Log #476

Word Count: 1164

Level Achieved: Normal

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: Some final bits leading up to the final act of the story.

#NullaDiesSineLinea: But the Other-Side-of-the-Veil was sacrosanct, not to mention separated from the human world so that things couldn’t readily spill over. No one had ever been able to draw magic or anything else from beyond the Veil. It was not only almost blasphemous to suggest it could be Drained, but also an impossible feat.

And yet Hagan said it not only could be done, but actually WAS being done as they spoke.

“Hagan,” rumbled Firedrake, “it sounds like you have an idea of who is doing this.”

Editing: None.

SPECIAL: Well, that was… a thing. I do not feel that I did particularly well this year, but since it’s an even year, and bloody 2020 I suppose I am not surprised at my lack of focus and enthusiasm. (Purchasing Skyrim in the last week of November didn’t help either.) So now I know that I need to seriously focus on prep ahead of any month-long writing challenge like NaNo, because I do NOT fly well by the seat of my pants. 

 

WORD COUNT FOR THE MONTH:

40,000

 

LEVEL ACHIEVED FOR THE MONTH:

Normal

Log #475

Word Count: 725

Level Achieved: Easy

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: God I am so lazy. Spent much of the day playing Skyrim. Marking time to the end of NaNo. I’m a bit disappointed with myself because I was so excited for this story in October, but now I just want to be done and move on.

#NullaDiesSineLinea: Suddenly the trees bent back in a heavy wind and they heard the thunderclap sound of massive wings as something vast approached. Gremwing looked up to see the huge red-scaled underbelly and giant wings of a Great One. “WIZARDS! COME OUT, WIZARDS!” a great voice roared.

Editing: None.

Log #474

Word Count: 810

Level Achieved: Easy

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: Yeah, definitely not going to reach 50,000 words, but again, it’s an even year and so that’s okay. (Aside from my initial NaNo in 2010, I have never won on even years, only odd ones.) And that’s okay, I’m just really drained and wanting to play Skyrim on my all-too-short vacation rather than working. My goal is to reach 40,000 words and I think that is still doable. Only need about 3,000 or so to do that.

#NullaDiesSineLinea:

Hagan just stood there, frozen. “It should be here,” he said numbly. “They should be here.”

Gremwing took Hagan’s hand and gently turned the wizard away from the empty spot. “They aren’t here now,” he said gruffly, “so let’s get out of here so we can go look for them.”

Editing: None.

Log #473

Word Count: 555

Level Achieved: Easy

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: Woke up late, felt lazy, spent most of the day doing dishes, started playing Skyrim, and watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home… so I only got a tiny bit done today. Hoping to do better tomorrow.

#NullaDiesSineLinea:

Gremwing shivered. He had no desire to go anywhere near a wizard school.

Hagan saw it. “You don’t need to come.”

“The hell I don’t.”

“You can stay with the unicorns and guard them.”

Gremwing crossed his arms. “The hell I will.”

Editing: None.

Log #472

Word Count: 2167

Level Achieved: Legendary

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: OMG YOU GUYS I WROTE PROSE TODAY ON THE THING I’M SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON! *weeps* Yeah, so I decided to move things up a bit and write about shit getting real as Hagan and Gremwing discover something is draining magic from the land and creatures in it.

#NullaDiesSineLinea:

Gremwing was taken aback by the sudden and unexpected venom in Hagan’s voice. “What makes you say that?”

“Because only a human wizard would be arrogant enough and stupid enough to think draining the land of magic would be a good idea.”

Editing: None.

Log #466

Word Count: 530

Level Achieved: Easy

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: I… Squeezed in a short part of a scene with Hagan trailing unicorn hunters in between episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Go figure I’d be empty of ideas the whole day and then come up with a scene idea on the drive home.

#NullaDiesSineLinea: Only one type of person could waltz through the woods with the slender form and lithe movements of a nymph and yet scan the surrounding trees with the cold, hard eyes of an assassin: unicorn hunters.

Editing: None.

Log #463

Word Count: 1065

Level Achieved: Normal

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: Continued the scene with Hagan and the pegasi. Had a good start this morning, but had to stop because errands. Got home and got distracted and thus did not get anything more done. So now I’m going to be about 2000 words behind again… but if I can’t catch up fully tomorrow, then I should be able to Thursday since I took Thursdays off work this month. 

#NullaDiesSineLinea: When the mixture was ready and infused with magic, Hagan motioned Bright Star closer and smeared the potion on each hoof and hock. “That tickles!” snorted Bright Star as he tried not to dance in place.

Editing: None.

Log #462

Word Count: 3350

Level Achieved: Legendary

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: Got up a little earlier today and got off to a good start. I’m almost completely caught up to where I should be. I’ll need an extra 600 or so words to add to tomorrow’s usual count, but I should be back on track. First half of the day writing about what Sylla told Hagan about dragons and their hierarchies. Took a break for a walk, food, and got distracted by reading the second book of The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh. One of those alien minds you have to tear yourself out of so you’re left reeling and wondering what you even are. Finally got a second wind in the evening and wrote about Hagan’s encounter with the pegasus Morning Star and her crippled colt.

#NullaDiesSineLinea: The bay colt kept trying to come up to them, but the foals would jeer and kick and run away, or flap their wings in his face. The silver-winged pegasus whinnied and the colt trotted out of the herd to her side. She draped one wing over him, nickering gently.

Editing: None.

Log #461

Word Count: 3305

Level Achieved: Legendary

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: Bloody hell. Slept in because I just felt wretched so I didn’t get started writing until 10:30am. (Apparently chronic stress can create a persistent low-level fever which doesn’t register on a thermometer. A psychogenic fever. Which pretty much explains my adult life.) Proud to say that I did stay more or less on task until about 3 or 4pm and had to just stop because I was so sick of writing. Read the first book of The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh, then returned with a cup of mint tea to write another page. I’ll be about 4,000 words behind tomorrow, but if I can get another Legendary day in, I’ll be in much better shape. All writing today was about Hagan and some of the events in his wizard school Ensorcell.

#NullaDiesSineLinea: Ensorcell was an amoral place of learning… Anything from herb-raising to necromancy could be studied and was taught. It seemed important to the teachers, including Hagan’s mentor Durick, that the students at least be exposed to all of these different types of magic.

Editing: None.

Log #460

Word Count: 755

Level Achieved: Easy

Project: DragonFriend (DF)

Summary: End of the week. So tired. Had nightmares last night and this morning. Going to try to buckle down and either do a massive sweep of writing or nibble in bits regularly throughout the day. So much other crap to do too though… Ugh. This was a short snippet of Hagan and Rist in class.

#NullaDiesSineLinea: 

“So what kind of magic are you interested in, Lord Rist? Surely something far above us mere peasants.”

 

Rist glared, but [took] the offered chance to brag. “I am a practitioner of High Magick. With a ‘k’.”

 

Hagan nodded solemnly. “Can’t forget the K,” he agreed.

Editing: None.