Der Feuervogel aufersteht.

+395, 67895/90000

Backfill is hard. I need to do it, so I can read the whole thing and make notes on continuity problems and plot holes. I'll have an alpha draft by the end of the month, I hope. The EURO championship is sort of wrecking my ability to work.

Beta-ready draft (which I call the first draft, v1.0) maybe by September? Depends how much space I need to get away from it. Sooner if I can plow through the edits quickly.

+860, 67280/90000

One scene filled in. Seven to go.

+1280, 65110/90000

I just learned that my reviews of Exogene and Pilgrim of the Sky will be due by June 30. That means I need to stop being a lazy slug and write them. I may also need to re-read Pilgrim... I read that back in November I think. I have something like an outline of a review for that started on the computer, so I'll see if that jogs my memory at all.

+1450, 62480/90000

The coffeeshop first thing in the morning is my productive place. Apparently.

Also, 3 blog posts (book reviews). Two reviews left (plus two reviews not for my blog).

+730, 59815/90000

Didn't have much time to write today, between Pilates & the Germany-Israel friendly. And tonight I have sword class.

+800, 57825/90000

Question: One of the characters is pregnant, in her third trimester, and she had an as-yet-unspecified complication about 3 weeks ago story-time, toward the end of her 7th month. (I can change the exact timing.) I think it was probably early labor, which the doctors were able to stop. She's just had a huge emotional shock, and I need her for plot reasons to be taken to the hospital tomorrow story-time. Would early labor fit that bill? I'd rather not have something wrong with the fetus itself, because it needs to be born relatively healthy. She could initially have thought they were just Braxton-Hicks contractions, then found out she was wrong.

Right now, I have a bit of mental handwavery and "I'll get back to that later" where this plot point is.

+825, 55825/90000

Writing is like pulling teeth today.

+910, 54195/90000

Nearing the end of the plot. Hitting places where things happen for reasons of politics that I haven't exactly figured out yet. Also lots of dangling plot threads I need to tie up.

+765, 52385/90000

Killing characters is hard.

+1105, 50525/90000

Today's darling:
Between her shock at the inhumane action of the Martians and her fear for Sher and his comrades, she had to organize the council’s response. She tucked her horror and worry into a corner of her brain where she could watch it with disinterest while she dealt with the matter.

+985, 48680/90000

+985, 46700/90000.

Politicking, arms trafficking, semi-clandestine meetings.

+950, 44615/90000

Then since I hit my word target for the novel before 10:30 am, I spent part of the afternoon making revisions on my short story, following the revision notes I got. I only need clarifications on two and am arguing to stet one. I haven't gotten to the last section (which has 2 comments in it, both of which I think are right on), but I think I'm going to take a nap instead.

+175, 7278 words (7300 including the title? Not sure where Scrivener's word count is finding those extra 22 words otherwise).

Making the needed changes to the ending will add another hundred words? 200? I don't know, exactly, and I'll have a look at it, uh, Tuesday? Since I'm in a tai chi workshop all weekend and another CE on Monday.

+980, 42695/90000

Press conference, potentially seditious speech. Fun.

+1025 tooth-pulling words, 40720/90000.

I slept very badly last night, so I'm pretty sleepy, which always makes it harder to write. But I got focused and got some work on.