I’ve just finished the first draft of chapter 50 (the last chapter) of Dancing the Maypole. The story decided the last scene should be an epilogue (which will make sense when you read it) so the story is finished, but not finished. At the moment the story has about 138,700 words (the length of two of my novels). One thousand or so words more and it will be finished. I feel like dancing!
My Regency Romance Novels
Update on Dancing the Maypole…
Dancing the Maypole, the main book I’ve been working on over the last four years, is very very nearly finished. Today I completed chapter 48. There should only be two more chapters and an Epilogue (unless I’m wrong and there’s more – Please Nooooo!) This book has ended up twice the length of my other books which is partly why it’s taken so long. Once Dancing the Maypole is finished I’ll crack open Once Upon a Wager (which should only need about three more chapters unless I’m wrong) and hopefully have that on line this year as well. Tomorrow I start chapter 49! I’m nearly done!!!!
Something Cari this way comes…
I may have developed a blog posting phobia. I’ve been wanting to write a post for weeks, but every time I tried to pin myself down at the computer I’d find a thousand other things that needed to be done first, like watching another rerun episode of The Mentalist. It’s not really the fear of writing a blog post, it’s the fear of letting people down because I can’t yet say, “It’s done!” However, I can say I’m nearly done with Dancing the Maypole. I started chapter 44 yesterday (it’s now over 121,000 words so it’s by far my longest story yet). This should be the last chapter before the Epilogue. Something Cari this way comes! Over Christmas I pulled out Once Upon a Wager and read what I have. I only see it needing about four more chapters. As soon as I’m done with Maypoles I’ll see if I can get the characters to cooperate.
It’s a miracle I got any writing done this past month as I spent most of it sick, but (as of the 1st of Jan) I’m back on my mega healthy Candida diet so after a few weeks my energy levels should rise now that I’ve thrown sugar overboard. This time I have some new tools to help me stay on course. I’m looking forward to being less fat and having more brain energy to write faster. Stories are piled on my mental file cabinet. I thought of another one on my walk today (a child’s picture book). I should probably make a note of it before it falls into my mental black hole. The likelihood of it getting written isn’t high, but I think it’s best to capture all story ideas just in case I turn into one of those scary super-writers who churn out brilliant stories every three months. One can always hope!
In the mean time…this afternoon I walked down to the Fairy-wood where I found some magical photos. [Read more…] about Something Cari this way comes…
Remembering Lummox…
Collective memory is such a strange thing. Living in the moment we often take for granted that movie stars, pop stars, world renown authors, earth shattering historical happenings will never be forgotten. Sadly (or gladly depending on one’s point of view) this isn’t the case. The societies we live in whether nations or extended tribes, make choices as to what we will and won’t remember collectively. That which is replayed or repeated most often will be the winner whether it deserves a place in history or not. The English have this saying, ‘Remember, remember, the fifth of November.’ Nearly four hundred years old, this childhood chant (that all English people know) calls the people to remember Guy Fawkes (and his associates) who nearly managed to blow up parliament with kegs of gun powder in 1605. Every November 5th the English build bonfires and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. This is an excellent example of collective remembering. Whether some individuals getting drunk and setting off fireworks can remember anything specific about Guy Fawkes is irrelevant. They remember collectively! [Read more…] about Remembering Lummox…
The evil eye…
Today I went for an eye check. For a while now I’ve been taking off my glasses (I’m nearsighted) to work at the computer and to read books. The eye doctor’s verdict; my eyes are aging. In a week I’ll own my first pair of reading glasses. At last I have an excuse to treat myself to one of those spectacle-chains worn by librarians (real librarians, the ones who gave you the evil eye if you made the slightest noise). Through my teens and into my early twenties my mother would regularly rant that I should become a librarian. I always rolled my eyes. Just because you think every moldy book should be cherished as treasure, cataloged and kept on a shelf (in alphabetical order with all the other books one can go without food to afford) doesn’t necessarily mean one has the talents to be a librarian! At least not the kind of librarians I grew up with. Those ladies (and gentlemen) had degrees in librarianisms. They probably had fantastical dreams of living the Dewy Decimal System. [Read more…] about The evil eye…
Hitchcock, my hero…
I’ve just finished Chapter 39 of Dancing the Maypole! I can practically feel myself riding down the hill to the finish. I see three more chapters and then the epilogue (I shouldn’t need to bang my head on any brick walls…shouldn’t, shouldn’t, shouldn’t…) The story now has 105,672 words. I would have preferred the book to be shorter (as it would have been done by now) but my characters are willful creatures who couldn’t care less what I think. [Read more…] about Hitchcock, my hero…