Asked by Anonymous
sorry, I have to ask- what would you imagine your 'random film cameo' to be for villains?
I’ll give you a hint and see if you guys can guess: it’s an unnamed female character who appears twice in the text.
Project: WKIA draft 7
Time and output: 23 pages in 2 hours and 20 minutes
Objectives: Today I worked through two scenes which focus closely on one character rather than the larger group. These scenes are important because they give individuals room to breathe, but there are places where they drag a bit, so today’s task was to pick up the slack. These moments also significantly influence the arcs of these two characters, so I want to confirm that the emotional import is clear.
Observations: I feel like this is moving fast but there’s still so much that has to happen. Strengthening plotlines from here on out is going to be important to keep the reader from losing track of the story.
Outcomes: Making good progress. That’s all you can ask for.
Project: WKIA draft 7
Time and output: 30 pages in 3.5 hours
Objectives: Today I worked on the chapter which probably contains the most real history and the most physical action in the book–which also makes it one of the hardest to get right. It’s also one of the chapters that’s changed the most drastically since Draft 1, so every time I look at it it feels completely different. The goal today was to try to take as objective a look as possible, without thinking about what got cut and moved and so on, see if it works, and make it work if it doesn’t.
Observations: Less is almost always more.
Outcomes: I wanted to keep reading at the end of this section, which is a good sign. Eager to work on what comes next, which is even better.
Project: WKIA draft 7
Time and output: 23 pages in 2 hours
Objectives: This is one of my favorite scenes in the book and by and large I think it works well, so today’s objective was basically to trim any remaining fat and make sure I’m happy with not only the scene as a whole but each individual sentence therein.
Observations: There are so many different versions of “family” in this book, all of them deeply fucked up in different ways. I’d like to think Tolstoy would be pleased.
Outcomes: Didn’t have much mental energy to devote to this today. Hoping I’ll have time to process better tomorrow.
Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, detail, circa 1500, oil on walnut, Louvre Abu Dhabi
