Steelgod September - The Gears of Anbar is Finished

After around a month (more or less), The Gears of Anbar - The Might of the Steelgods Book Two is...FINISHED!

Wee!

In celebration I'm posting this post on the new blogger format! It is awesome! We can now tell for sure that it is owned by google, because everything is so white!


At any rate, here are some stats.

Wordcount Stats


Total Words: 112,446
Total Days Covered: 33
Total Days Actually Writing: 28 (Sundays and driving to/from WorldCON)
Words per Day Average: 4,019 (holy crap)
Total actual time spent (in hours) writing: ~40 hours (That's a full time job for one week)
Words per Hour: 2,811 (holy crap again)
Most written in one day: 11,100 words (yesterday, Sep. 1nd)
Least written in one day: 1,040 words (Tuesday, August 30th)

Plot Stats


Number of Chapters: 26 (not counting the prologue and epilogue)
Incorrectly numbered chapters: I have two chapters "2"s for some reason, messing up all future chapter listings.
Characters carried over from Steelgods 1 (physical presence required): 4
New named main characters introduced: 5
Main characters killed: *spoiler*
Times Cevan got the crap kicked out of him: 3
Most used joke: "Like the number" (in reference to when Cevan would introduce himself)
Adherence to original outline written last year: ~40%

Compared to Steelgods 1 (faq)


(note: I'm too lazy to stat check, so this is mostly personal opinion)

Is Gears a better book? Yes
Are there more or less Peacemakers in it? Less
Are there more or less Gears of Anbar in it? ...are you seriously asking this question?
Is there more or less action? Less (aaaand there go my Alpha readers)
Is there more or less lovin with the ladies? Loads more (aaaand here they come back)
Are there more on-screen deaths? No
Are there more impactful on-screen deaths? Absolutely 
Are there...politics? Sort of, yes. 
Is it funner? I think so. 
Better structured? Absolutely. Writing this made me realize how much work Steelgods 1 needs.
STEAM SPIDERS ? VERY YES.
Wait, that wasn't a joke? No, there are actual Steam Spiders.
...how does that work? Just read it and find out.
Is Cevan less of a moron? He still has poor self-esteem, but I think he's doing a good job "growing up" over the course of the series. 
What about turning points? The "turning point" moment in this book is (in my opinion) much more dramatic than in Steelgods 1. I'll have a larger impact over the rest of the series.
So you are still planning on writing six of these things, huh? Yep. 
Favorite Gears exclusive character: Pitronus
Favorite series character: Either Roc or Devent
Wait, Devent? Isn't he like a huge jerk? Yes, but he's a complex character, and that's why I like him. Rook was my favorite character from Effulgent Corruption, remember? And he's like a mass-murderer psychopath.
Maybe you need therapy. I've got a BS in Psychology, so I can therapize myself!






...since this has gotten far off the rails, here's the magical WORDLE!

Yeah, I'm surprised Devent and Rosemary are more prominent than Stewart and Pitronus. I guess they are his step-siblings.

I apparently also use the words "like", "just", and "back" a lot. "Back" is a carry-over from Effulgent Corruption if I remember correctly. I should probably keep that in mind when I start the next book.

Next project? Editing Steelgods 1. Then the daunting task of editing Effulgent Corruption. In the mean time I'm debating writing something else, but we'll see.

The first step is outlining the edits for Steelgods 1, because I have a lot of changes that need to be made and don't really have it organized. So I'm going to re-read it, write down those edits, pull up my two Alpha readers' line edits, and go from there.

Anyway, Gears is done! Now to drown myself in video games.

Steelgod September: Finish Him!

I wrote 11.1k yesterday, not counting 1.7k for Adam's upcoming Pathfinder game I'm taking part in. I think having an agnostic gnome cleric in a world where gods are very much real and a reality should prove for a fun run.

But the real story is I wrote three chapters yesterday, leaving one and an epilogue to go. Meaning this book is pretty much done.

Awesome!

I'll blog tonight when I finish it, but it's still an accomplishment. I'll also have stats and what have you during that time, as it'll probably be interesting. Or not. I don't know.

I'm also going to speed-edit it tonight or tomorrow, then take a three-day weekend before starting work on Steelgods 1 (I guess I should get used to calling it Destroyer). After that it's submitting and all that fun stuff.

Overall, as I've said before I feel this book is much tighter than the first one, and I'm going to take what I learned on both it an Effulgent Corruption during my edits of the first book. Hopefully we can cut off the loose threads and make everything fit together better and lose some of the parts that are contrived. We shall see.

I also killed a main character last night, and did things with others that'll make you wish they were dead. So, you know, fun for the whole family.

I'll update tonight with the Wordle, updates, and all that good stuff!

I didn’t sleep that night, not a single minute. I spent what was left of that evening toiling over Devent’s letter, re-reading every word until I could perhaps recite the entire thing from memory. Each time my mind was not made up, my decision concerning the matter foggy and muddled. I didn’t know what to do.

Anbar August - Passing Steelgods, and a new month

On the last day of August (yesterday), The Gears of Anbar passed the length of The Might of the Steelgods (soon to be renamed The Destroyer of the World) by 1000 words. Unfortunately, those weren't the last 1000 words of Gears, so I didn't finish the book in one month. Too bad.

My new goal is the end of the week, which is still going to take a considerable amount of work. I have four chapters and an epilogue left, basically the climax of the story, which is probably going to be another 20k. This book is also going to need a touch of trimming to drop it down to "YA" length, though one could argue it's between a young adult and adult fantasy novel.

So that means Anbar August is over and we are back into Steelgods September, which means it's been a year since I started the first book. It also means this is the month I'm doing my hardcore edits of Steelgods 1, since I decided it's actually worth trying to sell after mulling it over for a year.

In other news, aside from editing Steelgods and Effulgent Corruption, I have no idea what my next writing project will be. It isn't for lack of options (James and I went over all my potential ideas and sequels and figured I have 13+ books I could work on), it's more a matter of indecision. After writing a YA I'm in the YA mood, but I also could use another fantasy novel. I probably shouldn't get involved in such a massive task again (we saw what happened with Effulgent Corruption), but I don't know how many more options I have.

Maybe I'll finally write that stupid Canyon story I wrote for a writing prompt over a year ago. That thing was supposed to be third person YA, I think. Except it has no plot.


Well, hopefully the next blog post (or the one after) will be me announcing the completion of my seventh book. It's going through writing group starting next week, and I'm actually excited about it. It's a much tighter novel than Steelgods (Destroyer) was, which is probably Effulgent Corruption's fault. Not complaining.

That's about it from me. We are inching into ending spoiler territory with Gears, but here's a safe quote follows by an awesome Within Temptation song. I don't usually do the whole "this song is my book!" but the first time I heard this song I thought of Cevan for whatever reason, so here you go.

Plus it's a badass song.

“Let’s see,” he considered. “Steelgods’ Day is in a moon’s time, so you’ll be needing to come back here at least an hour every day if you plan on finishing it before then. And there’s also the issue of payment…”

I nodded, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my bag. Anbar looked at me close, then gave a wide smile.

“Eh, two-hundred should cover it. Two-fifty and I’ll watch you the hour you are here and help you to not ruin it. Money well spent, I’d say.”

I blinked. “Two-fifty? That seems…a bit low, to be honest. For silver, I mean.”

Anbar laughed, slapping me on the back again. “Blood an iron, boy, don’t go into business. You can’t barter for piss!”

            I made a mental note, adding that to the ever-growing list of careers that I wasn’t suited for. 

Steelgod September: Day Twenty-Nine (1,784 words)

Done.

DONE.

DONE.


Might of the Steelgods, Book One, is complete.
And AHEAD of schedule, I might add. Last I checked September had one day left.

Doesn't matter. It's done. 100% Vamoosh. Finished.
And that makes Steelgod September a resounding success in getting me writing after my two month stagnation/quagmire period. Hoorah!

I will devote an entire post to the stats shortly, giving you tons of useless information you never bothered to care about. But I care, since it's my blog. So suck on that.

Anyway, it's done. Book in a month. Enjoy the stats once I finish vegging my brain on SC2.

“An end,” I whispered, opening my hand and looking the small gear over again. “Seems to be something my story will be forever lacking.”

And giving one last glance at the failing sun, I turned and stepped back into the wagon, shutting the door behind me. 

Steelgod September: Day Twenty-Eight (9,136 words)

I don't think I need to say I wrote a lot today, because I wrote a lot today. I also went to the temple, studied for a test, and wrote a paper. The book is very close to being done. I have to finish this chapter that's about 3/4 done, write one (short) one, and a short epilogue. I might even try to finish it tomorrow, just so I'll be a day early.
If I do, I'll probably make a big blog post about it either tomorrow or Thursday, with total word count, my thoughts, etc. It has been both stressful and stressless, being forced to write every day, forced to push the book forward even when I'd rather be playing Starcraft. And while there are certainly some sections that will need some severe editing, I am very satisfied with the end result. I don't see it needing too much work before it is in a publishing state.

Here's a spoiler-free quote for you. I'm going to play some Starcraft.

“Will I see you again?”

April didn’t respond. She looked away, staring vacantly off into the distance. I blinked, and reached out and touched her cheek.

“April?”

“Cevan,” April whispered, still not turning towards me. “You know the answer to that question.”

I just stared at her. My mind wandered to the events of my life. Being chased out of York, the town sacked by the Peacemakers. Running, always running, living in fear that the night would be my last. Of fighting through London, where Devent had nearly been killed trying to save me from imposing Gears. The Peacemaker, his smile cruel, his methods ruthless, baiting me by abusing my step-siblings. *CUT FOR SPOILERS*

All that death, all that killing, all that pain. It surrounded me, swallowed me up in its life. Everywhere I went, destruction clamored at my coattails. And it would continue to do so, until the day I died.

“That...” I felt my lip tremble. “Isn’t the life I want you to have.”

“No.” April nodded. “It isn’t.”




Edit: I wrote an extra 394 last night before going to bed, finishing the chapter. Still didn't make 10k. Oh well. 

Steelgod September: Day Twenty-Seven (4,020 words)

These next two chapters were originally meant to be one, but as you can see by the already huge length, it isn't going to work out that way. I have a hunch that the chapter following these will also be broken into two chunks, but we shall see.

I am still very much sick. Tomorrow I bowed out of both work and volunteering, as I am probably super contagious. I'm also considering just ditching my one class (from 8-9:15) in leu of getting more sleep. That would probably be beneficial in the long run.

With this time I plan on both sleeping and writing. I have a paper due Wed and a test to study for, but aside from that I am reasonably free. We shall see how well that turns out; maybe I can get a good 10k tomorrow and have little left for the remaining two days.

That is all. Here is your (relatively) spoiler-free bit.

Divine’s eyes darkened. “I won’t fail. I swore an oath, do you not recall?” 

He loosed the fingers of his right hand from around the sword hilt, revealing a cloth with a bloody line cut across. “I will do my part. And meet you by the Northernmost gate, once this whole mess is over.”

“I hope so.” Rosemary looked out towards the crowd. “Come on, Cevan; dawn was several minutes ago.”

I nodded. As I followed her back into the resisting crowd, I heard Divine call to use.

“May the Steelgods find it in their blessing to assist you!” And then he turned and made his way through the crowd, towards the back of the gallows.

“Brilliant thing to shout, in a town run by unbelievers,” Rosemary grumbled.

Steelgod September: Days Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, and Twenty-Six (14,059 words combined)

That averages to ~3,500 words a day, for those curious. Here's the story on what's going on with this.

- I didn't write on Thursday, at all. Due to circumstances beyond my control (and a little silly), I didn't get back from my test until about 9:30, and hadn't eaten dinner yet. So...I ate dinner and played Deathspank 2 instead of writing. Despite knowing it would mess me up if I skipped a day, which it did.
- The day after (Friday) I came home deathly sick, but determined to  write. I managed to churn out a chapter, making me only a day behind.
- The next day (Saturday), I realized my plan for two chapters was actually going to need to be three, so I wrote two chapters that day. Because of this addition, I was still a chapter behind.
- Today, I wrote in two large chunks (6,204 today, for the record), churning out two chapters. Technically I should be up to date now, but I realized the next chapter that I'd planned for one will actually have to be two, so I'm still "behind" if Sep. 30th is my due date. Which leads me to ask: Why didn't I pick a month with thirty-one days instead of thirty to do this? Because I'm crazy like a fox, that's why.

So, 14,059, technically in three days. In terms of actual writing, thats about ~4,700 for the days I wrote (deleting thursday from the equation), which is also quite decent.

I love getting to the end of books. I get crazy motivated to finish it, and the writing usually ends up being really good (these two chapters I wrote today I particularly like).

In personal news, I'm still really sick. I also have a quiz and a paper due Wednesday, and a test next week, but I'm not too worried assuming I get better rather than worse. Plus, I'm all jacked up on Sudafed and Advil, so I should be ok. Is it weird that some of my best writing actually happens when I'm sick? Maybe it's some form of release.

In non writing news, I finished my "ranking" matches in Starcraft 2. I'm a freaking Platinum in the 1v1 group (thats second to best), and my group with work buddies is Bronze in 4v4 (that's the worst, but we are at the top of the bronze ranking). Thus proving I'm a terrible team player, and I'm fairly certain I'm going to get crushed if I play against Platinum people.

I played a bit of the game, and beat the single-player mission. I liked the story, if it was a bit overwrought and melodramatic at times. It knew exactly what fans wanted, though, and gave them just that so it's hard to fault it. It's like Transformers 2, there isn't much of merit in it, but they knew who they were pandering to and did it right. Except Starcraft 2 is WAY better than Transformers 2.

I should give you four quotes for four days, but we are entering spoiler territory, so you just get one.

And here's hoping I get less crazy sick soon.

I stepped forward just in time. Rosemary drew a final line. Though I couldn’t feel the object snap into place as I’d had no part in its creation, I imagined what it must have felt for the Graffiti to complete. The hammer, which had been nothing more than a floating connection of lines, suddenly had weight and form. It fell from the air, where I caught it by its handle.

The feeling was instantly familiar, almost comforting. The “wood” of the handle was rough, with a smoothed portion where one would hold their hand. The head was heavy and strong. 

Careful to not put too much weight on my injured leg, I swung at the chains holding my step-sister. They sparked and rattled as the Created hammer hit. Another strike, and I was falling into the natural swing of it. I was at April’s again, smashing an unruly piece of metal with all the force I had. Again and again I struck, the previously impenetrable metal links giving way under the might of the hammer’s swings. At last, with a roar, I smashed the final piece of a link to pieces. It dissolved to dust under the crushing blow, and Rosemary’s left hand was free.

I wiped my sweating brow with my arm, taking a breather before attacking the other chain. Rosemary twisted her wrist, the bit of chain still attached rattling, making sure it still worked. She was staring at me intently, a look of surprise across her injured features.

I suddenly felt very self-conscious. “Um...yes?” I asked, feeling sweat run down my back. “Did you want me to do something else?”

Rosemary shook her head slowly. “You...look different, Cevan. Really different. I mean...just look at yourself!”

I shrugged and looked down. With my shirt off, one could see the muscles of my chest and abdomen. I’d never really noticed it during my weeks of relentless work with April, but now that Rosemary pointed it out there was no question.

I looked as if I’d been cut out of wood, chiseled from the scrawny, gangly boy I’d been when the Peacemaker had attacked two weeks ago. While not quite as large as the Peacemaker had been, I was certainly well-defined now, with toned arms and chest. I couldn’t keep the grin back as I moved to work on April’s other bound hand.

“Yeah, I guess I finally got out of the cart and got some exercise,” I laughed, smashing the hammer down as before. It felt good, really good, to hit something with a hammer. 

Steelgod September: Day Twenty-Two (3,703 words)

Not as bad as yesterdays, but I don't think it's my best, at least not the last part. I work better in small bursts if I plan on writing large amounts; I haven't had the time ever since my volunteer job started up, so I have to write it all in the evenings (and from the same times, too: from 9-whenever I'm done). Since I'm on a rather...strenuous writing schedule to finish this within the month, I'm forced to keep going even if it is terrible. So I do. Editing ahoy.

If I ever managed to do this full-time (yes, huge if), I'd probably write four times a day, each in 1.5-2k chunks, if not more. That would be easy, allow for breaks, and get books done pretty quick. In my current state, I write a lot, take a fake break (being like I just eat a snack instead of clearing my palette of all things book-related), and then come back. It works kind of, but...not as good as taking a whole hour off to read or play xbox or something.

Anyway, thats how I function. I have a test tomorrow night, so hopefully I manage to get something written. I didn't play Starcraft 2 today (despite borrowing a power cord after all), so that's something.

Bit:

I knew the map. Judging by the distance, I was almost there. If I’d tried, I could probably see the Peacemaker’s rendezvous point ahead of me past all the trees and shrubs. But I didn’t look forward. I kept my head to the side, staring with intent southward. 

South. Where Steel Summit was. Where April was. 

And then it finally hit me. 

I collapsed into howling sobs, startling a few rabbits who had been watching me curiously. I grabbed my hair and yanked it, then raked my face with my fingernails in relentless agony. I was trembling so much I could hardly stay on my knees, and I feel forward, pounding the leaf-covered earth with unquenchable torment.

I was going to die. This was the end. I’d never see April again. I’d left her, alone, at Steel Summit. I was going to die. 

I am going to die within the hour. 

Steelgod September: Day Twenty-One (3,461 words)

I have had a long day, and the chapter I wrote today freaking sucks. I had ideas for how it would work, but when I finally got around to writing it...it came up severely lacking. It happens, and I know it happens (this is what editing is for), but it still sucks.

Needless to say this has not been an awesome week for writing, in regards to quality. Quantity I have and in spades, but it really hasn't been that fantastic.

Still, I finished the chapter, and that means there are eight chapters left. I'm completely debating this scene even existing in its current state, but again that will have to wait for the edits.

Aside from that, I'm surviving school. I have my first real test Thursday evening. I'm in the volunteering groove full time. All in all, I'm extremely busy and quite stressed. Despite my love for writing, I'm going to be glad when September is over and I can take a break from Steelgods.

Speaking of which, I thought of many good ideas for the series whilst walking around campus and various other locations (I had lots of small burst of free time today, which I spent wandering around). Ideas about how to advance Cevan, what kind of person I want him to become, things like that. I think they'll work decent.

If I get over hating what I'm writing right now. Ah well, whatever. Tomorrow will be better, I hope. We are finally getting to the end of this thing. Climax of the novel: go!

Here's the bit. Try to not throw up.

I drew my sword, moving into the only stance I remembered Devent teaching me. I froze, however, upon seeing the weapons of the Gears.

The axes were pneumatically powered, the folded pieces unfolding into long weapons. They were at least a good seven feet long, thick, and made of brown steel. Set in two points along the shaft were collections of small holes, and it was over these that the Teeth pressed their hands. As they clenched, their gauntlets gave a small crunch, locking into place. 

What? I stared, both Creationist and sword-hands forward. There was a sudden blast of steam, the moisture hissing from between where the gauntlets and handle met. A sudden grinding sound, metal on metal, resonated from the axes. Within the three-pronged axe-head spun a circular blade. Gapes between axe-heads allowed the twirling, serrated weapon extensive leeway.  It spun faster and faster, steam escaping from its cracks as it accelerated.

I didn’t need a very active imagination to deduce what would happen should a rotating blade like that touch me. I’d never seen such technology before, in all my years in Tempered. It was far more advanced than anything west of the Biting Mountains, the range separating Tempered from Steel-Imbued. 

Steelgod September: Day Twenty (4,096 words)

Chapter ran long, but that is because of planning. See, I have ten chapters left (nine now), and ten days left. So I HAVE to get done what I say I'm going to get done or else I won't finish in time. So, I'm going to just write until my goal is accomplished, regardless of word count. I have a hunch it's going to usually be over.

I'm debating the end of this chapter. I got a little too excited about dropping steampunk hints, and might have put them in too soon. Or perhaps not; I'll see what I do with it. Needless to say, things are going to get interesting.

Now, onto a less positive topic: rejection!

Now that this is resolved I figure I can say it on here: I got a request for a manuscript about a month or so ago. And not just from anybody, from JABberwocky agency (Brandon's agency). Needless to say, I edited that bad boy and shipped it off. I took care to not get too excited about it, because rejection happens all the time.

Well, my prophecy was correct. I got a rejection letter today from JABberwocky. Damn.

I'm not too upset about the whole thing, mostly because I anticipated it. But it is hard to distance oneself from things such as this, especially when it is a culmination of a life's dream (and a potential career). Deep down, I do feel a bit sad that it didn't work out. Who wouldn't want to have an agent or and editor want your work? It's certainly something worth working towards.

This is only the...sixth rejection for Paradise Seekers thus far? I send out a good dozen and most haven't returned yet. I'm considering sending it to a few more places, once life slows down. I'll also send WGMD and Steelgods out once they are finished as well.

It is just unfortunate. One always thinks they'll get lucky the first time, not have to slog through fileboxes of rejection letters before finally breaking through. That just isn't the case.

At any rate, I am moving onward to bigger and better things. Like finishing Might of the Steelgods.

Which, by the way, I wrote THIS in today!

“What happened?” I pressed. “How did you take it [the Graffiti] from me?”

Roc shook his head. “You saw it twice, and you still don’t get it? Here’s a life tip: don’t try your hand at being a magician, or illusionist. You are terrible.”

“Spare me!” I groaned. “What did you do?”

“Think about it.”

I did. “You finished the abstract,” I concluded. “And that made it yours.”

“Exactly.” Roc wiggled a Tipped finger at me. I shook my head.

“But when I was trained, my instructor finished abstracts,” I remembered April drawing a tongue onto my smiling face many nights previous, “and they weren’t stolen.”

“And there’s the trick,” Roc smiled. “You can only steal someone’s Graffiti if you really want to. No slight desires, no half-assing it. You want to need it, more than anything. Then, when you finish it, it becomes yours.”

I was still confused. “But how did you ‘need’ my fire abstract? I can understand last night, but right now? It offered nothing for you.”

Roc rose his hands into the air. “Bluffer, you seem to forget. I’m a Gambler. I live my entire life based around theft, trickery, conniving schemes, and generally being a terrible person. Stealing is just something I do. I want everything. If I see something that I don’t have, or even that I do have, I need it. Thus, stealing your silly abstract means very little to me. I take it as easily as I draw breath.”

He pushed a finger to my forehead. I was grateful it was not a Tipped one. “You, on the other hand, are a sheltered little twit. You couldn’t steal something if it was practically handed to you. Since you aren’t nearly as morally ravaged as I am, you’ll probably never be able to steal an abstract in your life.”

Steelgod September: Day Nineteen (1,918 words)

Just under. My paper took longer than expected, as did studying, but mostly I felt really sick and got distracted by Starcraft 2 again. Maybe I should uninstall the game and make it a reward for finishing Might of the Steelgods. That's actually a fairly decent idea.

I have figured out the rest of the book, sort of. Tomorrow during a more boring class I'll probably write out a chapter outline, and then assign them to days. That way I'll have goals with my writing, and hopefully then I'll write more. Also, having and end in sight makes me write a lot better.

I realized that this semester, as far as real tests go, I only have two classes that have the textbook definition of "real tests" (my two gender courses). My other classes either have high point, in class quizzes, lots of writing assignments, or reports. So, that is actually a huge de-stresser, because it means I don't have to worry about stuff like that as often.

I still have crazy busy schedules, but not having lots of stuff due every time I turn around (minus my writing class) is certainly a relief.

Anyway, I have a test Thursday, so I'm going to spend my evenings studying. I am also really really going to try and write more, I swear. Maybe I should lock my Windows partition on my Mac and give Bec the password...then I'll have to ask her every time I want to play. There's an idea.

Fat quote tonight because I feel like it.

Roc punched the wall for emphasis, followed by him wincing and holding his hand tightly in pain. After shaking it a few times he spoke. 

“Fine. You win. I’ll teach you how to steal Creation.”

“Not good enough.”

“What!” Roc threw his hands in the air. “What the hell is wrong with you? You say one thing and then-”

“Oh, just calm down and listen!” I had lost all patience. “I just want you to swear it.”

Roc stopped ranting, and his eyes lit up. “Swear it? By what?”

“By...”

I paused. As I looked at the sudden glee that had taken the Gambler’s face, I came to a harsh realization.

He probably doesn’t believe in much of anything worth swearing to, I grit my teeth. He’s probably itching for an opportunity to break his word. I’d best make sure he swears by something he cares about.

Roc twisted a finger in circles. “By....what? Did you fall asleep on me, standing up? The Peacemakers? The Almighty Steelgods? My dear sweet mother? Name your oath, and I’ll commit.”

He doesn’t care about any of those things, I found it hard to think with my mind so tired. What could he...

“Swear by...” I had it, “your reputation.”

Steelgod September: Day Eighteen (2,104 words)

Busy day. Didn't study. Played Starcraft 2. But I still wrote.
Tomorrow's plan is to study and write a LOT. I gotta start pumping out words on weekends, as during the actual week it's a huge pain in the butt.

Here's the bit. I'll write more tomorrow, I hope. If school doesn't completely kill me.

And I gotta get the heck off Starcraft 2. I have won 14 of my 15 games, so...

Roc continued. “Luckily for us both, I am good friends with the innkeeper. Cut him a piece of my winnings a few years back, made enough for him to buy fresh stock when he was nearly out of business. Don’t know if he’ll give you the same favors, but I suppose sleeping in a corner is better than sleeping outside, eh Cevan?”

“Don’t call me that in public,” I said quickly, a bit of Devent’s influence finally coming through. “Last thing I’d want is someone to decide they needed a few extra bolts.”

“A few thousand extra bolts,” Roc pointed out, grinning with a mouth full of teeth. “Your price just keeps rising every few months. I’d say the older you get, the more you are worth.”

“Like cheese or a fine wine,” I grumbled under my breath. “My life just gets better and better as time goes by.”

- Borrowing

Steelgod September: Days 16 and 17 (4,123 words)

I didn't write on the 16th. It was bad; I basically just played Starcraft 2 and felt burned out. It WAS a thursday, which is the worst day of the week because it isn't friday, so I had that against me.
Luckily I made it up on the 17th, where I wrote 2k in two chunks during the day. So, in the end, I still met my goals, if I was a little behind. I did forget to blog though.

Regarding the story, I'm...a bit lost at this point. I have an idea of where I want him to go and how I want this to happen, but not enough to feel that confident writing. I know I need to start working towards the end (the month's over half over), but while I know what happens after he GETS to a certain place, I'm not certain exactly HOW he gets there (or the time inbetween).

I guess I'll figure something out.

Well, I'm going to study for a test and then have Writing Group 1.0 for critique and writing. Should be fun. Sometime next week I'm going to plan a day-by-day plot requirement so I can get this done, for certain, by the end of September.

It's also 300 words away from 50k, which is awesome too. It's almost as long as Paradise Seekers (which was 69k at the end of the first draft).

The Gambler rolled his eyes and put his hands to his knees. With an exaggerated effort he drew himself up. “Right. You didn’t do anything wrong. No, not at all. Thank goodness that, instead of just taking me privately aside and telling me you knew I was cheating, you decided to scream it to everybody in the entire damn bar. And then, instead of just letting me bluff about knowing Graffiti, you not only call me on it but you try to blow us all to hell. Brilliant plan, boy.”

“What? Don’t even try!” I felt my stomach churn in frustration. “You can’t possibly blame the fact that, since you are a rotten cheater, liar, and conman, you getting caught is somehow my fault.”

“I was a rotten cheater, liar, and conman,” Roc’s tone was indignant. “Until some babied brat decided to ruin everything good I had going on. Do you know how hard it is to keep a reputation? And then to have it shattered in an instant, all that good will gone and everybody not trusting you wherever you go?”

Don’t I ever. 

-The Path of a Gambler

Steelgod September: Day Fifteen (2,448 words)

I was going to finish this chapter, but I really need to go to bed early tonight, so I'm cutting it short. I'm going to count this as the first time school/work/volunteer work actually cut into my writing time a noticeable amount, because if I didn't have school tomorrow I'd for certain finish this chapter (I'd say it has another 1k left).

But, that's not the point. I'm also hitting that magical part in my book where I hate it. Yep, that part. I'm about 1/3-1/2 way through, sitting at 45k, so it makes sense. Dammit.

Speaking of halfway, September is half over today. So I have 15 days to finish this book. It's gonna happen. I wish we had another day off, though, where I could bum rush 10-15k in a day and get done early. Ah well. It's not hard if it isn't fun. Wait, that's backwards. Whatever.

Here's the bit.

And yes, Roc is a dirty rotten cheater.

He nodded to the crowd, earning a few nods back. I looked down at the cards at the table again. They glowed in the light, transparent.

Transparent. Some of them completely transparent.

I leapt to my feet, shoving my hand aside. “You cheat!” I screamed, pointing to his cards. “You rotten cheater!”

The men around me, probably expecting an incident like what had happened with the last loser, moved in to take me away. With a twist I dodge their grasp, snatching at Roc’s cards just before the Gambler could recover them. I didn’t get them all, but as I touched the transparent ones I knew my assumption was correct. 

“Graffitied cards!” I yelled. The crowd fell silent. I held the cards high; away from the real ones and in clearer light, the scheme was now obvious. The cards had a rough edge to them, probably due to the quickness Roc would have had to sketch them after I’d revealed my incredible hand. The men moving to grab me stopped in their tracks, staring at my outstretched arm.

Chapter 14 - Stealing Creation

Steelgod September: Day Fourteen (3,680 words)

Beat my goal today. Lots of chit-chat between Cevan and the new character. A crazy, bipolar gambler who cheats and is generally a douche to everybody. This will be grand.

Can't talk much, have to sleep. My day from hell today wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Tomorrow might suck, though.

That's it. Here's your bit. You got a Mockingjay review, so no complaining.

I drew Rosemary’s Creationist Tools from my pocket, taking care none saw it. I snapped the bracelet and one Tip to my finger, not bothering to connect the two. I then placed the remaining four Tips on the table, keeping my left hand concealed in the sleeve of my overly-large shirt. 

“I have these,” I said, laying each down individually. “I’m certain they are worth more than you ask.”

A hush fell over the crowd. The Gambler, he had called himself Roc, stared intently at the four Tools, his eyes widening. He licked his lips once, and I saw a flash of greed cross his young, handsome features. 

“I’ll be damned,” he whispered. “Are those real?”

Steelgod September: Day Thirteen (1694 words)

A bit under today, and I'll probably be a bit under tomorrow too, honestly. School was crazy today as was work, things just kept going and going and wouldn't stop. Tomorrow my capstone starts (tutoring kids at a middle school), which will eat away any breaks I had in the middle of my school/work schedule. Seriously, I get up at 8 and get home at 5 (sometimes six), without so much as a lunch break. Life just got CRAZY.

Despite that, I'm going to keep writing, still maintaining that 2k a day. One of the major problems was the fact that this chapter...just drags. I'm getting a main character from point A (which was exciting) to point B (which also will be exciting), but the jerk has to walk there. Yeah, I know I could just magically teleport him with the whole "that evening," but because I've said explicitly: "HE HAS A WEEK TO GET THERE," I can't just skip whole days like that. Kills the timebomb, the tension. Or whatever.

I like to pretend I know what I'm doing, ok? Hush.

Here's your thing. I'm going to bed.

The map Devent had only contained the Tempered Lands. On the Eastern side I saw the Biting Range, a long row of jagged mountains running the entire length of Tempered’s border. And, at their northernmost point, next to London, lay the path that lead to the one place on earth I never wanted to go. 

The Steel-Imbued Domain.

I’d seen maps of it before, though there were few in Tempered. It cut like a jagged tooth from the side of the world, thrusting itself deep into the Gulf of Oil and the Unclean Sea. At its heart lay Last Washington, a city rumored to be so large it alone could encompass a third of the Tempered Lands. And in New Washington...

The Steelgods, I thought, taking care to not trip on a fallen branch that crossed the road. The Creators of the World. Truth, Memory, and Knowledge. Omnipotent and immortal beings, said to be older than any human who ever lived. The rulers and protectors of us all.

And, for some reason, they want me to destroy everything.

Steelgod September: Day Twelve (3,780 Words)

Gonna be quick tonight, because I have a huge day tomorrow and I need to sleep.

Wrote a lot today. Basically an entire chapter, and one that pushes the plot forward. Bec was sad because it separated two main character whose interactions she enjoyed. Don't worry, they'll be back someday.

I'm calling this the end of act one, officially. Act two begins...NOW. And we'll see what happens now that Cevan is off doing stupid things again.

Other news...uh...I'm playing Disagea 2 a lot, and it's addicting and fun. My schedule is exploding with stuff to do this week, as my capstone is falling into place, so my writing might actually stay at 2k words as anticipated. Seriously, my life is about to get awful. Luckily this is my last semester ever (!!!) so that provides at least some motivation.

Anyway. Bed. Here's the bit.

April set her stick down and sat down next to me, pushing the blankets I used for bedsheets aside. She was also panting, and she wiped sweat from her brow with the arm of her shirt. 

“Well, that was fun. I didn’t know you could swordfight.”

“Devent taught me a little,” I admitted. “But I’m pretty terrible. Plus, whenever I’m forced to fight someone for real, I usually choke up and make a complete ass out of myself.”

“That’s an enormous surprise.”

“Hilarious.”

Steelgod September: Day Eleven (5,887 words)

That's right, suckers. I'm back, and with a vengeance. About 4k of these were done in one (off and on) sitting, where I played while Bec played Plants vs Zombies on the Xbox. I'd pop in from time to time to see how she was doing, when my brain refused to function, then it would be right back to writing. Worked quite well.

I've noticed that I am able to write a lot when I'm drawn into a scene. Usually, drawing me in requires two things:
1. That I have a general idea about what will happen, and this involves a lot of unique character development or a twist (or both).
2. I know what the result is, but have no idea how it will get there.

The second bit is a discovery writing part, and in this situation it makes writing really fun. See, I get sucked into the scene, where I (the author) want to know what happens. Since I only have a basic idea, I'm forced to keep writing, or I'll be left off in a crappy spot of the book. So, next thing you know, I've written almost 6k in one sitting.

Another thing I've noticed when I write a lot (I used to write 5-6k a day normal when finishing WGMD, so this isn't exactly monumental) is that, re-reading it, it has a lot of silly mistakes. Like word repetition and sentences that just don't make sense. I also blame this on discovery writing, because I see the scene as it unfolds rather than knowing exactly what is there, so continuity errors and basic descriptions sometimes get mixed up. I'll re-read it tonight before going to bed (or tomorrow morning) and try and catch the stupid little things before tomorrow.

Other than that, I played a lot of Starcraft 2 today. Writing Group 1.0 (which is rapidly becoming Gaming Group 1.0...who am I kidding, they've been that for a while) got their computers, and we had two copies and a trial code, so we all played together against bots for a while.

I also played two online 1v1 matches and won both. I can quit now. I have 100% victory record. Take that, suckers.

Other than that, I took a character I liked today and made him a terrible person. I'd...sort of planned it happening (I had some characters and one of them had to end up being terrible, I just hadn't decided which). The situation presented itself and I took it, also altering another main character's past in the process. Discovery writing is so fun. I get to ruin people's lives on a whim.

Here's your quote. I also wrote a line, "[He had] scars without stories." which, as I was writing it, I felt was profound and clever. Maybe it wasn't, I dunno. I just really liked it (describing aforementioned terrible person who had multiple scars that he wouldn't talk about how he got them).

Here's the quote, for real this time. It's long. Because I wrote a lot. Directly proportional. Or something. I don't care, It's freaking 1:30 in the morning.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I saw a Cog?” The man with the scar, he had said his name was Fredrick, gargled through a mouthful of ale. I shook my head, leaning back slightly so as to not get as much of his foul breath.

“No, you didn’t. You haven’t told me any stories, as a matter of fact, since you just met me five minutes ago.”

“Really?” Fredrick burped and I winced, much to April’s amusement. She clanked the ice in her cold cider, her eyes sparkling in lamplight. “Well, then I’d better tell it to you!”

“I guess you’d better,” I agreed with a sigh, taking a sip of dandelion wine. “Have at it.”

Fredrick drew a long drink, it dribbled out the corners of his mouth and onto his shirt. I watched with disgust, reminding myself to never make drinking a habit, no matter how miserable my life became. 

“Well,” Fredrick wiped his mouth and burped again. “It was two years ago, see...”

It wasn’t hard to ignore the drunkard. I’d spent plenty of years phasing out Devent and Rosemary’s yammering, and he wasn’t nearly as loud or coherent enough to take offense at my inattentiveness. I glanced back at April. She shot me a smile, and continued her conversation about metal prices with the man sitting next to her. 

The Steelgod’s Salvation was larger than I had anticipated, at least twice the size of April’s shop and just as tall. It was lavishly decorated with paintings, odd ornaments, and severed animal heads. It even had a set of crossed swords of the mantel; I assume they;re a mandatory decoration for every pub in all of Tempered. The place was lit from ornate metal chandeliers, similar to the one in April’s bedroom. When I’d asked her about it, she’d turned a bit red before admitting she’d made them herself. They were detailed and, unlike the ones in the shop, well polished and maintained. 

- Chapter 10, Unbreakable

Steelgod September: Day Ten (1,728 words)

I missed my goal today, for the first time. But I have a reasonable excuse.

1. I was at school or work from 8-5. I usually have time to write inbetween. I didn't today.
2. I got new internet at home, which means I can now do more stuff on it like watch movies or play games. Speaking of games...
3. I got Starcraft 2. Best Buy price matched KMart's sale, so I got it for cheap. It was a big coincidence, too, that...
4. There was a SC2 lan party with the IT guys on campus, which I attended and got stomped. Oh well, it was still fun, and I'm excited to figure out that game.

Needless to say, I got home at like 11:45, and I wrote from 12:15-1:00 (right now). So, that isn't completely awful, especially considering I had no idea what was going on in this chapter.

But hey, I wrote something which works. I'll write more tomorrow to make up for it.

Or I'll play Starcraft 2 all day.

One or the other. Maybe both.

Bit for today, a magic info dump!

“Exactly,” April pointed to another mistake I’d made. “The messier the mark, the more out of control it is. It’s like when Creationist draw objects they want to make real instead of abstracts; it has to be precise. I’m certain Rosemary never made a mistake when she had to physically create something to last.”

“Right, but that’s something that has a real world equivalent. These are just images representing the ideas,” I retorted.

“Doesn’t matter. The more precise you are in the abstract, the more control you have over it. When I draw in the shop, I can choose if I want it to be a thin beam or a wide explosion. It just requires a few extra moments.”

Easy for her to say, I grumbled, having to fix yet another miswritten line. Rosemary couldn’t even draw Fire as well as she did, and Rosemary could make actual objects. Besides, if I’m going to use this to fight a Peacemaker, the more the better. I don’t need control; I need enough fire to roast the skin from his bones. 

Steelgod September: Day Nine (3,382 words)

Good day today, especially considering I wasn't sure what was going down in this chapter exactly. I figured it out, but now I REALLY have no idea what's going on NEXT chapter. I'm doomed.

I messed up my knee badly today. I'm not sure how. I think I twisted it or stepped on something wrong, I'm not sure. At any rate, it hurts like crazy, and I really hope I didn't break anything essential. I don't want to pay to have some doctor scan it and say nothing's wrong. But I really don't want to pay to have him say I broke my knee off or something.

Quote.


Well, draw me something!” April grinned. Her Graffiti, having been neglected for a few seconds, was starting to fade. The bits would join the circle of firebugs before dissolving.
I concentrated, holding my hand in front of me, firebugs already beginning to investigate the light curiously. I didn’t know what to draw, so I just moved my fingers as gracefully as I could muster, imagining artistic patterns and designs, like April’s.
I drew for about a minute, bugs circling around me, light spinning like a whirlwind. At last I finished, signing my name in the air with a flourish, and turned back to April.
She was giggling and shaking her head. I blinked, then felt my blood rush to my face.
“What?”
April had to cover her mouth to keep laughter in. “Steelgods, you are terrible at Graffiti.”
“Oh come on!” I groaned, looking back at my Graffiti. I hadn’t thought it was too bad when I was drawing it, but now that I could see it without bias I realized she was right. It looked completely awful. A chicken could have scratched something better in the dirt.

- Chapter 8, Touching Creation