Woo! Done my batch of words for the day! almost up to 2000 words! haha!
6,881 words in total. So right on target - huzzah! Also, I'm feeling brave enough to include an excerpt today! Here we go!:
But there was no helping it. The gentleman led them onwards, turning a corner and walking down the final hallway. It looked similar to his own all-too-familiar hallway where the office was held. Pristine white marble floors, freshly polished, walls as clean and perfect as they could come, and two huge threatening mahogany wooden doors staring down at him, as if the doors leading to the entrance of hell. The only difference from the all-too familiar sight being nought but a single metal plaque nailed to the door with the writing of ‘Manager’s Office’. This was it. The end of the line. Game over. The end. Finish. Finito. Over.
A wash of faintness overcame Egbert and he wobbled again, almost this time succeeding in his almost-collapse. However, once more his less-than-favourable-guard grabbed him by the shoulders and propped the skinny twenty-something-year-old back up on his feet a final time. They approached the doors, slow like some sort of funeral march that had finally reached the cemetery at last. Egbert inhaled deeply, what would perhaps be his last breath, and decided to close his eyes as tight as he possibly could, using all manner of prayers and wishes and whispers and almost-tears to somehow change the inevitable. He held his breath, his ears pounding once more as they had done at the beginning of the day, his blood pumping deep and heavy in the darkness across his eyes. He felt the familiar feeling of the large brute’s hand upon his shoulder, and he waited for the forward shove, the feeling of being pushed into the office, waiting for the demon, or God, or whatever foul beast the head businessman who ran Cockles’ and Burst’s Perfumed Soap Company might be.
However, instead of a forward shove, towards those two threatening mahogany doors that stood almost as an entrance to another world, the shove was different. Instead, he found himself pushed to the side. The action taking Egbert by so much surprise that he stumbled over his feet and bumped into the smaller-gentleman with a blink, daring so much as to open his eyes and see just what had caused the disruption to his inevitable doom. Oddly enough, unlike the other hallways where the end resulted in the doors leading to the offices and only the offices, this one seemed to have a miniature alcove, just large enough for a wooden desk to be set in it and deep enough for a grey filing cabinet to be set behind it as well as a woman perched neatly upon a little wooden chair with a cigarette set firmly in the corner of her mouth lazily curling smoke up towards the ceiling.
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Title: Egbert Rogers and the Confounding Mysteries of the Universe
Genre: Fantasy
38,187 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 09 37
Ooooo thanks for doing the word count post!
I liked your excerpt, it's very film noir. What sort of book are you writing?
21,598 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 35
LOL! Looks like the both of us were setting up Day 4 topics at the same time. So I'll post here too.
Up to 7500 now. I know it's not half as much as some of you fabulous lot out there though!
I must say, I'm pretty happy at just chipping away a bit each day, rather than tiring myself out by doing too much. It seems to be working.
Keep on writing.
----------Happy Scribing!
The Crafty Scribe
http://thecraftyscribe.blogspot.com
28,834 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 16 47
1628 today, pretty pleased with myself because it was tough going! Annoyed I didn't get it in before midnight though :(
“So it is weird? Even though we’re weird to other people, this is weird even for us?” It was rare that Julia came to Josh for advice. Being 5 years older than him, she was a big sister character in his life and it was usually him who had come running to her, ever since he arrived at the age of 9.
“Yeah I… I think it is. I mean, I’ve never experienced anything like that. And the others, well they would have mentioned it, wouldn’t they? I know they’re a bit… different from us. But they would have been taken to high security or something, and there’s only been a couple taken there since I’ve been here,” Josh said.
“Wait, so you think maybe the people in high security would have maybe experienced something like I am?” Julia asked.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. Julia, there’s no way of talking to them, you’re just going to have to give to give it up.”
“Well I can’t find anything anywhere else, and it could be important. It could give us the reason why we’re like this, you know, why we see things differently to other people.” This was also a change. Normally it was Josh trying to talk Julia into one of his hair-brained schemes, but now Julia was determined. “We’re going to have to plan something to get into high security.”
...Which means I'M going to have to come up with a plan to get them into high security. May have to refer to some Artemis Fowl for this one!
----------Procrastination baking sessions: 2
Prose before hos.
55,558 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 17 05
I reached about 2k words today.
Karin suggested that the priest might be able to help the stranded reserve a
room for the night. I shook my head at this suggestion. As it turned out,
she was as affected by the symbols as we all were.
``Well, yes, but Shirley has one advantage we don't have: She is a
linguist.'' Karin said as if it would explain anything.
``So what?'' I asked slightly annoyed.
``Linguists study languages. And there is at least one place where she can
get started. The page on Unified has an introduction of it in the local
language. This might help her to find out information about what is spoken
here.''
``There are a few too many said or unsaid `might's and `maybe's for my
taste.'' I admitted.
Karin was unfazed. ``Of course. But it currently is the only plan we have. A
bad plan which exists beats a nonexisting good one every time.''
``Do we have a second plan? For anything now?'' I enquired. ``I mean apart
from taking starting to convert the city.''
Her sudden change in mimic made me involuntarily step back. She suddenly
laughed as if she went completely mad. Or was confronted with something
crazy enough to work. Or both. ``That's it!'' she shouted. ``This is what we
need to do. We need to spread the blessing of the spirits. We need to make
everyone around us aware of the divine language. We need to become the
minority, our mother wanted us to be.''
``You scare me, Karin.'' I stated.
``Why? I think this is what is required to happen. The divine language needs
to be spread and as will spread it!''
``You no longer think about the consequences of your actions, do you?''
``I do. Have you read what Susanne said might happen if we remain few and
isolated? The needs of the many occasionally outweigh the needs of the few
who ould be affected. And by the way, since when do you care about ethics?''
She had a point here. I normally was pretty hedonistic, but I did see the
difference between getting drunk, taking drugs and having wild sex with
people I didn't care about but claimed to love and trying to confuse the
language of an indefinite amount of people. It was a completely different
class of evil. It was not like drunk driving, jaywalking, or tax cheating
or talking someone into poisoning someone else. This was evil by my
standards. ``There isn't only black and white, there are all sorts of grey
you have to draw the line somewhere.'' I trued at least to distract her from
this topic. ``But this doesn't help us right now, does it?''
She nodded. ``Indeed. This is long-term.''
'8: Interface Culture - Selbst die Zukunft ist nicht mehr das was sie einmal war (won!)
'9: Ytin'he'ny - those who are changed
Bottles of Coke: 18 (29.5 liters)
Bags of crisps: 7 (705g)
Back up your novel, now!
40,183 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 22 55
Just over 700 yesterday, it was a bad day in the real world yesterday so very pleased I managed that. As the saying goes 'every little helps'
38,187 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 01 35
Here's mine for yesterday, I did 1022 words:
The lights were low, the ceilings domed and menacing and there were grave-markers on the flagstones under our feet. The chairs and tables looked odd, even though I;ve seen restuarents underground making the most of spaces like this, but somehow this cafe was so much more sinister. PErhaps it was that the area was still, well, churchy. There was a counter behind which were cakes and sandwiches and I could smell a vat of wine mulling, but it all seemed so out of place. At this time of day the crypt was empty other htan a couple of lost tourists who poring over a map in italien. I got a mulled wine, Brannigan got a juice and we sat in one of the alcoves.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"They wanted to meet us here?"
Brannigan nodded.
"In a crypt?!" I thoght for a moment.
"Again?"
He shrugged.
"It's holy ground and near their train terminus, I think."
I sighed. Then I picked up a scent I recognised and tried to shrink into the corner, hoping against hope that he'd not see me. Of course, being a Vampire he could smell me.
Price rounded the edge of our alcove and smiled at me.
"I can't call you, if I don't have a chance to be alone," I said.
Brannigan turned and looked at PRice in confusion.
He smiled.
"Hello Flo, hi Sir Brannigan, [you seem well today, positively alive]" said Price. Brannigan stared at Price in horror, obviously realising that Price was a Vampire ... and we had a posse of St George's best on their way, due to arrive any second. We needed to get shot of price before that happened, definitely, but we had about 10 minutes and had a more importent question first.
"Were you following us?" I demanded.
Brannigan stared at Price.
"We were followed?" he asked.
Price grinned.
"You could tell? Well, I knew that, I could see you were getting a bit antsy, so I backed off --"
First time for everything.
"-- But I'm impressed you were that aware."
"You ... were following us?" asked Brannigan. He had gone very pale.
PRice nodded.
"The hunter doesn't like to be stalked, does he?" he asked.
Brannigan turned to look at me.
"My Lord, just who is this?"
"Uh ..." I said.
"John Smith, pleasure," said Price breifly, he held his hand out of Brannigna to shake and even handed him a business card. I think PRice had been in Japane too long. Brannigan frowned at the card in confusion.
Price looked at our drinks, and walked off to the counter.
"My Lord, we have get rid of him!" hissed Brannigan.
I nodded.
"I'm trying my best," I said through gritted teeth.
"And start calling me Clarke, I'm apprentice bloody Clarke in front of that lot, remember?"
Brannigan nodded.
"I know, I know, but they're not here yet, look, we've got to get rid of him!"
Price sauntered over, his face alive with curiousity as, of course, he'd heard every word.
"What are you up to Flow?" he asked.
"Price, look, you have to leave, OK?"
Price chuckled.
"Oh? Why?" He put his hand to his heart.
"You are not here for a dalliance with another, are you?"
"Ah, there they are," said a voice, Collin's voice.
Shit!
Brannigan turned to look at the posse of hunters. My eyes went to Collins. He was tall, brown haired and handsome, his problem was that he knew it. He grinned at me, then flicked his eyes to Price in confusion. Behind him was about 10 of hte choir from St. Georges church, who were coincidentally their main hunters. The only woman there was Verlaine Taggart, she was tall, black and beautiful and I noticed that Price was looking at her as she walked up. She smiled slightly at him, then ignored him and took a seat opposite us.
"Who's this?" asked Collins, not particularly politely.
"He's just leaving," I said quickly.
"Ah, yes," said Price, he looked amused.
"I am. Still, it's always nice to catch up with my best student."
Collins frowned at me.
"Student?" asked Tim. A novice hunter, who, it seems, had been promoted to play with the big boys. He grinned at me, as I had saved his life last time we met.
"What do you teach?"
"Sword fighting," said Price.
The St George's school chorused 'Oh!'.
48 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 04 59
i will admit at this stage and due to circumstances beyond my control (a friend in need is a friend who's timing isn't great for me!), i am a smidge behind. it is going to be a long arse weekend of catching up!!!
----------I am going to need tea... Lots of tea
Andy
"If you don't jump, you'll never land"
-Lemn Sassy
38,187 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 06 39
@retograde -- oooooo, time to break out the spy books!