I’m still plugging along, kids! Sort of. This update was supposed to go up on Monday, but I burned one of my free days and drank beer and caught up on the DVR instead. No regrets!
As of last night, I’m at 29,086 words (49,086 for the STEEL BLOOD total). As a reminder, you can follow along at home by friending me on NaNoWriMo via “hannaedits.”
Some things I’ve learned, now that we’re just past the halfway point:
- I write best outside of my house. It’s not a matter of access to wifi so much as a lack of distractions, especially via cats that must be snuggled immediately.
- This book might accidentally end up being longer than the first two in the series. However, I think there’s a lot of bloat in some scenes in Act 1 can should probably be trimmed down. At some point in a story, I make it over a hump and start careering toward the end. On the uphill slog at the beginning, though, I panic and meander around, worrying that the book won’t be long enough.
- So far, I haven’t gone more than one day off in between workouts, which I think has done wonders for my energy, attitude, and backache problem. Last year’s NaNoWriMo did a number on my workout schedule, so I’m really proud of my continued dedication to my health this year. (All of which is negated by the delicious pastries I keep eating at the primary cafe that my local write-ins occur at.)
After the jump, there’s another short (and unedited) passage from STEEL BLOOD written in the past week!
Mikelos shrugged, and tried to pretend that he was leaning against the wall rather than letting it hold him up. “There’s not actually anything wrong with monogamy.” Hell, he’d been practically married for the past hundred years and didn’t feel less for it.
Guy scoffed. “You sound just like the bloody wolves.”
Rob took up position against the wall on Guy’s other side just in time for that last exchange. “The bloody wolves see no problem with dedicating themselves to one person. And it might be an artifact of the past, but chivalry is certainly not dead.”
“Well, you’re looking at a losing war with your princess,” Guy said. “At this rate, you’d have a better chance of getting lucky with the uptight bodyguard.”
Mikelos didn’t think he made any outward reaction to that comment. In fact, as he drained his glass, a pleasant sort of numbness had started to spread through is body. But then he realized that his left hand was clenched into a tight fist at his side. The tension radiated up into the permanent knot in his shoulder blade, which flared in pain.
Rob touched Guy’s shoulder. “You should probably stop talking now, Guy.”
If the alcohol was affecting Mikelos’ much larger frame, it seemed to have snuck up on Guy just as effectively. “Well, the only way you’re going to get near the damn princess is if Victory is out of the way.” He waved his empty glass at the crowd, in what he must have thought was Victory’s general direction. “So here’s a thought,” he said, his words slurring. “In order for you to get a shot at the princess, both Mikelos and I will take care of the vamp. I bet she’s old enough to have a few tricks—”
Mikelos punched him in the face.
He didn’t really remember moving, but the pain in his shoulder was joined by a matching sharpness in his knuckles after they connected with Guy’s nose. The other man’s head snapped back, and his glass shattered on the floor.