In a mirror, dimly

Meta-writing (Or, “writing about writing”)

I am on the 4^th day of Nanowrimo and all is well. A few strange things have struck me in this period though:

• Ten thousand words in three days: not only is it do-able, but it’s been fun.
• Dont sweat the small stuff: I hit a poignant moment last night in the story and had to stop. If I wrote any more it felt disrespectful to the character who'd just died. As much as I wanted to forge ahead his death hung in the air and demanded a moment of silence. The next few smaller scenes would have to come tomorrow - the day was over.
• Characters say and do things that surprise me: The guy who died was only meant to be a martial arts sparring partner for the main character. He was meant to be an animated block of wood, a piece of moving furniture, a prop. Instead he gained a name and backstory. He whooped the main character, landing him on his ass in the dojo. They ate lunch. Then, after I'd decided when and how he was going to die, offered him a plot point, offered him a great and glorious was out of the story he pulled the rabbit out of the hat: he wanted a major character role all along and had only agreed to be a bit-part in the hopes of getting a foot in the door! The age he'd been hedging about early on was revealed, the arch-nemesis of the book knew him and he wormed his way into the extended flashback that I had planned.
• Competition is good: The city of Chicago has challenged the city of St Louis to a word war - highest collective wordcount of the top 50 Nano novellists in each city determines the winner
• Community is good: last year I barely saw my wife as she wrote her Nano. This year we are both doing it, both writing. Torsoise and hare - I have the out-of-the-box speed boost but she's producing at a steady and sustainable pace. Last year she did Nano solo, this year we are both solidly plugged in to the St Louis area Nano community - its strange to see all the introverted writers all huddled in Barnes and Noble trying to be sociable! A few extroverts dominated the conversation while the others looked to be yearning for their laptop computers and the security of writing their first paragraphs.
• Main characters can die in the 1^st 3000 words: they can die and stay dead for the whole of the first act, in fact, and the story continue and thrive.
• Fore-shadowing is a must: When I dropped Rupert Giles into the story, there was a squeal from the couch “You put GILES in there!” Yes, its a Highlander fanfic story. Yes, Rupert Giles is from the Buffy-verse. However, if you look back over 10,000 of collected words, the revelation is no surprise. The hints are all there already. Fandom beware: I like my cross-overs and guest appearances. Oh, and a few later plot twists have their foreshadowings already beginning. Keep your eyes peeled!

Feel free to read what's been written to date: Highander :: Evolution