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Post by Kathleen on Nov 17, 2009 14:36:38 GMT -5
Thank heaven the show is over. I'm not sure I'm ever going to catch up, what with being sick again now. >.>; I still have hope, since this week isn't going to be nearly as busy. Excerpt written on cold medication with much staring off into space while continuing to type. I take no responsibility for the quality.
“Anyone want to, um, go for a run?” I said suddenly, desperately. I stared around the table, full of bemused faces.
“In the rain?” Clarke finally said. I’d found I didn’t hate having her around as much as I thought I might. Probably because I didn’t have a sister, Juliet said. I’d always liked my littler cousins, though. Juliet said this was because they went away when I got sick of them—sisters were constantly there like some kind of huge cosmic joke, a big pain in the ass.
“Well, seeing as how it’s raining, I don’t see how we could do it in the sun,” I pointed out, raising one eyebrow.
Simon coughed into his orange juice.
“Myra wanted me to do some things this morning,” he said, emerging from the cup. “She wants to test my powers, I think.” He looked down at the plastic tabletop.
“What, like some evil overlord?” I looked at Simon in alarm. He looked embarrassed and a little frightened.
“Um, er, n-no.” The stutter always appeared when he was unsettled.
“My mom is not an evil overlord,” Clarke said, “but it might be cool if she was.” She grinned, and I wondered if this was how thirteen year olds always were; so young and happy and naïve. I couldn’t remember being like this when I was thirteen. In fact, I think that was the year I started cross-country skiing and made up my mind that I only had time for three friends.
“Well, I’ll go with you,” Juliet announced, standing up. I blinked up at her. “I need some competition.” She picked up her plate and surveyed me, clearly sizing me up, her eyes narrowed. I returned her appraising look. I’d already seen Juliet take on jobs normally reserved for extremely tall, well-muscled full grown men. I wasn’t short, in fact I was pretty tall, but Juliet had a good three or four inches on me, and she was built like a sumo-wrestler, yet still somehow managed to maintain a girly look, carefully crafted with the sparkly butterfly clips in her hair and the pink nail polish.
“I’d… love to have you along,” I managed, and Juliet turned to bring her plate back, flashing me a broad grin over her shoulder. I crossed my fingers under the table and hoped I’d manage to get back alive.
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Post by Celestial on Nov 17, 2009 14:59:37 GMT -5
I'm sure you'll manage to catch up Kathkitty, you're a fairly fast writer. Believe in me who believes in you! ^_^ (If you want motivation, chocolate works)
That's a pretty good excerpt though. Evil Overlords FTW! <3
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Post by Rikku on Nov 17, 2009 17:17:30 GMT -5
You can do it, Kathkitty! =D I would say some insincere encouraging words, but they're not necessary, 'cos you don't really need to be encouraged, 'cos there's no way a superlative writer like you will even come close to failing. *bigglompofgoodcheerwithaddedexclamationmarks!!!!*
I enjoy your characters. ^_^ Post more excerpts? Pretty please?
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 17, 2009 21:56:24 GMT -5
Aww, thank you, Celes. <3 I'm hoping, because it would be dreadfully disappointing not to. I went at it madly today, and made a 4k day, which is not terribly good, but not terribly awful either. (Right? >.>) =D The big glomp of cheer is cheering, Rikku. <3 I'm not sure even I enjoy my characters, although I am becoming awfully sympathetic to Cree (is this a good thing? Or a bad thing?), and because you asked:
I showered and found a change of clean clothes, passionately wishing I still had my own wardrobe. Juliet’s clothes were not at all in my style; she was cargo pants and big t-shirts with slogans that didn’t describe me in any accuracy. I wanted jeans and a normal t-shirt, but when I unearthed the skirt, simple, just below the knee, a pink floral, I decided what the heck, I would go for that. I found a white sweater and a pair of heels that fit reasonably well to go with.
Towel-drying my hair in the mirror afterwards, I did have to admit that I looked nice. Mirrors weren’t my best friends, but looking good is part of the package. In grade school, I’d been teased for wearing boy clothes—in high school I went the opposite way and found myself a fashionable friend, who tried to help me find my ‘style’. I wasn’t sure exactly how that went—I might have blocked out some disturbing memories. Skirts were impractical for pretty much everything, but they made me look pleasingly girly, something that’s hard to be in a life of karate and snowboarding.
My hair was starting to grow out, I noticed, tugging a brush through it. I’d leave it down to dry, though the temptation to ponytail it was incredibly strong. You never know when you might do something that involves hair flying in your face. Better safe than sorry. I looked at myself critically, taking in the face in the mirror. Eyes, a sort of brown that might be green in another light, or possibly gold; hair, streaked light from a lot of soccer in the sun, just above the shoulders, not curly unless I used that special type of shampoo; skin, tan from the aforementioned soccer and hiking. I didn’t freckle particularly well, which Mom said was a good thing, but I’d never found reason to be proud of.
I was tall, and tall girls like to wear high heels. Sneakers were obviously far more practical, and I felt the deep-seated unease of those in impossibly girly and unmovable clothes as I headed down the hallway toward where Aaron had said the library was. I would just have to pray there were no crises and I didn’t have to be caught helping fight off monsters in a skirt and heels, with my hair down no less. It bounced along my shoulders, unnervingly loose and fluffy.
The library door was shut, but, helpfully, it had LIBRARY emblazoned on it in raised gold letters, so I was pretty sure I’d gotten to the right place. I put a hand on the handle, and slowly pushed the door open.
I hadn’t been in a library in a while; I’d forgotten the smell they all have, like books and dusty and the very peculiar and particular smell of reading. When I thought of ‘library’, I thought of some metal racks full of books, lots of computer tables and racks for e-books, and those little tiny kiddie chairs, with the posters all over the wall of events that happened several months ago. This was more like those old-fashioned libraries, though, the type you see in movies in old people’s mansions. The bookcases were just that, real bookcases, and they were a dark wood, and full of books that looked old. The center of the room was clear, and a circle of chairs and couches had been arranged around a polished wood coffee table. There were a few other tables, too, a little smaller.
Most of the light came in through big skylights in the ceiling; there were only two windows on the far wall, but it was bright enough with the electric lights.
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 18, 2009 23:45:10 GMT -5
33k, and I'm going to keep writing if I can. Whew. I didn't think I could actually do this. I'm kind of amusedly amazed at myself. xD I think it's funny that it's actually getting more fun to write just about now, when everyone is talking about how horrible the third week of NaNo is. I seem to have missed the memo and got all my doom 'n gloom over with in the past two weeks. Er, not to say that I'm not despairing of my nonexistent plot, unrealistic scenarios, and generally the whole entire thing, but at least it's fun! =D I seem to also have lost my grasp on the reality of time and sequence of events. Not to mention I've named characters Julian and Juliet (let's see how often I confuse them), stolen a name randomly from someone in my Spanish class, poor Cree has spent a couple thousand words having a rant (again), and so far the story seems to be mostly (not very) witty dialogue. Yay. =D
“Know what day this is?” Sam asked casually from behind me. I pulled the t-shirt over my head and emerged to look at her, shaking my hair free of my face.
“No, what?”
“It marks exactly two days since my parents decided this is an educational experience and I should relish it.” Sam smirked.
“No, it marks exactly two days—and how is two days an appropriate celebratory marker, anyway?—since you cleverly deceived your poor, ignorant parents into thinking that you weren’t just off trying to get some fun.” I raised an eyebrow as I finished my correction. Sam rolled her eyes and sighed mightily.
“It is considerably less pleasing when you say it that way, and lacks flavor.”
“I was under the misimpression that words did not actually have flavor.”
“Fine. Color.”
“Your words are colorless, flavorless, and, regrettably, are also shortly to be soundless.” I tried to look sympathetic as I ducked around my best friend and headed for the door.
“Do not concern yourself, dear friend of mine. I will be fine wandering around by myself all day,” came the rejoinder as I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
I paused to stick my head back around the doorframe. Sam was looking picturesquely mournful, standing in front of my bed with her sketchpad held loosely in one hand.
“I know you’re going to go have fun with Juliet somewhere.”
“Juliet doesn’t like me!” Sam protested, dropping her mournful air.
“She does too! You guys get along perfectly.”
“And Aaron won’t even let me sketch him. Warren does, though. Your friends suck.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive with my sucky friends while I do some crystal-ball scrying. See you at lunch.”
I let the door swing closed, muffling whatever protests she had, and headed off to see if I could find someone who would tell me where the Green Room was. It sounded like a very vegetacious place, and although I doubted Myra would actually consent to work in a greenhouse, I had my hopes.
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 22, 2009 13:52:37 GMT -5
Is it possible to write 13k in a day? For me, I mean? I don't have that much homework, because next week is Thanksgiving break.. and I can do it all then, of course.
Well. I'm going to try. Because something about reaching 50k today is very shiny and sparkly and oddly appealing. There's always Monday if all else fails, I s'pose. Or I could just go very slow and lazy and stretch it out to November 30th. Which isn't a good idea, because I have a terribly lot of plot left, and it may leak out over the 50k mark.
Anywho, enough arguing with myself!
I made a great realisation about the plot today that made me happy because it makes some things I've been beating myself over the head about make sense, but unfortunately it also makes it even more disjointed, because when I get these amazing revelations, I tend to carry on like they were always true, regardless of what I've written previously.
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Post by Celestial on Nov 22, 2009 14:12:34 GMT -5
Do the impossible, see the invisible, ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH! ^___^ *brick'd* Anyway, yeah it is if you put your mind to it. Go Kathkitty and just write whatever the heck you feel like. We believe in you.
Editing is for December, remember that.
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Post by Rikku on Nov 22, 2009 22:42:52 GMT -5
You can dooo iiiit! =D
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 24, 2009 1:06:40 GMT -5
I can't, apparently. xD Oh, well. It was a good try. I fell a saddening 5k short. D=
Hopefully I won't be distracted by anything tomorrow and get to reach 50k, just so I can throw confetti. =D I haven't had writing time at all today. >.>;
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Post by Amneiger on Nov 24, 2009 1:10:35 GMT -5
You still did 10k. =D That's good!
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 24, 2009 20:15:25 GMT -5
xD Yeah. Thanks. <3
50k. Go me! =D .. unfortunately I have so much plot left it's incredible. xD I certainly hope I'm going to be able to cram it all in before November ends, because I may not have motivation to keep going otherwise.
Fifty thousandth word: 'things'. So descriptive.
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Post by Amneiger on Nov 24, 2009 23:48:34 GMT -5
xD There's Thanksgiving. And the weekend. You can do it! =D
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Post by Rikku on Nov 25, 2009 0:21:03 GMT -5
Yeah, you can do it! ^__^ I'm nowhere near finished either, we can scrabble frantically together!
And 'grats on 50k! =D Plot finished or not, that's darn impressive whichever way you look at it.
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 25, 2009 22:16:18 GMT -5
I certainly hope I can, Amnei. D= The long weekend is promising.
Rikku - Yay, someone to scrabble with. =D *high-five* It is. I'm amazed I managed it.
I think I have about four/five chapters left, so maybe 10k? It's the uphill climb to the climax and it feels like pure drudgery as I hack my way through thorny forests of plotholes. D=
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 27, 2009 0:52:58 GMT -5
60k. Sooo close to the end. Aaah. <3 Just have to figure out how to get my characters somewhere... transportation, hmm. I found a very awesome song, too, which is a major help for the boring parts. =D
It's all skippy and horrible of course, but nearly there. Nearly there. ^_^
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