Slowly the fingers and brain are getting into the flow again. I found an incredible video to listen to in the background of what I was writing today. This here set the mood for where Kenley and her brother’s pack found themselves. Well, there are two.

Found those two sounds and was quite happy. Made my brain tune out of life and straight into the story. So that was a huge help in getting my mind back into writing, but I did keep having to go back and forth here and there because I was going, nope gotta say it this way. Nope, gotta switch that around. lol It wasn’t all smooth flowing.

Part of it is my keyboard acting up. I have two other new keyboards and they all act up so I think it’s the laptop getting old, less so the keyboards. Otherwise this one I’m using (the one that came with it) wouldn’t act up. Think I may try using my USB wireless keyboard that I have for the desktop. Just means figuring out how to sit the laptop less on my lap so I have room for the keyboard. Might have to find a bigger lap desk.

For those who’ve seen the Facebook posts and here where I mentioned writing down scene ideas. I did all that. Now it’s open in the background when I write . . . but I don’t look at it. It’s in my brain, but that’s why I don’t get too strict with scene ideas and outlining. I write the characters into the setting, then allow them to flow. One of the first scenes that Kenley comes across the Alpha and his pack has already gone wonky. Instead of running into him, or him coming across her, she entered a craft store (not a warehouse like I thought would happen), and came across a female in his pack.

Just goes to show that as long as we allow the story to flow, it doesn’t really matter if we outline or have scene ideas. We don’t have to strictly follow them. I find it leads to a far better story too. Because if I don’t know what’s gonna happen, the reader is less likely too. I’ll give a bit of a sampling of what I’ve been working on. The first part is meant to be lazy so I really go into detail more. Remember this is a draft, so please don’t copy and share (you can share the link), and don’t offer any critiques. 🙂

Before she moved another inch, Kenley pricked her ears to heighten her hearing as far out as possible. The pack relied on her extended abilities to gauge danger. In the distance, she picked up the faintest sound of a crow picking at an abandoned car. Most likely overrun with moss, and beneath would be the bugs it was attempting to reach. What little pickings there was for it.

A gentle breeze stirred her unbrushed dingy hair across her nose, reminding her they hadn’t found a bathing source in quite a while. It also brought the scent of her older brother Sawyer, from just up the block. She scrunched her nose, refocusing. A sound caught her ear and she tilted her head toward it, seeing whether human, other, or nothing. The latter would keep them here. Former two and she’d alert with a whistle that sounded like a robin.

[ . . .]

A crow flapped overhead and she focused on it, the muscles tightening in her shoulders. What stirred it on? A threat? She waited, tense as a rubber band pulled tight, listening for any other noises besides her pack. Boot crunched sand against old cracked sidewalk from up the block and she caught Sawyer’s gaze as he came out. Slowly she turned her head back and forth, relaxing her shoulders. No threat. All was still clear.

He tipped his head and moved to the next storefront. Across the massive parking lot she heard rubber ball bounce against tile and a shadow cross behind a dingy window. A flash of blonde hair disappeared into the next walkway and Kenley curled her lip back from her teeth. Keep quiet Tanis! The female was on Kenley’s last nerve. All day she’d been on edge, hence her unease with this town. A breeze stirred the hair along the back of her neck, feeling too warm.

Made good words today though. The word count, I mean. So that’s good. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Off to edit Witness to the Moon.

Today’s numbers for Savage Lands.

Started with – 1,168 words

Ended with – 2,791 words

Total words written today – 1,042