I don’t mind telling all of you that Brendan Molloy is kicking my ass.
I may have to rethink the Aug 1st deadline. I’ve lost so much time due to other things that I don’t think it’s a fair timeline anymore.
The Woes of Brendan Molloy
Tonight, I will write the first peek at Brendan Molloy completely alone with his work. I am excited for how it will turn out because historically, Haley and I have had a tough time defining him, but through no goading from either of us, he has truly come into his own.
The first scene with him alone, well, I don’t want to give it away, but he is behind in his work. Haley, I believe, will love it. It’s going to be short and sweet as I’ve decided to make the chapters as short as necessary. I am currently reading a book where the longest chapter so far has been only 10 pages. It makes for much more enjoyable reading than trudging through 50-70 pages of a section. There will be much bouncing from character to character, but I am trying to keep it within reason and necessity.
Minor Setback
So my mom was in town longer than I expected, so I’ve encountered a minor setback in starting. Today is a two-show day and unfortunately, we have adjustments to make to the show, so I won’t have much down time. It’s looking like tomorrow will be the day for major progress.
not forgotten
I haven’t forgotten. I know it’s been a few days, but my mother was in town and I needed to focus on her and her visit–regardless of everything else going on. My goal this week is to plow through as much as I can. This is also serving to break me of the habit of perfecting everything before moving onto the next part. Haley knows what I’m talking about. It’s my downfall and the reason it’s so hard for me to finish things. Starting tomorrow, here we go.
Pouring In
Haley sent me the huge .zip file of her archives and things she’s started. As soon as I get them integrated in what I already have, the writing will commence.
The Big Black X
Tonight, during a rather big breast cancer event, I began applying the big black X to pages of old material. I believe I highlighted only 3 paragraphs total to keep.
I am glad that the story and characters have developed far beyond what we began with.
Rough Plot Outline
The rough plot outline is finished! It will morph and change as I write, but now I have points to which I aspire.
I have printed everything Haley and I wrote before and will spend the next day highlighting things I want to keep or work in. Everything else, I will bid a fond farewell.
Tag Paragraph
Here is the tag paragraph as I mentioned before. Save several small revisions that may happen, this paragraph will remain unchanged.
The news of Frank Matowski’s murder spread like a ripple on a pond. Everyone close to him hung his head in mourning; everyone dependent upon him for survival shook uncontrollably and railed against anyone who got in the way. Likewise, those who did not know Frank Matowski, did not know that he was dead. It wasn’t until the shock wore off that the whispering began; the one closest to him in both business and leisure was nowhere to be found.
The Beginning
Well, this is the beginning of the blog, but it is not the beginning of the process. Here at The Gaslight Rogue, I will endeavor to document my journey through writing my first novel. The story and characters already has a long history, which began in 2000 one summer with Haley Henslee.
Since then, the characters have morphed and the original storyline has all but been tossed aside, but now it is ready to be written from a mature writer’s standpoint. The amount of research I have done is staggering and I have become more familiar with turn-of-the-century New York City than I ever imagined necessary.
Vital Stats
Setting: New York City, Late 1800’s-Early 1900’s
The Characters (shortlist, no description):
Greyson Marconi, Annie McCain, Frank Matowski, Aaron Blackburn, Maggie McCartney, Brendan Molloy, Tucker Finnegan, Abraham Soriano, Ulechka, Katya, Aleksandr Fedorov, Jenny & Eugene, Ricochet Anderson, many incidental.
Status: Six sections written. Character profiles mostly completed. Plotted generally to the end.
Deadlines: June 28th, 2008–full general plot complete
August 1st, 2008–Complete first draft (soft deadline)
The tag paragraph is finished. It was written several years ago during one of our attempts at writing this story. I will post it soon.
It is important to note that since inception, Haley has been an integral part of getting everything off the ground and running. She has since decided to withdraw from the project, fearing that she may slow it down. It was amicable and I have been given full usage and free reign over everything she has written and all of her characters. She is still very much involved in the process and I look to her for guidance whenever I find myself in need.
