My NaNoWriMo has been a struggle this year. Work andwebsite managing/creation has taken up most of my time. I knew it was going to be a struggle and whiletrying to juggle work, website, writing, and family, something has slipped behind the others.
Sadly, it’s NaNo and family that have slipped a bit. I’ve been working and writing articles so much that I feel like I’m ignoring my family most the time and it’s getting bad. Working on my novel has become dead last in my “things to get to” list
Still, I’m trying to do it all. I’ve written every day, which in and of itself is an accomplishment. No day has been below 400 words, but I am further behind than normal.
The writing wall
I’ve also hit a wall. I feel like the first Act of my story was really planned out. Those first few scenes, I had turned over in my mind for a long time (like I mentioned in my How I Write column) and I hadn’t turned the rest over in my mind as much. I figured I could pants it (fly by the seat of my pants). I can do that, but sometimes I have to slough though days like today.
But the stuff I was writing before this was going really well. I think I’ll get back on the train soon as the story begins to pick up steam.
My word count for the month on my story is around 12,000. I’m hoping this week will be a little slower with life and I can dedicate more time to my novel, but we’ll see. If not this week, then Thanksgiving week.
How has your writing week been? Have you met your word count? Are you liking what you’ve written? Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook if need encouragement
I’m going to finish off the week with an unedited selection from the part of my novel I was really digging. It is unedited and probably full of typos and grammar mistakes. Please don’t judge too harshly, but I hope you enjoy. Once it’s editing it will be even better.
Selections from The Murder Next Door by Jarrett Smith
It turned out that the coffee didn’t make her feel any better. Watching back the footage that she had recorded last night made her feel worse than the coffee made her feel better.
She didn’t watch the footage back for more than a second. She just needed to make sure that the cameras recorded what she needed them to. She kept them queued up in case she needed them, but hid them away from her desktop.
She took a big sip of coffee and pulled the manilla folder out of her desk draw. She was about to go through it when her door opened with force. She checked the time, Susan was ten minutes early.
Leddy knew the woman had been eager to meet. She knew that she wasn’t going to disappoint either.
Standing in Leddy’s door way was an angry forty-something year old woman. Her hair was thinning, but her makeup was perfect. It looked like she had it professionally done. Everything about the woman seemed fake and angry.
She was wearing wedges and an expensive coat even though it wasn’t that cold outside.
Leddy hated her.
Susan clacked her way into the room towards the desk. Leddy didn’t even stand up to greet her, but motioned instead to the chair in front of her desk.
“So you got what I wanted?” Susan asked.
“Yes,” Leddy admitted.
“Video? Photos?” Susan asked impatient, as if she didn’t have time for this. Leddy knew that she didn’t work, so if she didn’t have time it was because she had a massage planned later or something.
“Got the check?” Leddy asked, not pushed around by those with money.
“If you’ve got the pictures, I have the check.”
“Okay then. As soon as I get the check, I’ll give you the pictures.” Leddy said. This was how it always played out with these types. These people from the other side of town that thought that the people on Leddy’s side owed them something because they had money. There was no way that this woman had ever had to negotiate for drugs the way that Leddy had.
Susan didn’t seem to be thinking the same thing. Leddy knew that the woman in front of her thought that she was going to win the negotiation. “How do I know that you really have something?”
“You don’t.” Leddy knew that she’d crack. She wanted the information that Leddy had bad enough. “But I do have a list of clients that I’ve never let down before.”
Susan huffed and angrily reached into her purse. She withdrew an envelope. “Here is your money.” She threw it on the table.
The money in the envelope would keep the lights on for her and her son for another month as long as she spent it in the right place. She prayed that Susan didn’t bring her cash, Leddy wasn’t sure she was responsible enough to handle it. That’s why she preferred check. “Now, what did you find on my husband?”
“Your husband is cheating on you and his cheating on his mistress as well. It’s been going on for at least a month as far as I’ve been able to see. He uses cash withdrawals to hide his movements from you. I think he knows that you’re on to him, but he doesn’t seem to care.”
“I could have told you that. What I paid you for was evidence.”
Leddy closed her eyes and sighed. It was always the same no matter who it was that wanted to know if their spouse was cheating. She didn’t blame Paul right now, even if the thought of him did make her skin crawl.
“Did you know that your husband has a drug problem too?” she asked. Hoping that she wouldn’t have to reveal her trump card. Not yet, at least. She didn’t want to have to use that if she didn’t have too. “If you file for divorce, you can blame his drug issues and request that he be tested.”
“Did his mistress get him hooked?” Susan asked thinking she was funny. Leddy had expected her to be more shocked than she currently was.
“I’m not sure.” Leddy said.
“Not important anyway, that doesn’t do me any good. He could just come right back at me with that. I need the proof,” Susan said.
Leddy nodded and gulped. She withdrew a small USB thumb drive from the side of her laptop and put it on the desk in front of her client. She forced a smile and nodded.
“What’s on here?” Susan asked.
“Video of your husband sleeping with another woman. The evidence you wanted.” Leddy hoped that was enough to get Susan out of her office. Leddy took the envelope and put it in her desk draw and locked it. She knew that it wasn’t going to be enough to satiate the bitter woman.
“I’m not paying thousands of dollars for a blank jump drive. I’m not leaving here until I know what’s on it. Your kind thinks that I’m naive enough to walk out of here with a blank stick. You’ll probably spend the money I gave you before I even leave the hall thinking you got one over on me.”
Leddy pursed her lips and nodded. She turned to the computer and opened the files she had hidden from view. She pressed play and spun the computer around.
“Here’s your proof.”
Leddy watched as Susan’s face contorted in an effort to understand what she was watching. Leddy wanted to look away from the woman, but she knew that she couldn’t. Leddy could hear her own voice and moans.
Susan snapped the laptop shut. She used enough force that she probably broke the screen. Leddy wondered what would happen if she added a new laptop to her bill.
“You did this.” Susan said, softly, weakly.
“I set the trap, yes, but he fell for the bait. She lifted the manilla folder and tossed it over to Susan’s side of the desk. “You can see transcripts of everything we said through text and messaging here. You have the video proof. Your husband is a sleaze bag and he’s cheating on you and multiple other women.”
Susan looked at her with her mouth agape. It was another face that Leddy had gotten used to. Most people seemed to get angry with her when she found out the thing they were looking for. It wasn’t anything new. For once though, she wanted to be thanked for what she did.
She knew that wasn’t going to happen today.
“You whore,” Susan whispered.
“Whore? I’m not going to fight it. I figured this would be easier and quicker than getting someone else to go through this.” Leddy said. “But you can leave now.”
She could see the rage processing through her body. The woman was about to blow her lid. Leddy needed to get her out, and she needed to do it without force.
Susan started to open her mouth to speak, but Leddy cut her off. “You wanted me to find out proof of your husband cheating. I did that. I warned you when I took you on that find out the answer wasn’t going to make you happy.”
“You never told me that you were going to seduce my husband to get the proof.”
“Does it matter who it is? He’s a cheater and a creep. You can do better without him.” For the first time since she found out, Susan’s mouth finally closed. “Take him for all he’s worth.”
“I’ll do that. Then I’m coming after you.” Susan said. She stood up, grabbed her things, and staring Leddy down.
Leddy just nodded and motioned towards the door.
Susan stormed out. Leddy watched her go, even though she left the door open. Leddy took a sip of her now cold coffee as her neighbor, Robert Fletcher, left his apartment. He watched the woman go and looked into Leddy’s office.
“Another happy client?” Robert asked.
“Seems like it.” She replied and took another sip.
Robert chuckled to himself and started to walk off, not bothering to close the door for her. She liked Robert, even if he was a thief. She took another sip.
This isn’t working, she thought. I need a cigarette.