Some days even I get lucky. I made it a point to sleep in a bit and get a slow start. I wanted to surf through social media while having my first cup of coffee.
It actually felt good, but the dogs wanted me to get on with it. They took up their positions to remind me.
There is Frankie, who thinks she’s part monkey by climbing behind me.
Here is Otto, who has claimed one arm of my chair.
Today the words just wouldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop when I did. Old What’s Her Face called to say she’d gotten off work, or I’d still be at it.
At that time, I paused to work on Lisa Burton Radio interviews and schedule another announcement for a friend. Lots of new books coming out right now.
As far as my story goes, I concluded the romantic interlude. It made for a fun tropical vacation. A message in a bottle got dropped into the ocean, some skinny dipping occurred. A creature similar to an anteater appeared on the beach, only he’s a snaileater. Glow in the dark tiny bats made an appearance similar to fireflies.
When the kids got back to town, the captured ship had been completely stripped, painted, renamed (Lanternfish) and is getting ready to set sail. I even amazed myself at the way I stitched some things together.
I built that bit of doubt I mentioned the other night, then quelled it with a small private action and a bit of dialog. This served to strengthen the bonds of friendship amongst the main characters.
A couple of the main characters got new outfits, and one purchased a bird called an anvil bird. He’s like a combo of parrot, toucan, and hornbill. Sean Harrington may have to paint him one day down the road.
The woman who bought the bird revealed a very personal issue, and dealt with the matter by purchasing the bird. Too spoilerish for her character arc to go into more detail.
I even introduced a new crew member. Since this is an alternate world, using words like Asian, Chinese, or even the outdated Oriental won’t quite work. I gave her Eastern features and left it at that. I’ll probably have to go back and work that out later.
Her name is Serang. She’s tall, thin, beautiful, and deadly. She carries a single bladed pole weapon. Another creation called a bay frog got speared. (Frogs don’t live in salt water in reality, plus this one is big.)
I have some cool plans for Serang.
A bigger ship requires a bigger crew, but I can’t name them all. I need enough to make it feel like a whole crew, but limit dialog and actions to those with names.
Oddly enough, I did it all without root monsters, the moving reef, or any of the other sub stories.
Tomorrow, I really want to dive into it again, but it’s also the day I call my parents. I’ll sacrifice a few hours there any time.
Hope all of you are enjoying your weekends. Probably wrap up the day with Baseball, salted caramel stout, and Papa Murphy.
Wow. That sounds like an amazing amount of progress for one day. I like the creatures you’re coming up for this story. Definitely brings a fun and unearthly element to the pirate concept. Better than just mermaids, sea monster type f, and a giant squid. 😉
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I’m not a great world builder, but this one just seems so alive and vibrant to me.
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Many times, world-building comes down to finding the rhythm and just letting yourself go. I’ve found that a lot of my world-building comes from stream of consciousness. Then I add in details and let the characters add their own flavor to the big picture.
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That’s exactly what’s going on here. I may have to trim later, but I like what’s showing up.
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Better to have and trim than to come up short. 🙂
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Sage advice.
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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I love days like this, hope you have many more, Craig…
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Me too, but they’re pretty rare. Thanks for sharing the post.
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My pleasure…
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Loved the photos, Craig. And, it was fascinating to read about the unfolding of your story – vivid images and all. All the best with it…
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That’s an amazing amount of progress for one day, and your story sounds like it’s going to be exciting. I love the creatures you’re coming up with.
I need to catch up on reading your other books one of these days too… I’ve got a few of them on my Kindle waiting to be read…
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They aren’t like movies where the run ends. You have them, and when you’re ready I hope you enjoy them.
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I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read of yours so far, so I should do. 🙂
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Wow! Congratulations on getting so much done. And with dogs all up on you. Though, you said that’s your norm… I had to go to bed last night because the cats on me were makin me HOT!
Straight jet black hair would help convey imagery for Serang, too.
And Happy Father’s Day 🙂
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Otto’s pretty good on summer nights. He often goes down on the floor because it’s cooler. I gave Serang a coulee hat and black braid that hangs to the small of her back. Can’t wait to put her into a fight.
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Good call!
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Wishing you a wonderful weekend and a happy Father’s Day!
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Thanks, Staci. Don’t work too hard.
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I’m actually about to go for a swim. (When I’m done, it’s back to work, though.)
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Cool progress on the new WIP. With fantasy, almost anything goes and that allows the creativity to go wild. Congrats!
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Thanks, Jan. Those kind of days are rare for me, but I hope to add a few more words today.
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Your worlds are so imaginative. I can picture the glow in the dark bats and the snaileaters.
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They just kind of showed up. I’m having a good time drafting this one.
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Glad your snuggle bunnies (large!) didn’t totally distract you! I can see you have tremendous focus!
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It worked well today. Some days my focus is better than others.
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Nice to take advantage of those productive times when they come around.
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Most days aren’t like that, but it’s nice to get one occasionally.
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