#WIPMarathon Check-In #3

Last check-in word count + chapter count:  At last check-in, I was at 12,000 words of the YA post-apocalyptic fantasy WIP.

Current WC + CC: Now I'm at over 20,000 words, so over 1/4 of the way through the draft (if it runs to 70-80K, as I hope it will). That's around 1000 words per day - ideally I'd like to have more, but it's been quite a busy week!

But I've been inspired to experiment with different ideas, too. Perhaps because I'm not going to have much time to write over Christmas and New Year, I'm trying to make up for lost time in advance! I downloaded a few free books of fairy tales and legends for my Kindle, which has fired up my imagination. As well as two ideas for fairy tale retellings, I got a creepy, totally unrelated idea for a horror story and decided to see what I could do with it. I ended up with a rough draft of around 2700 words, not bad for a couple of days' work!

WIP issues this week: Entering the Evil Middle of the Draft...it hasn't been too bad so far, but it's at this point where I feel like I'm trying to juggle everything at once - all the different characters and sub-plots and events fly around in different directions and try to run away from my outline. I'm doing my best to keep them all under control!

What I learned this week in writing: Trying out different writing forms mid-project can help me come up with great ideas for future WIP's! It started when I got an idea for a short horror story - and for the first time in years, I decided to let this sinister little plotbunny have its fun. *muahahaha*

What distracted me this week when writing: Christmas. Card-writing and present-wrapping and trying not to get trampled by last-minute gift-buyers. And next week might be even more distracting - in fact, I'm not 100% sure I'll be able to update next week, as I'm going to be spending a few days with my boyfriend and his family for New Year's, and I'm not sure I'll have the time/internet connection to update!

Last 200 words: Hmm...I don't want things to get spoilery, but I'll pick another random section from the WIP:

But I’ve overlooked its companion. The second fiend screeches at me, its breath harsh on my face, like heat from a furnace. Its punch catches me full in the face, knocking me back into the wall.

It’s like being caught in another energy blast. A ringing erupts in my ears. Plaster cracks behind my back, bricks crumble, pieces of the ceiling fall down. My sight darkens. Everything’s numb.

The punch should have turned my face into a pulverised mass of muscle and bone. I should be dead. But I’m still here, still conscious, still hanging onto something – whatever that is.

I wait for death or for my ears to stop ringing, whichever comes first.

Pain kicks in, shooting through my entire body, but it’s like a life-giving breath. I gasp, my eyes flickering open. I’m lying in a bed of plaster and brick dust, but I’m not dead, and the fiends have turned their backs on me.

Two figures stand outside the wrecked window. My vision’s still slightly blurred, but I can see they’re wearing long, red coats with the hoods pulled down over their faces. If they’re speaking, I can’t hear a word over the roaring in my ears.