So it goes.

Hey all.



Semi productive week here. I"m up to 16.5 k words, a little behind my target, but not terribly so. Guess I could toss some excuses out there, but... I know what's going on, so I'll deal with it.



I'm noticing as I go along that when I get into the zone, my writing feels good, and when I'm not, I feel stress build as I write. I'm not sure whether that means I shouldn't write when I'm not feeling it, or if it means I need to eliminate more distractions and focus on the "zone". The scene I've been working on tonight, for example, felt good. But yesterday's writing just doesn't feel right. Yet. Guess that's why the inner critic keeps trying to surface.



Anyway. One thing I was working on today was putting some emotional content into the interaction between the two main characters, Cerryn and Randir. IFGSer's will recognize that Randir is of the k'tath race, (similar to Tolkiens elves, though with significant differences, and no, it's not brandis, Art) is very reticent with emotions, at least as far as his interaction with Humans goes. On the other hand, Cerryn is the product of an upbringing that included most of her formative years training at a questors monastery, and they actively encourage their questors to keep a studied distance from outsiders. Randir and Cerryn have journeyed together for many years, and their companionship, though strong, has been kept safely locked behind closed doors. (figuratively speaking). Since growth in characters is an important part of the tales that I like to read, and keeping emotions locked away is a sign of non-growth, I've considered this to be a big part of the undercurrent of the story. However...



However. I don't want to fall into stereotypes. So I'm going to put some serious thought into how deep the relationship between protagonists should be. Many successful writers allow protagonist relationships to develop over the course of several books, giving readers a link between sequels that they can anticipate. (Call it the serial romance syndrome, my own title) Perhaps in book one, the protagonists recognize each other for who they are, but heroic circumstances being what they are, can't pursue anything for... See book two. If successful, the readers carry the anticipation from book one to book two, and perhaps by mid series, are screaming at the two protagonists, "For God's sake, man, Kiss her already! And you, lady, stop pushing him away because..."



We'll see if I can carry that sort of continuity through one book first.