NaNoWriMo: The Islands Beyond, Day 17… and my 100th post

Day 17

NaNoWriMo will soon be at an end. But before discussing the day’s writing, it’s worth mentioning that this is my 100th post!

I will admit that I’m looking forward to NaNoWriMo being over, but not because I have disliked the process. Posting here (even if to a largely theoretical audience!) has kept me going. I’m happy to have had a reason to keep writing. It’s also nice to look back at the stuff I’ve written so far and see some tangible ways it can be improved up.

I am currently at 28,550 words. Here’s an excerpt. It makes a bit more sense if you know that in a previous chapter, Ethan fired a flare gun into one of the pirates’ faces.

(Stephan Paquet, flickr.com)

Mr. Falco guided Calypso past the seawall with the Dagger in tow, easing her to a stop in the middle of the harbour. A small launch from the harbourmaster’s office, a dinghy with a tall triangular sail, had already set out to meet them. When it drew near, the boys recognized the harbourmaster with the long, droopy eyebrows. He called up to the Calypso.

“Who are you, and what is your business here?” he asked.

Jacques was on the lower deck with Mr. Falco. “I am Jacques Cousteau, explorer, oceanographer, and film maker. This is my captain, Mr. Albert Falco. We wish to deliver these boys safely to shore, along with their boat, which is in desperate need of repairs.”

The harbourmaster looked the boys up and down for a few seconds. He also cast a long glance back at the Dagger before speaking again.

“I remember you two,” he said. He frowned. “Looks like you banged up your boat pretty bad. What are you doing going out on the sea if you don’t know how to keep your boat from running afoul of the rocks?”

Ethan felt mad at the old man’s suggestion that it was their fault for crashing the boat. “Don’t blame us! We were being chased by men who wanted to steal our boat and sell us to the mines at Karnet’s Horn.”

The harbourmaster looked at Ethan with surprise. “Is that a fact? Can you identify the men, boy? We don’t abide pirates at Fikskoljan, and if you can remember the faces of the men what came after you, there’s a chance we can bring them to justice.”

Pete cleared his throat. “You might say that justice has already been served. The men who attacked us are all dead.”

“Surely you jest,” said the harbourmaster. “Why, you’re just boys.”

“Lucky boys,” said Pete.

“Yeah. Boys who know how to fire a flare gun,” said Ethan.

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NaNoWriMo: The Islands Beyond, Day 16

Day 16

The weather’s been changing here, and the air is becoming dryer and cooler. Unfortunately, I inherited from my mother a head like a barometer, and when the weather changes drastically, it often results in a unique type of pressure headache. Today, I’ve had a migraine whispering at the back of my skull since breakfast.  I’m afraid it took a toll on my writing.  I called it a day with just 200 words written.  However, I did manage to chart out the next portions of the story a bit more. Hopefully, with a day to rest and plan, I’ll get a lot done tomorrow.

My word count sits at 27,300, which is about 630 words ahead of “par” for Day 16. So far, I’ve been posting excerpts, but today’s can hardly be called an excerpt. It’s practically all I wrote!

(from debbiepokornik.com)

For the second time that day, the Dagger was underwater. The boys looked down at the outline of the hull in the dark water. Pete let out a long sigh.

“Well, this sucks. What are we going to do now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Ethan. “We go talk to the Governor.”

Pete smiled. “Nice to hear you be the one to suggest it for a change. So, do we just leave the boat here?”

“You have a better plan?”

“No. Alright, let’s go.”