the blood of the land

Got through what little changes I needed to the story and have now returned to adding new words. And… aw, what the hell, here’s a little bit of what I wrote tonight.

Galvanized, Dorcas seized Elias’ arm with one hand and his face with the other, but no matter how she pressed she couldn’t get him to turn his gaze to her. Then Caleb gave a cry and pointed, and shock rolled up from within her, threatening to drown exhaustion and dread alike. The moon’s radiance, thin trickle of light though it was, was enough now to cast a silvery sheen down on the little island–and in the heart of the trees on its nearest bank, she spied the shape of a woman. Dorcas couldn’t see much of her from a distance, what she wore or what her face was like. Yet she could see the moonlight shining right through her as though she were made of mist.

And she could see grief breaking out across the face of Elias Sutherland, enough to tell her he was looking now at his Jenny. His wife, she thought. Her healing Power recoiled in her, as if the shape on the island revolted it somehow, and that was all Dorcas needed to tell her she was looking on no one alive. If that shape was Jenny Sutherland, Jenny Sutherland was dead.

Now I just have to figure out what happens next.

Written tonight: 592
The Blood of the Land total: 3,836

So yesterday I was poking around on Wikipedia, wanting to look up some stuff about Roanoke Island for the story I’m writing–only I discovered that due to the history of the island during the Civil War, there was no real feasible way that my story could take place as I envisioned it on that island. The Confederacy took it over pretty much right after the war broke out, only to be thrown off it by the Union in 1862. So there would have been way too much activity going on there for the story I planned to work.

It did interest me though to learn that thousands of escaping or freed slaves wound up there in a freedsmen’s colony by 1863. Which surely has all sorts of other interesting story potential, just not for the story I’m working on.

I have therefore shifted the action from North Carolina over into Kentucky. I don’t know how much of this will actually come out in the story, given that I’m trying to keep this as short as possible, but I’m now envisioning my heroine and her beloved escaping from a small Kentucky plantation and heading north along the Kentucky River, aiming for the Ohio on their way to Canada. My Warder boy, Elias Sutherland, will now be a secret abolitionist as well as a Warder, and he’ll have been the owner of the first “station” that Dorcas and Caleb were told to shoot for on their escape–the barn where they could find provisions. Only slavehunters will have found Elias out, since he’s suspicious anyway as someone who never ever leaves his land. And the main action of the story will take place on an island on the very edge of Elias’ power range, which is where his wife will have died as well.

Spent most of yesterday trying to work this through, and then started working on changing what I’ve written so far to account for it. Not too much work required here, though I’ve taken the opportunity to edit down some of the verbiage as I go. Today will be finishing that up and hopefully moving the story farther along.

Edited yesterday: -154
The Blood of the Land total: 3,244

Not a bad night’s work on a night when I also had to deal with a code release from work!

Written tonight: 515
The Blood of the Land total: 3,398

Y’all may note I did not get to write yesterday. Which makes Anna cranky, and yet, there wasn’t much to be done; long-overdue checkbook balancing had to happen, to prepare for end-of-month bill paying. Including a big unexpected nasty medical bill that rolled in. Bah.

But I tried to make up for that tonight, and 418 words doesn’t suck. Finished a scene as well and at least got Caleb, Dorcas, and Elias teaming up to head out to Roanoke Island.

I’m not sure about how this thing flows yet. The voice in the back of my head is still going “But I should explain…” I’m still having to shut it up. Because no, I shouldn’t, at least no more than absolutely necessary. I am still trying to keep this thing as short as possible, although I’m closing in on 3K now, and I’ll be surprised if I don’t top 10K. Yet I should still minimize the words. We’ll see how I do.

More tomorrow, I hope.

Written tonight: 418
The Blood of the Land total: 2,880

So yesterday I pulled off the biggest chunk of new writing I’ve done in a while: over 600 brand new words in my Civil War story, “The Blood of the Land”. Broken Warder Elias Sutherland is now on camera and introduced by name, much to the shock of escaping slaves Dorcas and Caleb, and Dorcas is quite astonished to learn that this white man not only has Power akin to hers, he’s even calling her ma’am. Joint escape plans are about to be hatched, although I daresay Caleb’s going to have something to say about eluding their pursuers by making for a haunted island.

We’ll see how much I get done today! Hoping to hit a thousand. And, needless to say, the likelihood of this story being on the longer side has definitely gone up.

Before I do today’s writing, though, going to head out for a walk down to the Sunday Farmer’s Market. Because sunshine and exercise will do me good.

Written yesterday: 665
The Blood of the Land total: 2,462

It was so brutally hot here in Kenmore last night that it was impossible for me to comfortably use my laptop. Which meant that I had to try writing on my iPhone. Newly-christened Mnemosyne was game for the task, but unfortunately, I wasn’t; I was so worn out from the heat that I had barely enough brain to manage taking a nice cool shower and then falling into bed.

I did at least manage to get out about a hundred words, though. Hopefully now that it seems to be cooling off, I can get back in gear tomorrow. Tonight’s been shot due to power outages and a sick cat.

Written last night: 98
The Blood of the Land total: 1,769

I slept very poorly last night, which has meant that the words are not flowing like they should be tonight. But I was determined not to let this heat wave beat me–certainly not when it’s only just getting started–and so I wrenched out a couple hundred words anyway.

But now I desperately need sleep, and I’m off to get some.

Written tonight: 211
The Blood of the Land total: 1,671