10%!

I figured this year every 5,000 words I would reward myself with a post about the novel and how it's going. One, because I figure talking about it will keep me doing it (barring horrible illness again). Two, because I know some of you are wondering how a normal person is trying to do a 50k novel in the course of a month as opposed to Crazy Aussie Man who last I heard is rocking himself to sleep muttering "semi-colon, semi-colon, semi-colon". And three, because I can't live on writing the novel alone; I need to break it up.

First of all, the decision to leave the house today and go to a community computer was awesome. No brother pouting, no mother yelling, just me and the taunting cursor. Better yet, no waiting for 2 a.m. for the quiet, or trying to steal it in 110-word bursts in the middle of the day wondering when the other shoe is going to drop and the real world unfocuses me. I unfocus myself enough, thanks--don't need help on the arms of outside services.

Second, the goal is 1,750 a day. It's a little bit better than average with the idea that that little bit better over the course of a month is to get me done a day or two early (a good idea seeing Thanksgiving is around the corner--where did the year go? OH. Right.). So far I am batting 66%, which will be up to 75% by the time I get done today.

Third, I wrote the opening stuff. I'm pretty sure how I am going to end it, and know of at least 4--maybe 6?--semi-major to major events I want to happen in the creamy middle. The rest? We leave that up to the ether and what comes out of it.

This year's novel is actually one of those fun "inspired by real life events" that I didn't know I was going to do until the day before Labor Day. It's a simple story of a DJ. Who happens to be rich. And white. And a girl. I threw in a black adopted younger brother, his girlfriend who goes from struggling actress to supernova, a best friend coming back from her dad's suicide after his Golden Boy status at a network went from Midas to DeLorean (those parts inspired by the five-star Desperate Networks, which is probably going to end up my Book of the Year by Bill Carter), and a couple of ancillary characters who are surprisingly making good cases to stick around more than I had booked them into being. Presto. This is drawing from some of last year's failed attempt, but Brittany Cattroli is her own girl and this is her own story. Matter of fact, she's beginning to come up with stuff on her own. I hope it continues.

If you guys have any questions, I'll try to answer them in the comments or send you messages. See ya when I see ya--right now I got a cute girl who's got a Rakim itch she needs to scratch.

(Scratch! DJ! I slay me.)

P.S.: This Is A Journey Into Sound. Spin Spin Sugar. Possible titles. Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Black Tambourine Beck