16,984 words.
How many books have you read or movies have you watched with a critical eye, pointing out the problems and saying, “I could have done a better job than that"? You know, it’s really not as easy as it looks.
What started for me as an idea and, for the first several days, seemed to be taking shape with little effort has morphed into a sluggish, droll blur of words strung into sentences that bear so little resemblance to anything readable that I’m embarrassed to even open the file and continue.
Is mid-novel too late to outline? I think I need an outline.
I added a character today – a new guy - because my main character needs more depth. I mean, she is who the story is all about, but she is the person to whom I’ve really paid the least attention. She needs a life – especially if I’m going to make a reader care that she loses it. This new guy promises me he’ll not be a minor player in this adventure. He likes to be the center of attention; or, at least as close as he can get.
So, I continue.