Managed to write a little yesterday before we had to get groceries. Put in more hours today (it's a leave the car in the driveway day). Perfect weekend for writing here in the burbs south of Portland. The fog lifted several hundred feet but never cleared -- makng for a couple of cold and dreary days. So no guilt over staying inside to write instead of getting outside (except to walk the dog).
Most recently I've done some backtracking with the story to capture some recent ideas that came from reading "Writing & Selling the YA Novel" by K. A. Going. It's proving to be a helpful book to remind adult writers about the concerns of our younger years. The author inludes representative quotes from young adults regarding what they enjoy in YA novels as well as what grates on them. Frankly, I think that we never REALLY overcome the angst of our teen years. Inside every AARP member is a pimply teenager who is afraid that no one will ask her to dance (or she will turn you down if you ask her to dance).
Anyway...I'm caught up now, so I will once again be forging onward with my writing.
This is another of those stories that has been on my mind for decades. I've done research for "world building," peopled the make-believe world with my primary characters, started a draft of the novel, set it aside, and started all over again with the characters and events.
My problem isn't a lack of ideas. It's remaining focused. While I write on one story, at the back of my mind are other story ideas that periodically distract me. Or a new story idea or character pops into my mind and I'm off and running with "what ifs" about the new concept. *sigh*
Even though I'm out of the cast I'm continuing to write "Legacy" longhand with a fine point ballpoint pen on college ruled (narrow ruled perferred but impossible to find) binder paper. Although I've become accustomed to composing on the computer, the machinery seems to put "distance" between me and the story. Hand writing the original draft seems to flow better for me. I compose in black ink, but use blue and green ink for edits and additions as I'm going along. Red ink to mark insertion points and large chunks of deletions. When finished, I will edit again as I type the story onto the computer. And of course, edit again, and edit again.
As they say at the writer's conferences...whatever works for YOU.
So...at this point in the draft, Aisley is on the run with Eldwyn and Kenric. They are entering the mountains and taking a little used track in hopes of evading the Vardienian men-at-arms that are chasing them. However, getting through the mountains requires crossing a rickety suspension bridge across a deep river gorge -- on horseback.
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