Matthew S. Rotundo's Pixeltown

Managed to slog through that blank spot I mentioned last week.  

mgsmurf

But I gotta tell ya, things are looking really bleak for my protagonist.  I hate doing this to the guy, but I think he’s screwed.

I’m almost done with the second act, and curiously, I note that I’m having some of the same problems I had at the end of the first:  it seems to be dragging, just when the action should be picking up.  Hmmm.  Not sure what this means.  I suspect these parts of the novel will require the most significant rewriting.  Of course, I’m in no position to predict that at the moment.

I also had to negotiate a couple of tricky obstacles to get my words in–namely, the impending release of the new Rush album (in stores Tuesday!) and the NFL Draft.  Have you ever tried to write while listening to interviews with members of your favorite band, streaming from a Canadian radio station’s web site?  How about while trying to follow the first round of the draft via Sirius, and wondering how the hell your favorite pro team, desperately in need of a quarterback, manages to pass on Brady Quinn?

Well, let me assure you, it ain’t easy.  But such are the sacrifices we make for our art.

No updates for Write Club this week.

Onward . . .

I went great guns early in the week, clipping right along until . . . well, until I ran out of plot.  Seriously.

I finished a chapter and had no idea what to write next.  I had hit this weird blank spot in the novel.  It was like coming to a river:  I could see the other side, but I had no way to get across.  I actually had to stop for that day, even though I was 500 words shy of my daily goal.  I figured it would be best to sleep on it.  The next day was a little better, but the end of the week was a bit of a grind . . . and I’m not out of it yet.  Once I get through this rough patch, I should be able to move along a little better.  I hope.

It also occurs to me that I’m rapidly approaching my third act.  You know what that means:  climax and ending, dead ahead.  And I’m still not sure, exactly, how this will end.  I can tell you that things are looking grim for my protagonist.  Oh, I think he’ll survive, but . . . well, I don’t want to give too much away.  Let’s just say it’s not looking good for him, and leave it at that.

Anyway, the end is near.  It snuck up on me faster than I’d anticipated.  Just imagine my surprise.

A couple of quick hits for Write Club:

Heliotrope bounced “Take This, and Eat” with a tier one rejection.  Response time, two days.

GUD bounced “The Woman Who Hated Halloween” with a tier one rejection.  Response time, five days.

Right.  Got my work cut out for me this week.  And if anyone happens to see my plot, do let me know.