Young Writers Society

july 11

3,324 words and ch 8 is finito! The next bit takes us right into the 3 chapters I wanted to move up in the story, so that gives me about 3,000 words to work with and the original version of the next section is right about 3,000 words, SO--

july 12

3,002 words, ch 9 is finished, AND WE ARE SITTING PRETTY RIGHT AT 30,000 WORDS

or, like, 29,989 to be exact

HECK YEAH YA GIRL DID IT, the next chapter is the first of the 3 chapters that I wanted to move up to around the 30k mark AND I DID IT, WHAT UP

and it doesn't even feel like I rushed to get here? like I didn't just cut a bunch and shoe-horn it in earlier, I thought really hard about how to get it to happen sooner and BOOM I DID IT

also wow sure hope my beta readers appreciate all this hard work I did

july 13

2,325 words and most (?) of ch 10 done! things are Heating Up :eyes: in more ways than one lol

july 14

Only 1,607 words today bc I stayed late at work, watched 2 episodes of Loki, and had other writing-related things to do, but! not bad considering this part needed more rejiggering!

Ch 10 is still well on its way to completion - I might even just cut it off - somewhere soon - somehow - I think it's starting to get a little lengthy, and I'm not quite sure where I want to stop it. I might even continue it through to the last bit that needs to happen in this sequence and then go back and break it off somewhere in the middle, once I see how long it is.

july 15

2,520 words from where I left off, and I simply ended ch 10 where I originally planned lol. Looking back, it's actually not even my longest chapter. I'm going to do a readthrough for line edits and smoothing things out prior to yeeting to betas, so I can rethink my chapter breaks then if need be!

I also added 417 words earlier in the story, back in ch 2 or 3 (which still didn't lengthen the chapter too much, luckily). I was going to add this section to ch 10 prior to its end, but then I realized it didn't really work there. It was both sort of out of place emotionally AND out of place in that the groundskeeper needed to know something about Neveah far sooner than he would have if this bit appeared in ch 10.

I mean this also means I'll have to smooth that whole section out, because his reaction needs to be a bit more and a bit different than it was previously, plus I'll need to add in more reminders that the groundskeeper DOES know this thing about Neveah between there and ch 10. But! overall I think the snippet works much better in the earlier part of the book.

AND I cut the prologue because I realized it was killing some of the mystery that I was currently writing - could be dramatic irony, but mostly to me it feels like the mystery is wasting time because you, the reader, are waiting for him to figure out something you've known since the beginning - so the chapters I moved up earlier in the story still happen around the 30k mark despite adding some words earlier in the book.

july 16

3,230 words, ch 11 is done, and ch 12 is MOSTLY done but not quite as done as I thought oops lolsob

Things are going well and I'm just. I'm so pleased these chapters got moved earlier in the book. They work so much better, I think. UGH.

I'm also feeling real good about my decision to cut the prologue because of some things that were discussed in today's section of ch 12. Like the prologue just made all of this feel like a waste of time but now it feels like we *actually* have to figure things out.

Also: groundskeeper/Neveah bonding so much earlier in the story <333

Oop, also yeeting this in here for myself so I remember what I'm doing next!

This chapter goes more or less how it originally did from there, because I think I got through all the significantly different bits today.

The next chapter, I'd like to have the groundskeeper taking Elijah to Neveah's granny for safekeeping because Elijah's still scared he might hurt Neveah again, but the groundskeeper doesn't want to just leave him locked in his pocket watch. So he figures if he gets Elijah out of the cemetery, Elijah's safely away from the anger's influence but can still see Neveah when she visits her mom and granny.

On that note, I'm thinking Granny (Marguerite) knows something about something, so their house is warded - Granny only sees her husband in the house, because he can't leave due to the warding, which means a) Elijah won't be able to leave, either, except via pocket watch or if someone destroys the warding, and b) Neveah will be completely safe at Midsummer if she stays with her mom and granny, and they'll be safe too if she keeps them there!

july 17

1,627 words, which unfortunately is probably it for the day because I have my housemate's birthday party to get ready for plus a short story I'm hoping to beta for someone before I go. Ch 12 is done, anyhow!

july 18

1,115 words plus some planning for the scene I just started, which is new content! Neveah's granny is finally entering the story on the page, which is great since she's *talked about* so much in the first draft but never actually shows up - despite the fact that Neveah wonders, after learning about ghosts from the groundskeeper, if her granny can sense ghosts too, or at least the ghost of her granddaddy.

Also, at this point the chicken content in the story is such that you'd think I was writing it specifically with @alliyah in mind.

He set his pocket watch on the kitchen table, flipped it open again, and went out back to check on the pullets. They were asleep in their coop, clucking softly now and then. He gave a tired smile, wished briefly that he was a chicken, and went back inside.

july 19

1,516 words and ch 13 is done! Neveah's granny has the skinny on ghosts, although she can only sense the spirits of her husband and son <3

july 20

0 words a l a s because I felt bad for so much of the day BUT I did daydream a lot that counts right and I ONCE AGAIN REALIZED that I keep! forgetting! about! an important! event!

- the groundskeeper needs to get to the general store at some point to feel the ghost's memories so he can have a break in the case!
- also, he needs to make up with Samira

I was thinking the latter could happen when the children go missing? Like they go missing, he goes to their house, they come back, she's angry with her parents and him and everyone. Then she only lets him in her room because he comes bearing a gift of samosas and then they make up before she talks about her parents being angry too.

BUT if I do that I need to play with the way the scene ends, because a) he won't have been to dinner with them yet and b) we won't have seen Samira with the ghost yet.

But I guess that's okay? That would cut some words (win), plus it probably makes more sense that he comes to well brings dinner after this panic and to make the family feel better than for him to come to dinner at another time, like given how hard he's trying to avoid making connections.

And then I could have the library scene with her later but not end it with the dinner invitation and the subsequent dinner.

...oh, except I do love that adorable bit with Khalid swiping the children's samosas.

But I guess I shouldn't keep an entire scene JUST for that.

july 21

Didn't type it up so idk how many words, but I did write! I THINK I know how to work in the things I need to.

july 22

Again no clue how many words bc I haven't typed it up yet, but I'm feeling good about it

Also, the groundskeeper ends up on the phone with his crush bc this is basically a YA romcom starring two old men, with ghosts.

july 23

Again again no clue how many words but tomorrow I'll probably type everything up from the last three days!

Also, the groundskeeper has now been asked out while on the phone with his crush, which is @_@

july 24

...I still haven't typed anything up rip me but you know I DID write