Friday, August 27, 2010

Quick Update and some Odysseus!

Helen crossed 93,000 94,000 96,000 97,000 words and I haven't hit the climax. At least I'm writing forward though! I'll take what I can get. I think I have one more chapter to go and then I'll be there, and then I can start the falling action and wrap it up. At this point, I do not think it will come in under 100,000 words, but I know there is some room to cut, and I'll be able to deal with that when I start editing. Over all, I'm feeling pretty good about how things are going. Tomorrow I'll have another long day to write, as long as I get started first thing when I get up. That's the trick, for me, I think-- as long as I open up the document and start working before I get sidetracked by anything else, I end up keeping on task a lot better than if I start with anything else first.

Edit: The last 1000 words were pure agony. Judging by the emotional tones, the climax just snuck up on me. DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE.
Edit Edit: I'm beginning to fear that I'm going to overshoot the ending somehow. I feel like I might have just written it. Except that it isn't where I want it to be. ARRRGGGHHHH I HATE ENDINGS.

ALSO, if you were wondering, my clam sauce came out awesome. The swiss chard was delicious. And my purple green beans were delicious. (Color changing when you cook them! How much awesomer can green beans even get?!)

Re: Odysseus's Palace Being Unearthed in Ithaca.
This is a great post explaining how when it comes to things like this, you have to be skeptical of the claims. The fact of the matter is, if you go LOOKING for something in history, with an agenda, you're bound to find supporting evidence-- but when it comes down to it, it doesn't really prove anything. Would it be awesome if we found a palace belonging to Odysseus? Heck yes! But just because a palace is unearthed of Mycenaean style and with a convenient date, does not mean this is so. Claiming it belonged to Odysseus is pretty presumptuous, honestly, unless you find his name carved into the stone. (And I hate to say it, but this all applies to the King Arthur mythology stuff too.)

Have a fabulous weekend!

14 comments:

  1. Congrats on Helen; you're so close!

    I agree with your last paragraph. "Evidence" can be found to support almost any historical claim - if you look hard enough. Sometimes you even have to squint or close one eye :)

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  2. Yeah, you can definitely find evidence if that's what you're really looking for. Good thing most folks in the archaeological community are savvy enough to realize when someone is basically a fraud. (Cough... I found Nefertiti's mummy... cough.)

    I'm so happy for you about Helen! I just started writing again (well, writing new scenes amongst revisions) and it certainly feels good. Hurray for writing and making progress!

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  3. Thanks Trisha! I am getting there! Slow but well, not really steady. Leaps and bounds more like, with some long pauses in between. :P

    I think sometimes people just get a little bit TOO excited about the Trojan War myths to remain objective.

    Stephanie: so true! I mean, in this case, he certainly found something, but that doesn't mean that it's what he WANTS it to be...

    I'm so glad to hear you're writing again!! It always makes me feel better to be able to write a bit in the midst of revisions.

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  4. Wise, very wise. Let the writing flow and kill the darlings only on edits. ;)

    Cheers for your progress!

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  5. Thanks Mari! Hopefully I won't kill any darlings, but definitely some extraneous hold-over material is going to go down the tubes :)

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  6. That dinner sounded delish! Hope you get up and get working on your WIP tomorrow bright and early. I'm a night owl myself, so good luck.

    Edge of Your Seat Romance

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  7. Yay on Helen, you're almost there! Congrats!

    As a former research methodologist, I have to agree with you. If you go into any exploratory venture looking to find something specific, it's no longer research, it's a treasure hunt.

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  8. Congrats on being almost done! I'll be sad when it's over, though. I better get to read another MS of yours! And I promise to send back your chapter this weekend. Sorry I kept it so long...lol

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  9. Raquel: it was fabulous! Thanks for the good wishes :)

    VR: Exactly. That is exactly it. Anything that doesn't fit gets discarded. But I suppose we already do that with history anyway.. it just seems like you'd need a LOT of nerve to make a claim on that lack of evidence over yonder.

    KM: haha. No worries. :) School does that to everyone :)

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  10. Are you done; can we comment? :)

    So much excitement going on in your life Amalia. Hard to concentrate on one thing when so much goes your way. If only we could spread out good news and accomplishments for when we need them most.

    I'm please to hear you're so close to finishing. The first draft (this is, right?) is as long as it needs to be to accomplish its telling. I've been "watching" you write over the last few months, and you're doing so well with your personal goals.

    Judging from your excerpts, when you complete editing/revision, this going to be an amazing story. Good luck with the ending. Though, you don't really need luck; you have the skill to pull it off well.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    .........dhole

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  11. Haha! pretty much done. I made it to 97,000 words yesterday!

    This is a rewrite from the ground up of the first draft-- so technically I suppose it is the second revision. It shouldn't have taken me this long to get through it, but you're right-- I've been distracted :)

    I hope you won't be disappointed :) Thanks so much for your encouragement and kind words, Donna!

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  12. Hi Amalia!! *blows kisses* I've been busy and I miss you! I'll be back on Twitter soon so we can play some more :)

    Congratulations on your writing, you're so smart to keep moving forward. Like the previous commenter said, kill those darlings on the edits. You can do this!! :) :)

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  13. I've been wondering what you've been up to! :) Looking forward to seeing you back!

    I'm up over 100K now, and things are progressing nicely! Thanks for the encouragement!!

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  14. Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.

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