Novel Statistics

2002-03-07     2:56 a.m.

Not much time, it's late and I need sleep, but I have to update tonight, like always.

update on my novel:

77 pages (144 in manuscript format).

37,400 words (rounded- no word is used more than once either... okay bad joke)

164,700 charcters (also rounded)

1,732 paragraphs (not rounded).

So the above statistics are the past couple months of my life. It's what I live for. It's what I work on almost every single day, even if all I can manage to type is one measley line of dialogue.

And I swear to God I am GOING to finish it.

I and almost 150 pages into The Bourne IDentity and it may be as far as I go.

It's okay, but I am better. I have learend a lot though so far. Especially about what not to do, if I want to write a novel that goes beyond being pulp fiction that is.

Granted, my first novel I'm working on right now will probably be considered a pulp fiction espionage thriller of some sort, but it will be good, and there will be some substance to it. I have tried to pour everything that is me into it... maybe, just maybe it'll sell, but I'm not even thinking about that now. What I'm thinking about now is that at this point in my life, with not a whole lot going on, and by all measures pretty much a failure, writing my novel feels like the only way I can really control my own destiny.

I could either waste away begin depressed, watchig tv, or I could invent a world, invent people with intricate lives, and their conflicts and problems they are trying to work out.

Who needs tv?

Anyway, as for my day:

I alreday wrote in here about the first part of my day.

The short version is this:

I was on my way to take back the optical mouse on my way to work when my car completely loses power and shuts down. I push it into the parking lot of an old abandoned gas station and I walk to Best Buy where I take back my mouse and buy a more expensive one, then I call my aunt for a ride home (had to be at work real soon, no time to mess with a a tow right then).

It really sucked. I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do about the car situation. I feel like I'm backed into a corner, just because of life in general.

Oh, and then the new mouse didn't work either, so I just took it back and got my money back and I'm stuck with my old mouse still.

The next part of novel will be tough. Mike always tells me he thinks I can write people's pain really well. Well, I'll have to write it really really really well if I can pull off my next plot point.

Oh, and what I've worked on all night tonight is actually back in the middle of what I've worked on before. I'm actually going to have to change quite a bit, because it changes some things later on, but I think it's very much worth it.

However, it will mean I have to pretty much erase from existence a character I invented for one reason only. I really liked her too.

Naturally, I'll wait till I get to that point. MAybe if I cut her out, I'll post it on here, so the world can meet her.

On the other hand, maybe not because it will give a lot of the plot away. I guess I could edit some stuff out.

I really want to post the car chase scene I've just finished writing. It's good stuff, if you ask me. I think my love of rally racing and the Subaru WRX Impreza may have shown a little too much though, but we'll see.

I still need to think of how exactly this is all going to end. That's the missing ingredient right now. I'm working towards this end that I have no idea what it is. I think it would be easier if I had some sort of mountain peak to push my characters towards.

But right now I am experienceing the world right along with them. They know just as much about what's going to happen in ten pages as I do at any given moment.

In that way, it makes them a little more real, and maybe a little more fun.

Okay, NEED SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

crap, I just remembered something I wanted to write about.

Tonioght Special NEighbors went skating at the roller rink. So I take Eric.

I had to leave for a bit to go get my car towed, but I come back and first thing I notice is this girl trying real hard to make eye contact with me.

She was reasonably attractive, but I was definately turned off by the tub of lard she was there with.

So, whatever. I sit down at a booth and I have my book (at this point the girl's staring has gone from flattering to a little wierd). HAving a book at these things are more important a a statement. It keeps people from talking to you. So I sit down and am getting ready to start reading these three little boys walk over to me. One of them sits down across from me. Another asks him, "Is that your dad" and the kid just ignores him. The kid just looks at me, so I ask how he's doing.

I opened the flood gates, these three kids start talking about these toys they found that are so great.

The funny thing was the kid sitting in front of me, he was completely business-like the whole time.

The other two were standing up and all excited, but the blonde kid in front of me was just telling me the way things were.

I just nodded my head, "Uh huh, uh huh."

I still haven't figured out what the hell it was all about. All of a sudden they just all left like they had ESP and communicate without talking. But they just ran off again. It was strange.