Rrrghhh

See here and here for the Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok airport) reference. All my domestic worries fade in to insignificance by comparison.

MY FIRST REPORT

I’ve got my first report back from my mentor. It came last night while we were watching The Dark Knight on the hotel’s big screen. I wasn’t much interested in Batman but in the spirit of being sociable … once my Blackberry flashed and I saw it was from my mentor that was it. Husband said ‘You’d better text me and let me know if it’s safe to come upstairs.’

So what was it like?

I have a good eye for detail. This works for and against me: I have to learn when to desist from shovelling more and more on with a spade. Less is more.

Sometimes I write with ‘great verve’ and sometimes I try too hard and it sounds ‘pedestrian.’ *winces* I wonder if I can work out which passages are which.

If I cannot come up with a simile or metaphor which says, with originality, exactly what I want it to say, I shouldn’t use one. When I have come up with a corker, I should desist from shovelling more and more on with a spade. I should also abstain from repeating myself when I think I’ve said something clever!

My main character needs more work. My more minor characters are shaping up nicely.

My dialogue is on the whole strong. I have a good ear for the way people talk at cross purposes and fail to finish sentences. My long dialogue scene between Marina and Jean is excellent, and Marina’s response is totally believable.

My mentor enjoyed my story. She thought it was a good read with the promise of some really good conflict. She is interested in the characters and wants to know what will become of them.

So very useful: assuming I can identify the pedestrian from the ‘great verve.’ It would be absolutely typical of me to edit out all the great verve and leave in the dull. My other main concern is the development of the main character.

Saturated

Words written yesterday: 500
Words written today: 700.
Total words this week: Just under 8,000
Total words in WIP: Just under 12,000

There are maybe a 1,000 in my notebook too.

But, I reckon I’ve reached saturation point. I’m knackered, and need a holiday! I had hoped to go back home with a tan, but I’m as pasty white as I was when I arrived. Tomorrow, if the sun comes back out, I might sit by the pool.

In total I’ve got around 12,000 words and when my mentor has been appointed I will need to send the first 10,000 to be critiqued, which was really what this was about.

Hopefully I’ve learned that if I can write flat out here, I can get on and do that in Bangkok too.

Thank you for all your encouragement. I kept going because I wanted to be able to come here and tell you how much I had managed to write.

Dear Lord ...

I’ve been opening up my WIP, finding my place - which is still about half way through the funeral – and finding myself in desperate need to do anything else. I’ve been doing that for about 4 or 5 days. Harrumph.

Now that I’ve recognised what I’m doing (because I was in denial for a few days) I am determined to push through. Although I’ve still gone off to make more tea than I want to drink, and then rewarded my four new words with a game of Bejewelled. The problem is I’m getting my knickers in a twist about the various parts of the funeral: the gathering; readings and sermon; prayers; commendation and farewell; the Committal and the Dismissal. They all sound straightforward, but not all of the prayers in my reference material need to be used. And if someone does a tribute … where in the service does it come? And when the vicar does a sermon … is that about the dead person or something else entirely?

The lovely vicar at home gave me lots of help, and I’ve got photocopies of things and handwritten notes which made loads of sense at the time… He’s very kindly told me I could email him, which I’ve already done to thank him and I included three more questions and in addition he’s told me he’d happily read it. But, well, I don’t want him to harrumph at me for asking too often, too much, or whatever. And it’d be better for me if he can read it all … not part way through. (Though I think I probably shouldn’t include the filthy swearword at the end of the chapter…)

Anyway, I am pushing through … in between Bejewelled; tea and mineral water and lots of weeing …

Now that I am actually making progress, I’ve got another problem: I’m accursed in my head with the hymn ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Forgive our Foolish ways!’ Here, go and listen. It would be much better for me if it was in your head and not mine.

Couldn't resist it

I couldn't resist making a wordle thing to celebrate my words so far ... thanks also to 100 words a day instigator, Helen.