Ink Raindrops

Just a quick heads up for those that are keeping track. (I will post this to Ink Raindrops too as soon as I get to my computer for the day.)

As I think I said before, I still think that I can improve on the work that I did, even if I did finish the job that I set out to do. I don’t want this to stretch on interminably, though. The whole point of this was to force me to complete a project, and the time limit helped to ensure that things couldn’t get too complicated. It’s cute, it’s fun and I think people will like it, but I don’t feel 100% prepared to hand it off to John, nor is he prepared to take on such a task right now.

My current plan is to wait until September and then begin taking my final, serious look at what will be the final final draft. (Silly? Yep!) Why September? Well, I have a wedding to go to in a little over a week. Life’s just going to be a little crazy until then. Once that trip is over, I have much fewer limitations and obligations. At the same time, October will be fast approaching, and that means I will need to focus on pre-writing Ink Raindrops chapters for the remainder of 2011. That gives me one month, at an absolute maximum, to do what needs doing. I think that’s a reasonable goal. I don’t expect to need the full month, but it it comes to it, I will have it. Better safe than sorry.

I will, at least, give you a teaser: the story is about a young woman who is the sole sales clerk in a magic shop. Her aging and possibly insane mother is the shop owner. Due to the world’s supply of magical goods exceeding its demand in a time of peace, they must find a way to make ends meet and distinguish themselves in a sea of competition. Their chance for fame and fortune, however, will come on the heels of a very unlikely hero, who may just see them both dead before they succeed!

It is done.

Thank you for all the encouragement, support and love that you guys have shown for me and for Clarion. I could and would have done it without you, but it sure feels good knowing that others have an interest in me and my work. Writing isn’t the kind of job that most people are used to; being an artist of words is much like being an artist of paint, drawing or musical talent. It only thrives in the presence of those that love and enjoy it, and it is a job that comes, first and foremost, from the heart. Fame and fortune will be attained only if the writer’s heart is in the right place. I know I can say that it is, right now.

I’ll talk more about where we go from here, once I am back home in Washington. Truth be told, I have not given the after-party any thought at all, so I really don’t know what my next step will be for certain. My first order of business is to have fun with the rest of my time in Arizona! I know I’ll be glad to see my husband and cats again, and be free of this sweltering heat, but it’s still tough having to exchange the comforts of one home for the comforts of another. Maybe Heaven isn’t a bunch of pearly gates and clouds. Maybe it’s the perfect combination of family, friends, eateries, shops and hangouts from everywhere you’ve ever loved; a celestial cavalcade of past, present and future.

It’s very late here in Arizona, especially given that I am making a concerted effort to get up in the mornings and spend time with my family instead of sleeping. This is the second night I’ve seen 1 AM creep past me. I miss being able to rest. My family goes to bed around 10 at night, which allows me to put these last few hours to use without missing them, but I’d just as soon not have to worry about it. Since today is the last day of the Clarion Write-A-Thon, I won’t have to for much longer.

Saturday, August 6th, is the due date for my project. How close am I to done?

Well, I’ll be honest. I am not 100% satisfied, even with the chapters I have pronounced as “done.” Even though I mean to have this project complete and edited, I feel as if I would be doing myself a big favor to walk away from things for a bit once Clarion ends. Coming back to it after a week or two of distance will enable me to see flaws and mistakes that I can’t see right now because I’m so immersed in things. It’s funny how that works. I think I may be justified in completing this project to the best of my (current) ability tomorrow, and then giving it another pass once some time has elapsed.

For my part, I am going to consider myself complete tomorrow if I have a full script written, beginning to end, that is clear and as free of obvious flaws as I can make it. I know there will be things I’ll notice after the fact. I know there will be things that need to change for the sake of the game, once it’s in progress. But there’s only so much I can do. This is a little different than a novel, after all, and it’s difficult to say what “done” really means when compared against other, more clear-cut goals such as 50,000 words in 30 days. Even the complete version of this script has always been intended to be malleable around the needs of the game, which obviously is not created yet.

Have I done what I set out to accomplish? The answer is a resounding yes. Will there still be more work to go after August 6th? Also yes – perhaps more than I realized, at first. This script has a lot of sections that will need to be reworked in order to break up some of the “talky” parts and allow the player more interaction with the game, for example. I can’t manage all that in six weeks, I’m afraid. In hindsight, I chose an incredibly difficult goal for myself, and I’m proud that I’ve managed to do everything I set out to do. The fact that I can still see room for improvement is not a black mark; it’s new wisdom gained from having participated in the challenge. This is what I signed up for.

Tomorrow, I will edit like crazy and finish up what remains to be finished. And then I will laugh, and maybe cry, and celebrate, and pass out in bed. And then I will enjoy the last few days of my vacation without thinking of this project, Clarion, or writing at all. When I return home, I’ll be ready and able to look at things objectively again, and begin to clean up those things that I didn’t and couldn’t see before.

This isn’t the end of anything. It’s only the beginning, all over again.