Currently holding at around 8,500 words.

Okay, scratch that previous assessment or whatever. First... bit uploaded. Not the first chapter, though. I've decided to, at least for the moment, ditch the chapter system. Now, I know most novels use chapters and stuff, but, well, I've always wanted to try going without after I read this:

"Life does not happen in regular chapters, nor do movies, and Homer did not write in chapters. I'm blessed if I know what function they serve in books for adults." - Terry Pratchett

And he seems to have done fairly well for himself, having been knighted and all.

Also, as a completely unrelated matter, this is totally awesome: [link] [link] [link]

I'm totally going to buy a copy and get it shipped here. I've already gotten a couple of signed and personalized books from him, and it's totally worth the shipping costs and everything. Sooo cool!

It's truly sad what's happened to him. When you think of Alzheimer's, you really don't think of people in their fifties getting it. It's kind of scary. He's been my favorite author as long as I can remember, and it's crushing to see what's happening to him, but a little inspiring, too. As far as I know, this is from his most recent interview about it:

"I am enjoying my life to the full, and hope to continue for quite some time, but I also intend, before the endgame looms, to die sitting in a chair in my own garden with a glass of brand in my hand and Thomas Tallis on the iPod, the latter because Thomas's music could lift even an atheist a little bit closer to Heaven, and perhaps a second brandy if there is time.

"Oh, and since this is England I had better add: 'If wet, in the library.'"

At the time of that interview, he was working to allow a system of assisted suicide to be set up in the UK for terminally ill patients.


Edit Tiiiime!
(Yes, I'm writing way too many journals lately. Too bad these words don't count towards the total.)

Things I've Had to Research so far for my NaNoWriMo Book:

Exorcism
Nanotechnology
Vampires
Norse Mythology (I used to be able to nearly read Old Norse. Totally useless talent, right there.)
Metamaterials (This is cool. Real life invisibility cloaks, entirely soundproof walls, flak jackets that curve bullets around themselves. All will, possibly, become reality someday.)
Nazis
Occult Nazis (Hitler was weird.)
Aaaand the Thule Society! (Nazis. More Nazis. With, according to some crazy conspiracy theorists, UFO's. Preety sure that's not true, but, then again, they did want to build a space station.)

I really went out of my way to make this one more over-the-top than my other one. You can't get much more over-the-top than evil nazi cults waging a secret occult war. With vampires. Maybe werewolves too, haven't yet decided.

It's also a prequel to my other story. You actually get to meet the main character's father! Who proceeds to get drunk, attempt (and fail) to sing The Skye Boat Song, and run over Nazis with a truck. All at the same time. True literature, that. Rivals Paradise Lost, I should think.

Also, here's a bit from later on. I'm not going to post the entire thing, but this part was just too fun to write not to share:

Erik tried to wipe the blood off on his pants, but his pants were covered in blood, too. From somewhere in the room, Will groaned.

"You okay?" Erik said eventually.

"F-fucking... thing." Will rolled onto his side. "Bit me."

"How bad is it?" Erik wasn't sure if he'd be able to stand. He didn't think he'd been hit, but his arm felt like it was going to fall off.

"I've... had... worse." Will said, propping himself up with his arm. "You... killed it?"

Erik laughed. "I think so."

"Werewolf."

Erik paused. He really, really hadn't wanted to hear that word. He didn't know which was worse, the fact that Will had said it, or the fact that it made sense.

"I... yeah."

"You... killed... a fucking werewolf with a... silver butter knife."

Erik grunted. "Grenades didn't work."