Nikki M. Pill

Words written: 755

Total words: 28,699

Pages: 79 of 108

Reason for stopping:   Research Methods Project

Tyop du Jour: “One date isnt’ a whole relationship.” 

Mean Things:  A terribly awkward conversation with That Boy She Likes when she has to explain why he’s now a suspect in a murder investigation.

Jury-rigging:    Using the word “either” when the first hasn’t happened yet. Remember to say it, Kevin.

Inspiration du Jour:  Fitz.

Words written: 623

Total words: 27,944

Pages: 105

Reason for stopping: Milo REALLY wants breakfast. Enough to meow piteously and crawl into my lap between my torso and keyboard, hampering my typing arm… and I have to get in some choreo before work too.

Fail du Jour: Badly burned my left fingers last night while cooking, so I had to take a sleeping pill in order to get to sleep, which means I needed an extra hour this morning, which means I’m a little behind. Sigh.

Tyop du Jour: Forgot to track

Mean Things:  The detective calls her to say it wasn’t the suspect… and he’s still out there.

Jury-rigging:    She refuses to leave her apartment

Inspiration du Jour:     Absinthe du Ventre

Misc: I’m a little frustrated at my wordcount lately — I’ve been spending a lot of time fussing with Scrivener. Stupid characters, having integrity and all that, wanting to do things they would actually do. ::sigh:: I also realized that my protagonist doesn’t act enough. Outside forces are acting on her, and she’s responding, so there are some things she has to do herself. So when she finds out that the person she named for something horrible didn’t do it, she has to call them to talk, not receive a call from them.

A protagonist with a sense of honor. Who’d a thunk it?

Unfortunately it throws off the pacing I had in my head — which was a little too fast, anyway. I have to figure out how to up the ante in this relationship without slowing the story down too much, and I have to increase the sense of danger overall.

Past the 100-page mark!

And I think it’s time to break down and say this will be more of a 60K word novel than a 90K. Evne when I go back and flesh out the early stages of the book, I’m not going into Silence of the Lambs wordcount.

Words written:  677

Total words: 27,321

Pages: 103!

Darling du Jour:  n/a

Fail du Jour: a lot of slapdash elements at the funeral. I’m experiencing some resistance to writing it.

Mean Things:  Gallant gestures with cruel thoughts

Jury-rigging:   Pip gets a lift home with someone else so I don’t have to work her husband into the conversation at the diner

Inspiration du Jour:  David Bowie

The funeral is hard to write.

Important, but hard.

Words written: 280

Total words: 26,644

Pages: 58 of 100

Darling du Jour:  [spoiler redacted]

Fail du Jour: Kinda. I only got in 280 words, but I did finally break down and make a chart of the burlesque performers, since I need them all in one place a few times. So now I know their stage names, given names, body types, hair color, and act types. I also re-named the troupe leader. I’ve been calling her “Michelle” because she is loosely based on Michelle L’Amour in appearance, but she’s kind of a petty tyrant, which was NOT my experience with Michelle… so her given name is Tish, and her stage name is Lola Wants.

Mean Things:  Signing in

Jury-rigging:    Couldn’t find where it goes… but it will haunt her later

Inspiration du Jour:  Michelle L’Amour

Words written: 541

Total words: 26,364

Pages: 57 of 99

Darling du Jour: She wore a tight-fitting red dress with a sweetheart neckline and rhinestone diamond cinching the right side of the waistline, a black pillbox hat with black netting cutting diagonally across her face, and black opera gloves.

            Lisa would’ve loved it. 

Fail du Jour: scads of [fill in later] brackets in this scene

Mean Things: OMG he’s totally going to the funeral and she won’t know til a later session

Jury-rigging: the sign-in book

Inspiration du Jour: Jessica

Words written: 397

Total words: 25,823

Pages: 55 of 97… kinda. I finished one scene and jumped back to add the funeral.

Reason for stopping: Milo is lobbying hard for breakfast, and I have a yoga date with Michi this morning!

Darling du Jour:  At the sight of the open door, though, Caprice dug her claws into my stomach and struggled mightily. I stifled the urge to yelp, but I swear she turned boneless and slid out of my grasp. She shot across the hall and into the darkness of my apartment.

            I didn’t think – I just took a step to chase her. Santiago’s arm shot out and blocked me. His face was stern, but his dark eyes were soft. He knew something about love. I nodded and stepped back. 

Fail du Jour: None. Today was made of win.

Mean Things:  Anna has to stuff Caprice in a carrier and drag her across town. And her potato chips get smashed.

Jury-rigging:    I figured that they would probably clear the apartment before dusting the door for prints — because if the killer is in the apartment, then it would give him time to get away.

Inspiration du Jour:  Cherlyn Coplon

Misc: Yesterday I went in for an acupuncture treatment, and Cherlyn the Fabulous Acupuncturist put me on the Lounge. It’s an amazing relaxation treatment. She set me up with the “unconditional love” meditation, and as I lay there, I started processing the end of this book. I finally figured out the element that was missing from the climax of the story — because only threatening someone she loves can motivate Anna to [spoiler redacted]. I’ve also figured out how to move the other scenes around to get what I need into the story. The end is within reach!

And then the edits, the schlepping to Eric to see what’s broken, and more edits. As TC says, “First the ecstasy, then the laundry. Chop wood, carry water.”

In other news:  This week I’ve been invited to do a pin-up inspired shoot for a new line of yoga clothing, and I’ve found a great work-trade arrangement for some work on these novels (I’m teaching dance in exchange for the line edits). Things are Falling Into Place.

Words written: 605

Total words: 25,426

Pages: 71 of 95 — now we’re really getting somewhere!

Breakfast:  Scrambled egg whites with broccoli florets topped with cheddar powder from The Spice House and coffee with goat’s milk and cinnamon. Yum!

Darling du Jour:  His eyes were always so earnest. That’s what made it so believable. When you said that, I felt— and then the next day was a colorless slog with a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I kept poring over every text and email, hunting for the insinuations and motives he found. 

Fail du Jour: I totally don’t know fingerprinting procedures nowadays.

Tyop du Jour: abut about, accomodations accommodations

Mean Things:  She has emotional PTSD

Jury-rigging:    Courier New,  for now.

Inspiration du Jour:  Milo

Words written: 169. But that’s not the real news.

Total words: 24,821

Pages: 67 of 93

Reason for stopping:   Time to feed the cats and get ready for work

Darling du Jour:   “So you’re a profiler now?”

            I took a deep breath to suppress the shout building in my chest. “No. But I do know what I saw at the theater – that killer was graceful, and clean. No struggle. Not one wasted move. Glen was an ox. He’d smash end tables, give her a black eye, grab her arms until they bruised and shake her. It doesn’t make sense.” 

Mean Things:  Witnessing a kiss

Jury-rigging:  I <3 Scrivener. I tinkered around with the plot outline cards and had my structural epiphany. I figured out how to keep an intense place while keeping the character arcs intact, and making the love interest even more complicated.

Inspiration du Jour:   Jay Lake

Words written: 385. And 2 chapters edited.

Total words: 24,652

Pages: 93

Reason for stopping: Aaaand, scene! Also, lots to do this afternoon. I just didn’t want to let today go without writing since yesterday was an ideas-but-no-real-wordcount day.

Darling du Jour:  ”You’re making a joke,” I observed. “I wonder if you’re doing that because you’re uncomfortable.”

“Damn,” he said softly. “You’re good.”

Fail du Jour: Still a lot of “I’ll fix it later” bits.

Tyop du Jour:   The weighter waiter brought our appetizers.

Mean Things: His accent gets stronger when he’s upset.

Jury-rigging:    She has a stash of golf swing counters in her desk for the borderlines.

Inspiration du Jour:  Marsha Linnehan. DBT FTW!!!

Note to self: I should ask a professor or two how they would handle actually treating a necrophiliac. I doubt they self-refer. This poor guy! He is not going to have an easy time of it.

Sadly, no new word count today — under the gun to submit info for a conference presentation I’ve been invited to do in September. However, last night, as I was driving to teach dance & yoga, I was struck by an idea. Then another. Then another — and all of them (I think) will be edge-of-the-seat “OMG THE KILLER IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!” moments for the audience.

Then, on the way home, I had another idea for a conversation between Anna and Genevieve that will hopefully get a few laughs.

These are all ideas for Book 2 — possibly Book 3. I rarely get so many ideas in one day (seven!) so it was a powerful affirmation. I did take the time to put them down in my project notepad today so I’ve got them in writing. That counts, right?

Show up. Do the work. Then the Muse knows you’re paying attention, so he’ll trust you to catch the ideas he lobs at you. I think the time and work I’ve put into staying positive and creative is paying off!

Thank you, Siri, for being so good with the voice memos. I was on 94 at the time. Texting while driving is just crazy, I would’ve been late if I found an exit to pull over and jot everything down, and I would’ve either (a) been anxious about forgetting or (b) actually forgotten the ideas. Technology can be a real PITA at times, but at others, it’s pretty awesome.