Update: Water, Water, Never There

Well I must say I'm feeling pretty excited. I just upped my word goal to 20,000! Three weeks ago I didn't think I'd hit 15,000. I still don't see a full lenght book, but you know, it might not be impossible.

So far I've discovered there are culling squads in some towns and villages. People are so full of hatred towards Elementari for things that happened in the past that they are rounding them up and killing them, like rats carrying the Bubonic Plague.

Also, there is this stranger who can pull the moisture out of M'miri. At least, I think that's what he does. He's still a bit mysterious to me. I suspect we'll learn more about him.

Then, kind of against her will, M'miri has picked up companions.

And get this, her mothers drown people and eat them! No wonder she hit the road. A lot can happen in 17,000 words!

Camp NaNoWriMo - Water, Water, Never There

Well, I've decided to see what I can coerce out of my WordSpring story which I've decided to title: Water, Water, Never There.

I've registered for Camp NaNoWriMo and set myself a very modest, though currently overwhelming, goal of 18,000 words.

That's the advantage of Camp, you get to set your own word count goals--and for the first 2+ weeks you can revise it up or down. Since I've no idea what I'm going to write, this seems like a safe challenge.

I've got that fear of failure lurking over my shoulder, but I'm going to banish my 'inner editor', as NaNo's YWP calls it, and try to remain positive!

First Scene - magical realism or fantasy?

Several weeks ago I wrote about my first conference and the scene I came up with during the magical realism workshop. I thought I'd post it here. Maybe typing it up will give me some storyline inspiration.

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There was a time when the Elementari were prolfic and welcomed in every town and encampment, their gifts deemed to bring good fortune. But memory of that time was fading. That was before the Long Day. In this age, children born with sense sight were often drowned at birth or abandoned.

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M'miri left the fire circle and wandered up the hillside overlooking the settlement, through brown, brittle grass that crunched underfoot. The bag of coins the elders had given her jangled on her hip. She crested the knoll and circled around. Vibrations tickled the hairs on her legs, letting her know she had found the spot.

She sat down and waited. M'miri closed her sight eyes and opened sense sight. Soon she began to see them. The droplets of moisture drifting lazily in the air. Concentrating, she drew the droplets together. As they joined, their masses increased. They could no longer drift about aimless and carefree. M'miri could feel their wieght pressing down upon her.

As the first raindrops fell, her sense sight closed. She opened her sight eyes and headed down the hill, leaving this village behind. The wind picked up, her scarf blew off exposing her long blue hair. M'miri scooped the silk as it tried to escape in a swirl of dust. She listened to the rain hit the dry leaves of the trees behind her. Down the road lay another settlement in need.

******

Okay, I know this needs some editing (I read the passivity and alliteration in some of the sentences I was typing!) But, it's a start. Now to see if it lights a spark.