Chapter 2

So I finished chapter 2 tonight. Well it's the "new" chapter 2 post my re-organization of the beginning of the novel. I have to admit, I really struggled with this chapter. It wasn't the same struggle that I've had with other chapters. Take chapter 11...that chapter sucked so much to write. It's a total filler chapter, it's boring and blah. But that wasn't the problem at all that I faced with chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is a Shay chapter, Shay is normally very easy for me to write. I write her chapters more quickly than I do any of the rest of my characters and I wrote the first half of this chapter very fast and very easily. Then I stalled I stopped at a scene in which a villain is introduced and Shay gets into trouble. I felt uncomfortable writing the scene because I had to write probably the most evil villain I think I've ever created. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that he's the creepiest, most evil, most insane dude ever. And frankly he makes my previous worries about Savitr (Shay's brother) being too mean seem like nothing.

You know, I probably didn't even make the scene that bad. I know I held back somewhat because I was so uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure I was projecting all the evilness that I know about this scary, creepy dude onto the scene. Anyway it was hard for me to write it and I feel like my skin is still crawling after writing that villain. Sheesh!

So some updated stats, Chapter 2 turned out to be about 4500 words bringing my total word count to about 66,100 words. I still have a very long way to go but I'm making progress. Chapter 3 has been started but I haven't gotten very far in it. It's a Katze chapter, kind of a fun one too, she gets to be her crazy self without Rafe balancing her.

I wrote about 2100 words tonight, probably the biggest chunk in one sitting in awhile. It's good, I like feeling like I'm moving forward. I like making progress even if my book was poorly planned and my chapters uncomfortable to write. it's still good. Plus I know that Shay will be just fine and I have the death of this villain planned very nicely. :)

Silly characters!

So as many of you know but some of you don't I recently reorganized the entire beginning of my novel adding three chapters. So now my original chapter 1 is chapter 4. I can't even tell you how much better it is this way. I was trying to cram so much information into the original chapter 1 that it felt bogged down and boring and pleh. I tend to struggle with info-dumping and while I know I'm still doing it in the new Chapter 1 it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. Although that unfortunately or fortunately means a huge bit of editing now for chapter 4.

Well I was working the other night on new chapter 2 which happens to be a Shay chapter. Shay has always been one of my favorite characters to write. She's so easy compared to writing the moodiness that is Rafe or Katze. Light hearted and bubbly she tends to be a much happier character than the rest of my lot. It's such a great contrast to me and hopefully to the reader because Shay is an "enemy" priestess but she's so much more normal than the "good" guys. Of course don't make assumptions, everything changes.

But the weirdest thing happened. I was writing a scene in which Shay had just woken up from having passed out. Her "good" brother Saif was comforting her and then in walks her "bad" brother Savitr. Now Shay, my nice and sweet Shay is really really mean to Savitr and i can't decide what to do about it. She was mean to him and now he's being unforgivably mean back (because that's what he does the wanker). My problem here is that I don't actually want any sympathy to be garnered for Savitr, he's cruel and mean and doesn't care that he's cruel and mean. Shay is supposed to have all the sympathy! But when I go look at that scene i think "wow, Shay baited him and I actually feel sorry for him. I bet his siblings ganged up on him a lot and that's why he's so nasty." Thoughts like that shouldn't occur!

At the same time, however, it wouldn't even be remotely realistic to have Shay actually be nice to Savitr, plus he does deserve it. So I'm torn between how to make Shay (in her first appearance) her normal nice self and still be condescending to her brother. She is a bit of a spitfire which lands her in quite a bit of trouble but it's supposed to be spunky not crass. I have enough of that to deal with in my other characters (I'm talking to you Katze, your royal moodiness!).

Any thoughts from fellow writers out there who understand that sometimes the characters do whatever they want even if it doesn't fit?