NANOWRIMO - Day 13

Current listen:  "Summer Girl" by Leighton Meester (from the soundtrack of the movie Country Strong)

Spent most of my writing time doing research today. I've picked the town of Sweet Home, Oregon, for my story setting. After locating the high school, I needed to find the library and get familiar with streets. In all my stories, water plays a big part in setting. Foster Dam proved to be just what I needed, sitting at the edge of Sweet Home and giving my characters a "play place."

So what happened to Tom's mom? In my last episode, she'd disappeared. I decided only one murder could be in this story (at least so far). Come to find out, according to Tom, when his stepfather and mom stopped for gas, she escaped.  Stepfather's character has ran out of storyline, so he does the honorable thing and turns him self over to police...or ???

Today's grand total is 23,790 words. A little less than I'd hoped for, meaning I'll have to do double time tomorrow. In a writing challenge with author friend and mentor, Lesli Lytle. 26,000 words by Sunday the 27th. That means 2,000 words per day. I can do it...I will do it...I have to do it! Lesli will never let me live it down if I don't! However, if I do, that will put me over 48,000 with three days left to write the final 2,000. Good way to push me, too.

Also sent off DESIGNER GENES to an agent this morning, so all in all...a very productive day. Later!

NANOWRIMO - Day 2

Current Listen:  "A Thousand Years" sang beautifully by Christina Perri

Signed off last night with 1,886 words, an edge above the required 1,667 needed to complete 50,000 in 30 days. Tonight, my final word count came in at 4,585 so far. "Banking" words ahead of time. The weekends always surprise me, and with turkey day preparations, my wedding anniversary, and the premier of "Breaking Dawn" I have tickets for, my word bank will be drained as fast as my savings.

The characters have already started changing the story, beginning with setting. Believe it or not, Sweet Home, Oregon exists, and Grant High School is now Sweet Home High, home of the Huskies, and school colors proudly waving in gold and green. Yep, that's where my head is so if you know of details related to this small town, pass them along to me.

Today's descriptive challenge: the smell of the inside of a school bus. Distinctive. Kind of like the subways of New York City, they have their own "scent." I came up with:  "Antiseptic and adolescent sweat, laced with the putrid odor of ancient vomit that seeped beneath the floor boards and no one found."

Wander through your childhood memories and share your description of the smell of the inside of a school bus with me. Did I miss something you could add? My hubby drives school bus parttime, so I gave him a cameo part. We'll see if he recognizes himself when he beta reads for me later. 

'Nite all. Got some cough medicine with codeine from the doc today, so I'm heading for the coma. Tomorrow is another day. I look forward to your descriptions. Thanks!