they have harpys here?

Snippet. Cause I'm fixing "The Absent Princess." It needs so much rewriting...
but I like the harpy bit.

--

"If Othello was told to marry Klayo, he would have to, just as he would have to be king if something happened to Father. If Tern were told to marry Klayo, the same rule would apply. He had already called her a harpy and questioned her homicidal embroidery. That would make married life difficult."

conflicting plot points again

I do not know if I have ever done enough research to merit actually writing ANYTHING. And yes, it is becoming a frustrating novel, the chapters of which stand alone. And I want to jump around constantly and figure out what on earth I'm doing.
And I have not heard from beta, and part of me doesn't want to, because it realized that Ire and Monarchy are trying to turn into the same story. THE SAME STORY. With-- er, slightly different outcomes. Is that all I've got? Just the one story, the one person, I keep repeating in different ways becauses it's the only one that resonates?

Hmph.

And the plane flight wasn't an entire bust.

tooting a horn before there is anything to celebrate

--in hopes that I'll guilt myself into doing something.

I am hoping to get some real work done on a flight tomorrow, assuming the time change doesn't wipe me out, capacity-wise. It will be quick work to get Deluge done (hopefully) and Shadows is coming together and have printed up Down, Absent, and Physical. *cough* and someone at small group wants to read the grouping (which she calls a novel. Which it is NOT. It's a collection of interlacing short stories that have underlying plot currents and an arc and... IT'S NOT A NOVEL.)
...
unless it is, in which case I will really have to give up on writing short stories because I've collected all the shorts and made them a novel. That's insanity somewhere, I'm sure of it.

That only took a little bit of forever

Plotting how to interlock two stories should really, really not take this long. I have been sitting here for most of the afternoon and even gave myself a crying break-down of "why can't I make this work?"

Not helped by my mom asking "Are you working on a job app?"

Er. No. But this should work, it really should. It's an in-character solution that will let me put 'Deluge' first, revise some things in 'Shadows' (and come up with a better title) and everything should run much smoother. It fits the pacing better too. I knew it had to be there. The process of digging for that solution is like playing archeologist in the dark though.

*happy sigh* Okay. Relief. And I improved a two-year old story! Got the cheesy knives and stabbing out of there and everything.

In lieu of Twitter, yes, let's see, this is what I'll do...

Situation: I have two stories. Three, actually.

-The first took place about two months before the second.

-The second introduces a character and the current political situation. It also builds up a sort of rapport between the introductory character and the protagonist.

-The third tries to kill someone, and instills a mixture of forced trust and doubt between introductory and protag.

--

The first story is not important for my purposes. The third makes for a nice start-up piece after the first's cliffhanger, but the second has all the important bits. And some nice character development. And lots of angst. Ohyay.

The easy solution is to rewrite the second, but since the once-third story has instilled a sense of distrust, it changes the whole tone. Hm. Though I might want to do that.

Gah, the more I read either, the worse it gets. Sigh. Okay. The third story needs to be rewritten to fit, so it can be first after the break. Less distrustful, because I need to work up a good rapport. The introductory scene needs to be cut and summarized, nice and somber as it is. I think... I THINK I can do this.

What about anyone else? Unsolvable plot conundrums?

temporarily stopped

Ire/"The King Is Dead" is currently being beta'ed.
Which is farther than any other novel-length story I've written has gotten.
Yay.

During a big climatic scene.

" “You mistake me. I don’t want to be friends with you. I want you dead. I erased all chance that you would have a change of heart, burned the democratic proposals to cinders and stirred the ashes; I ruined you by letting you blind and ruin yourself. And now, having ventured out of sanctuary, you’ve given me permission to ruin you in the name of the state of Landria. You went after a little too much in taking Vivi. There are many things I’ll let you steal, but I warned you about this one. I’ll lose her on my own terms, thank you, I won’t let her be stolen.”
Then he lunged.
Also, he did some squats, a couple of push-ups, and several handsprings as Ire looked on, bored. Once Quinton had thoroughly warmed up and shaken out his sword arm, he attacked, and things got a lot more interesting."

Annnd, after thousands of words and dozens of chapters, Matthard wants to have conversations with himself NOW.
Good golly, Matthard, REALLY? NOW?

Grrrrrrr

Okay, Ire, you really make me mad. I think I smooth out all your plot problems and then...
YOU MAKE THESE COMMENTS CHAPTERS AND CHAPTERS AGO.
"As if I want to be elected over your corpse"?
Trying to send Matthard out of the country?
You're OBVIOUSLY trying to get rid of him and I'm supposed to believe that he's going to blow a gasket when he figures out about the competitor rule?
GAH.
IRE.
SHUT UP. STOP TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE, YOU ARE MAKING THE CLIMAX...ISH... THING... CONFUSING.
Unless it's a massive misinformation thing. Which is kinda is. Matthard hasn't heard about this, so he freaks. Ire needs to be a bit more ominous. Because, really, Matthard... people've told you you're not expendable. You don't think Selah would know?
Or maybe she hates you.
Good grief, he can't be this paranoid.

Oh. And those campaign ideas in scene 16.5/17? You're totally going to be confused about those in later chapters. Oh Ire. I can't maintain a political stance with you. At all.

whining part one million

Today is not really as stressful as I am making it be. Alphonse and Albert have been giving me MASSIVE trouble, ever since I decided to plot out to the end. They don't have the personalities I wish they did, at least, not to the degree I wish they did.

I realize why I avoid plotting.

On the bright side, this SHOULD make things easier. Alphonse's opinion is easily swayed--he sides with his father on everything, follows the rules, is polite, which made the character change so impactful. But, as things are now, it doesn't make sense for him to do that, so he won't. Ire won't help him. Albert will still be an issue.

Those are actually my only major issues, dealing with Alphonse, the slavery issue, and where's Patton. The other things are okay or becoming okay with some reworking. This is the point where I'd usually bail on a story. There's tons I could do with Sedna, after all, but that story gives me the heebies. There's Monarchy, there's Untitled but Important, there's shorts I could be working on.

*deep sigh*

I'll go back to it. I'll know I'll feel better when it comes together. I just know I'm being temperamental, putting off other things for writing, I know I've been in this chair all day, just trying to PLOT. Edit. Plot. Plot. Consternation.

Now I want to dance. Procrastination time.

too many

Too many people. Too many plot threads. Before=not enough. Now it's a disconnected monstrosity of things I don't want to abandon.
Such as:
Albert being in the hospital, which was in the first two drafts.
Quinton being killed, which is reasonable but there's so much PLOT wrapped up in it.

At least I can tie up the war... and Matthard is still justifiably angry at Ire, but not AS much, because of the fact Ire tried to get him out of the country. And Ire... poor guy, he is miserable, and I am good at making him so, without having to hurt him, himself.

but what to do about Albert? I got rid of Patton, sent him home, but Tristan just paired up with Guppel and kept going. Wait. Can't do that, they're Britacan and Peternian--- oh KINGS, they're going to war and I've got them looting together.

And there's that slavery mess.

Patton went home. Tristan is waiting for Matthard. Quinton is jealous. Alphonse is swayed by fear (show). Albert is loyal to new regime. Guppel is bailing. Matthard is intent. Selah is responsible. Manda is insufferably in love/dedicated.
Anyone else?

Quinton could unbribe the guards. They should be better by now.

It just seems like so much is sifting through my fingers, leaving things that were important alone, it's all so... loose.

Consternation

Oh my. It's so complicated.
And the finale is... emmmmbaaarrrasssing. No, it's kind of, really bloody, and I'm embarrassed that I shoved it at my grandfather. It's gratuitous violence, though I was trying to scale it back.
I read too much manga, that's the long and short of it.
It'll get fixed, really.
I don't know what I'm doing with Guppel.

A list of attemptables

Oh yes, I know I know, and now I'm going to be RIDICULOUSLY late and undone.
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and my goals for that day are to

Finish scene 19. Damn it, those add-on's sure add up.

Work (heartily) on scene 20. I can't even remember what it is at the--oh yes. The treasury. Kings, really? Since I've changed things in 19 to reflect Matthard's decision, I'll have to tug the original version out of storage and find out what I can salvage. But, on the bright side, writing it all at once might generate a better flow. I can send off the Roadog in the morning, maybe. It's a--what, five day journey? That needs to be paced.
In general (to digress) everything needs to take more time than it is. The election needs to be swift, the time not-so-much.

And, let's see, polish scene 10. And, oh God, that's a messy one. Really, it is. Actually, wait, I think a lot of it might be able to stay... I just have to read it for clarity. Oh! And,

TYPE UP THE CANON CHAPTER synopsises. It's so confusing without them.

And, finally, apply for at least two more jobs. Exercise. Do any chores Mom requires.

There's Dependence to think about, but it'll take too much time to research the source, type up the rest, and make sure it's all flowing smooth. I'll... map it out. It's something that can go to a lit. mag. when I'm done though. I think.

Very off topic, I'll get back to Ire, really, I wrote some good improv. stuff yesterday and managed to hint at Doogie's importance already! It's a shocker, but yes.

Attempts

Oh yes, I know, I know. Why am I not writing, come on Lisa, creative juices you still have some, don't you? And this silly little blog.
I was thinking of a poem as I was driving home, a poem on the night I left college, like a blanket pulled over my head and I couldn't remember if I had put it there or if it had just materialized, a cotton shroud. Dark and cold. It's a regret-filled moment now, but I've no idea how to go back and change the world, the night, the moment.
I was also thinking, as I was driving home, because I have more time to think that is healthy, that what I do is me. That for some reason, Ire is important. I want to have passion for something. I want... much.
Annnnd my free-writing attempt at journaling runs try on the third paragraph. Brilliant.

I WAS trying to think of an answer to Selah and Matthard's conversation in the field, which is coming along okay, but I can't decide whether I want him to figure everything out or not. If he does, will he tell Selah? Can I jump right into the Peternian thing and leave his suspicions in the air?

I like it that way, things in the air.

Like flying castles.

Ire's failures

Dear Ire,
Wow. In hindsight, you are a really terrible king. Were. Are. The fact that your failures aren't imaginary and that you are, in a way, quite pompous, is getting shoved in your face very often.
And how do you react?
I wonder.
...
we need to get you doing better in this presidential race, or this story is going to end very quickly and without hoopla.