I feel relieved that she is there, and yet a new-found guilt sweeps over me, too. I know I need to apologize.
But first I rush to the restroom. Upon exiting, I see her there. She just stands, awkwardly, waiting for something unknown. Perhaps there was one girl that was still in there, but I don't know. I apologize as sincerely as I feel. She forgives, but remains quiet. Sometimes she's quiet, and I hope it's just one of those times. I consider my apology as good as I will give it.
My friends and I head to our car. I enjoy sitting in the back, so I take a seat behind shotgun.
Once my friends have settled in, I see it: a large orb weaver spider crawling up the back of the passenger's seat. I cannot think of anything to say but, "there's a huge spider on the back of the seat." My friend in the seat thinks I'm joking, but I can see it crawling up towards her hair. My words fail me, for I cannot say, "it's crawling towards you!" Instead, I say something more like, "move!" She still proceeds to listen and hurriedly leaves the car. The driver and I follow.
The spider crawls out of our vision from outside of the car, and none of us are brave enough to go back in. I eventually gather some courage to enter the car, but I can never kill a spider. (The reason for that is another story all together; just know it's really hard for me to kill a spider and have an okay conscience.) I remember that I have some papers in my purse. I carefully try to lure the spider onto a piece of paper. The orb weaver is not budging; it's not afraid of me.
At this point, some other women, seeing us, approach our car to make sure we are okay. Among these ladies is my acquaintance. We explain the situation and my acquaintance, without fear, steps into the car, and urges the spider onto her hand. She walks over to a tree and lets it crawl off. We thank her several times, and then enter the car, safe* from the spider at last.
As much fun as I had, that last moment adds more guilt to my shame: I had forgotten her. She kindly asked for one thing, and it had completely left my mind. Yet, at the end of the day, her kindness permitted us to get on the road home sooner than it would have otherwise taken. In that moment, I felt rather small, and she rather large.
At least I know she's kind to the smaller creatures.
*orb weaver spiders are actually not really dangerous spiders, but since we were really afraid of it, the safety felt equally as real.
After this school year, and many days of taking either the school shuttle or local bus, I've learned a few things:
Firstly, the bus/shuttle will always be late if I am right on time or early. I will always find myself waiting at the bus stop for an unrealistic amount of time.
Secondly, if I am running late, the bus will suddenly be on time or ahead of schedule. This is actually more true for the shuttle than the bus itself. This is particularly impressive, considering the shuttle has a live feed which is suppose to tell people the most accurate time of its arrival from that moment. This system, funny enough, is often not working at all.
Thirdly, there is a strange situation that always occurs at that moment when I'm running late. Whether to the bus or the shuttle, there is a pathway that gives me a clear view of my stop. I usually walk this path swiftly, and it feels that the time from the point I can see the stop to actually arriving at the stop is about a minute. This is how it feels in almost every situation.
One thing changes this: The bus's arrival. If I see the bus has already arrived, I will run. Suddenly, everything becomes as within a nightmare, and my running seems to make me slower. With each step, the path appears to grow longer, and the bus grows more distant. My running seems futile.
The conclusion of the event changes depending on to which automobile I am running: The shuttle or the bus. If I am running to the shuttle when this happens, it will undoubtedly leave without me, no matter how close I am finally to reaching my destination. If it is the bus, though, the driver has mercy and will wait.
This, and the fact that the bus was closer to my home and I grew lazy, is the reason I started taking the bus more.
After watching both A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel, I found myself very interested in the work of those who created it that calls itself Starkid. One might say I am mildly obsessed. (There will likely be another post devoted strictly to that obsession.)
In my search to find more of their cleaner work that I might enjoy, I opted to try the web series they created before officially being Starkid Productions. It looked harmless and as low-budget as a University-level web series would be. Honestly, I didn't expect much from it. But I found myself enthralled, and watched the entire series (alas! only one season!) in a single sitting. This series is called Little White Lie.
The series follows a brother (Duder*) and sister (Sami) band who can sing and play well enough, but write the worst songs ever. Consequently, they are the uncool kids at school. After a shy kid from their school (named Kevin) tragically falls into a coma, they discover that he had been secretly writing songs - and they're good. Naturally, they steal the songs to help their band's popularity. But for how long can they keep up the lie?
The premise itself is intriguing and prepped for drama and for comedy. It does not disappoint. The drama is increased by the existence of a snobby "hot" girl named Tanya, who just happens to be dating Sami's crush, Toby. While this seems somewhat average of any teen drama, Little White Lie has twist and turns in relationship dynamics rarely seen on television. It is refreshing and adds to the intrigue. Yet, it maintains a level of humor, with light-hearted bits scattered throughout and in between the moments of dramatic tension. The first episode, starts off a bit slow, as first episodes often do. But even by the end of the pilot, I was eager to see what happened next. This felling only increased with each episode.
Darren Criss as Toby
If you are a fan of AVPM or AVPS, then you will recognize some familiar faces, which will add to the enjoyment of the show. This show includes Lauren Lopez (Draco in AVPM; Tanya in LWL), Jim Povolo (Goyle; Jim), Brian Holden (Lupin; Zack), Nick Lang (Pettigrew/Scarfy/Arthur; Kevin), and, now of Glee-fame, Darren Criss (Harry; Toby). Each one is a delight on the screen. Lopez in particular shines as the Regina George of this series. (Though, at times, it is reminiscent of Draco, but like with Draco, her charisma keeps your interest.) Criss's presence promises a certain level of quality in the music, and it remains true here. Holden never has enough screen time. Lang, too, is effectively endearing with miminal appearances on screen**. Povolo still channels Goyle to some degree, but it doesn't keep him from being pleasant and entertaining. While I originally watched for these actors, my interest in the show grew to the point that I watched through episodes with nearly none of them. The leads are unfamiliar faces (whose names I didn't gather), but, like their characters, they grow as the series progressed.
Though the acting was, for the most part, of surprisingly good quality***, and the music within the show was absolutely delightful, what surprised me the most was the writing for the series. Each episode helped set up the next one. Pieces were laid out gradually in preparation for its dramatic climax, but mostly unseen until its final moments. There were several moments during which I was sincerely surprised by what was happening - and that, though it was set up, I didn't see it coming. The writing also created great characters that showed growth within the series. Each character was developed individually, with little pieces and moments placed carefully and gently, like watching a painter work on a canvas.
Nick Lang as Kevin
I considered the best piece - the best character storyline - to be Kevin's story. He was the piece that carried the story and held the most heart. From almost the beginning, Kevin is unconscious. He almost never says a word in the entire series. But, early on, we discover he was more than what he seemed. Through other characters, through words unspoken and through the lyrics of his songs, we learn about Kevin. We begin to understand his views of the world, his talent, his feelings, his ideas - who he is. And this discovery, above all else, is the most captivating part of the series. I spent time watching the series, looking for the glimpses into his world. His story becomes truly tragic and great at the same time.
As much as I clearly enjoyed this series, I must give you a warning: There are only 11 episodes. And it ends in a cliff-hanger. If you find yourself enjoying the series, the conclusion will be anything but satisfactory. In fact, in some ways, it will almost be down-right sad.
The only other problem with the series is that the lead character is, for some of it, kind of unlike-able. Sometimes it makes her difficult to watch. However, it seems this series is ultimately about the growth of the characters, including hers. Thus, sometimes she shows improvement, and other times she disappoints me yet again. I guess it makes her real. But if you can tolerate her annoying times to enjoy everyone else (and the story itself), it is absolutely worth it.
All in all, I loved this series. I found it incredibly captivating and fun to watch. I only wish there was more to see!
Then again, maybe I am just Starkid crazy. Maybe it's not what I think of it. But why not watch it and decide for yourself?
Here's episode 1, part 1. Enjoy it as much as I did!
If you discover that you like the music, you can purchase the soundtrack from iTunes. I'd personally recommend Darren Criss's versions of "Sami" and "It's Over Now."
* His name becomes more tolerable, I promise you. ** This may have something to do with my clear liking of his character. But I still think he helps in developing the character as well. *** Keep in mind, I'm referring to this as a student web series. The acting is not always perfection. (Nor is the filming). But for student work, I am really impressed. Even when a few things fall under the "bad quality" category, I actually didn't really notice much, so it doesn't distract from the series.
The series follows a brother (Duder*) and sister (Sami) band who can sing and play well enough, but write the worst songs ever. Consequently, they are the uncool kids at school. After a shy kid from their school (named Kevin) tragically falls into a coma, they discover that he had been secretly writing songs - and they're good. Naturally, they steal the songs to help their band's popularity. But for how long can they keep up the lie?
