NaNo Day 2: I feel like a REAL WRITER!!

Word Count Day One: 2834
Word Count Day Two: 819

The important thing to remember here is that I'm still ahead of schedule, and I've stuck with it for two days, which yes, is progress.  🙂  I'll take anything I can get right now!  I stole my younger sister's desk while she's away at college and made myself a little NaNo headquarters in the corner of our bedroom.  It's small and unobtrusive, but gives me a place to put the laptop that's not on my lap and a place to store all the nifty things I got at the Kickoff party on the 27th.  I have stowed my Inner Critic in the provided black paper box, which will not be opened till December 1st.  The little bastard has good mind control though, I still have to beat him off with a stick every now and then.  Is it strange my inner critic is male?  I suppose guys are just annoying like that, lol.  My idea spinner is ready, my writerly books are handy, my mother dragon belt buckle is propped where I can look at her for inspiration.  I also taped the November calendar word count chart to the corner of the desk so that every day it's right there for me to write down my word count.

The crazy thing is… I actually feel like a WRITER now.  Like a REAL writer.  Despite that fact I'm still an aspiring one, haha.  For some reason having this little desk all to myself, with nothing on it except writerly things, has competely transformed my feeling about writing and about my novel ideas in general.  It's so bizarre.  I've never felt this way before.  Maybe it's a combination of the desk space, the workshop feedback, and participating in NaNo.  For the first time in my entire life, I have positive professional feedback on an idea and professional advice to incorporate into it, I have thousands of people all looking at my word count and holding me accountable, I have a local group of people who think just as I do about writing and who I can talk to on a daily basis, I've made a great "new" local writerly friend and can finally get together with an actual physical person to hash out ideas and write with, and my hubby is seeing how serious I'm getting and joining in with the encouragment and Guilt-Monkeying. 

For the first time I really feel like THIS MIGHT HAPPEN.  It's always always been in the back of my mind, of course.  Always something I wanted to have happen.  But dreaming about something and actually taking serious steps toward accomplishing it are two very different things.  Taking action really feels amazing.  And the workshop has given me the confidence to actually try for an agent first instead of just immediately self-publishing.  We will see how it goes.  That's what this journal is for, after all!  🙂

Here's to a finished draft FINALLY in 2012!!!!!!  ^_^

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And a snippet for your reading pleasure:

Arrelious raised his cup in a mock toast and sipped again, slowly, his eyes never leaving Odin's face. The Loremaster barely hid a grimace as he noticed the other man's fingers were raw and bloodied, the fingernails torn. He looked away quickly before his queasy stomach got the better of him.

"Tell me about Lua Mater," the man said suddenly.

Odin's attention snapped sharply back to the criminal's face. "Lua? What? Why?"

That slow, clever smile appeared above the cup rim. "It does not concern you as to why, Mister Wen. Just tell me about her."

Odin sat back in his chair, licking his lips. He glanced down to the knife, resting in plain sight on the table. What harm would it do to talk, anyway? No one could blame him for talking. Whatever the man's plan was, someone would stop him before it could be fulfilled. Lua Mater was a legend, possibly not even real. Even if she was real, she had been put to sleep long ago and wouldn’t be awakened any time soon.

The Loremaster cleared his throat, shifting in his chair. "Lua Mater, the Mother Dragon. All dragons are descendant from her. She is also known as the Mother of Magic, having been at one time the most powerful magical creature ever known to exist. But you know all this."

"Yes." Arrelious filled his cup with fresh tea, adding exactly two cubes of sugar. "But it is one of my favorite stories. As Loremaster, I am sure you remember what happened to her?”

Odin drew himself up. “Of course I do. Most citizens of Draicht do as well. It is one of our most important history lessons.”

“Yes. Yes it is.” The high tinkle of the delicate spoon against the rim of the tea cup as Arrelious finished stirring his drink was abrasively loud in the quiet of the night. “I want to find where they buried her. Do you know where she is?"

Odin blinked, feeling the blood drain from his face. His hands went slack in his lap.

Arrelious quirked an eyebrow, setting his spoon down and shifting in his chair to lean heavily on his elbows. The table creaked under his weight. "Odin? Do you know how to reach her or not?"

“She can’t be woken," Odin spat before he could help it. "It's impossible. No one knows how to do it. And besides, even if it was possible, it’s too dangerous! She almost destroyed us – almost destroyed everything – the war split the worlds, don’t you remember?”

"I know the tale," the other man said, his fingers crawling from beneath his sleeve to wrap around the knife haft again. "But don’t lie to me, Odin. There are theories about how to wake Lua Mater, and as Loremaster, you have studied them all.”

Odin sank down in his chair, his heart slamming into his ribs, knocking the breath from his lungs. This couldn’t be happening; had to be some sort of nightmare. What could possibly be taking the Protectors so long to get here? He tried and failed to wet his lips, struggling to find enough air to speak with. “Yes…” He swallowed hard. “Theories only. Nothing known, as I said.”

The fugitive’s gray eyes narrowed beneath dark brows. “The Council still keeps the bones of Lua’s mate down in their vault, do they not?”

Adrenaline lit fire through Odin’s limbs, and when he spoke again his voice shook. &
ldquo;How… how do you know…?”

“Every member of the Council knows about the vault. And if you remember, I was married to a Council member. I know what they hide in the depths of that castle. Saturn’s bones are down there.”

“I… I have no knowledge of what is specifically kept in the vault…”

“Well then let me tell you,” Arrelious said silkily. “What’s left of Saturn is down there. Even after all these years, there must be something left. Lua only turned destructive after her mate was killed. His bones will wake her again, I have no doubt. You will help me retrieve his bones, and then you will lead me to Lua’s resting place.”

Odin’s heart felt as if it might choke him. “You… you are mad!”

Arrelious gave a rich, hearty laugh. “After thirty years in the Neverending Hallway? Yes, yes it is quite possible I am mad. But isn’t it best to do as the mad man says? Especially if he is armed with a knife? And magic?” He snapped the fingers of his left hand together, and when he opened his palm, a small orange flame burned there, balanced precisely one inch above his skin. The man grinned. “I may not be as rusty as I led you to believe, after all.” A turn of his wrist, and the flame vanished. “Now Odin… if you don’t help me, I will kill you. So let’s go get those bones, shall we?”