Fits and starts

If I can do more three more pages today, I'll be at 30k. Yay. Not quite as much as I hoped for this week but better nothing given the general tiredness factor.

I've been trying to write this book mostly linearly but haven't quite got the feel of the world right or something. Lot's of talky-talky and not so much on the cool demons and magic factor. So today I've been doing the tried and true 'just skip ahead and write an interesting bit'. Which has worked. So I'm thinking this might just be a patchwork book.

I'm also thinking I might try keeping some writing metrics here on the blog a la Elizabeth Bear. See if it helps keep me on track at all. And also would be an interesting way to look at my process for the book.

More on that later once I have the final tally for the day. But first a break and some more reading of Carolyn's wip. Swashbuckling and magic as a change from reluctant demons.

Yo ho Yo Ho

Back from Pirates 3. The verdict? I loved it! I know it's gotten mixed reviews and even in our group of 7 there were varying opinions - interestingly the guys liked it less. And I think that's because it's very emotionally driven for a big swashbuckling adventure action movie. The motivations are all love and family and freedom and revenge rather than just 'let's blow some shit up'. With interesting results. But I found myself just sitting there smiling in sheer joy at several times during the film, just enjoying the big, audacious, all out, hell of a ride of it. And no, not just because Johnny as Jack completely RULES. Someone once pointed out to me that I like the Quest story, the impossible dream. And Pirates had always been about quests...multiple quests by the time we get to this installment. Quest heaven. Sue me but I like characters that aren't always black and white and complicated stories and betrayals and good things done for bad reasons and bad things done for good ones. Worlds where nothing's certain and there are big things at stake in personal ways.

Like Serenity, it's not perfect, there a few bits that maybe could change but I'd rather see someone go for the balls to the wall story and emotion and miss in a few places and whack it out of the park in most spots than play it safe and end up with boredom. Really Gore Verblinski had me at hello (and btw, the hello in this movie is not pretty and I really would suggest that this isn't such a kids film) and has yet to lose me. I would happily watch more Pirates movies. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll see this at cinema at least once more. For one thing, Johnny. For another, Orlando is growing up just fine. For a third - COOLEST WEDDING EVER. And for a fourth , well stay for the end of the credits.

And if, in an alternate world, I can be marooned on one of those pretty, pretty islands with Cap'n Jack, that's just fine by me. In the meantime, I've got my own quest story to be playing with.