Ow--Headache.

I've just re-written the same scene of Not So Safe eleven times. Oy. (Thank heavens for a patient writing buddy! I've lost track of how many times she's read the scene now . . .)

Creative Draw of the Day: The Hermit

Yes, this is the card made famous by the inside of the Led Zeppelin IV album. I've strayed from the Universal Waite Tarot deck because that album is where I first encountered the Hermit--and where I first encountered the Tarot.

The Hermit is the ninth card of the Major Arcana, falling between (in most decks) Strength and the Wheel of Fortune. So say your character has just had a traumatic experience that helped him discover his inner strength. He's still not ready for the ups and downs of the Wheel, or for the rest of the torture--er, conflict--you have in store for him. He'll need to seek out the Hermit's advice first.

The Hermit himself seems like the Obi Wan type, doesn't he? But he doesn't need to be that obvious. To me, this card represents any secondary character who is detached enough from your main guy to give him sound advice--advice your main guy will probably ignore, but that's another issue.

In Not So Safe, for example, Scott Edmund will perform this service for Zev. Scott is a ruthless bastard, not an enlightened Jedi! He just happens to have a soft spot for Zev, whom he views as a little brother. And since he's not immediately involved in Zev's drama, he has a better idea of Zev's situation than Zev himself.

Failure--but not disaster

I'm officially facing facts. I won't be finishing 50,000 words of Not So Safe by midnight next Tuesday. I've failed yet another NaNoWriMo.

But I'm ok with that. I think I'm going to have a solid first draft by the time I'm done, so I'm not going to castigate myself if I finish it in December instead of November.

Meanwhile, I've had a productive week. I've read two Josh Lanyon books--yeah, I'm hooked on his M/M mysteries--and Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I've revised my outline and character list for Not So Safe and added about three more chapters. So I can live with my failure. No kvetching about from me!

I'm not giving up!

According to my stats on NaNoWriMo, at the rate I'm going I won't be finished with my novel until December 31st. But I'm not giving in!

Here's the good news: I like my story, even if I'm not as far along as I hoped. And even if I'm writing a sort of bare-bones, dialogue-centric version that will need some layering on the next edit.

So I'm hanging in there. Here's to 41,000 more words by the end of the month!

NaNo Word Count Update

I'm behind on my word count: I just reached 6,052. But so far I'm happy with Not So Safe. So I'm turning in for the night, but I'll be back tomorrow to post the next part. I'll also return to my 'Creative Draw of the Day.'

Meanwhile, I hope your NaNo-ing is going well! Are you making your daily word count goals? Feel free to share your triumphs or kvetch about your failures!

Not So Safe, Part Two

Title: Not So Safe
Author: J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Gay; Poly)
Warnings: Adult language and situations
Feedback: Welcome!
Summary: Zev learns that his crush on his straight boss isn't as safe as he thought . . .
LINK TO PART ONE


Not So Safe by J. Rosemary Moss is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

~oOo~

Marc didn’t say much as he drove us to Ralph and Karen’s. Funny, he was usually talkative in the mornings. But he was probably dying from shock and embarrassment. I tried to think of a way to set him at ease, but then I decided that I didn’t want to. My head was spinning; his should be too.

Not that I was angry, exactly, but--I didn’t know what I was. I’d worked for Marc and shared his house for two and a half years. I’d had a harmless crush on him the whole time. Now I didn't know where I stood.

Not So Safe, Part One

Title: Not So Safe
Author:  J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Gay; Poly)
Warnings: Adult language and situations
Feedback: Welcome!
Summary: Zev learns that his crush on his straight boss isn't as safe as he thought . . .


Not So Safe by J. Rosemary Moss is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

~oOo~

I had my jacket on and my hand on the doorknob, but I still turned around one last time. “Are you sure you want to be alone tonight?”

Marc, my boss and house-mate, rolled his eyes from his spot on the couch. He was ensconced there with his feet up on the coffee table and a bottle of Guinness in his hand, watching the Yanks on the ridiculously large flat screen we had mounted on the wall. “Get out of here, Zev. Go enjoy your date.”

“But I can cancel--”

“Go. Ross is waiting outside, right?” He was wearing a tired, exasperated smile, but those hazel eyes of his were warm and there was no hint of judgment in his voice. He might look and act like the stereotypical straight guy he was, but he’d never given me a hard time about being gay.

I nodded. “Yeah. Ok. Call me if you need anything.”

“Go!”

I sighed. Marc can be such a martyr.

NaNoWriMo is off and running!

Good luck to everyone!

I have a thousand words of Not So Safe so far--once I have a full chapter I'll post it.

My NaNoWriMo outline is half way there . . .

Half way done and far more elaborate than I had intended. I have roughly half of Not So Safe mapped out now; I'm still puzzling over some plot points of the second half. But I have more than enough to get started at midnight!

Creative Draw of the Day: Five of Wands

From a writing point of view, I love this card. It's got something every story needs: conflict! Conflicts that result from fiery tempers, no less. (Wands represent the element Fire, which represent our passions and energy and ambition. All the stuff that good conflict is made of.)

On the other hand, some people look at this card and see stylized conflict--maybe a practice fight, or a pretend fight, or even some kind of dance rather than a real battle. Ok, I can see that. Perhaps this is a group of teenagers horsing around. Or a bunch of brothers who enjoy harmless brawling. But that's not much help when it comes to writing a story, so I prefer to interpret this as a real fight. (Though I'll admit it's probably not a deadly one.)

So a real fight it is--heck, I can't even tell who's on which side. I don't think there are sides--everyone's fighting with everyone else. I'm going to try to give just a little taste of that in my NaNo novel, Not So Safe. At one point in the story, when passions are running high and it seems that Zev's goal is out of reach, he'll be blowing up at the two people he wanted to avoid alienating: Marc and Sean.

Good news for my NaNo novel!

I've got a whole bunch of days off in November! Perfect timing. Now if I can just finish a brief outline of Not So Safe before midnight on November 1st . . .

Nothing like a good mystery to help you procrastinate

I should  be working on my outline for Not So Safe, my NaNoWriMo novel, but instead I'm happily drowning in Josh Lanyon's Adrien English series. I intend to resurface tomorrow . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: The Star

This is a card of hope, optimism and guidance--and, I think, of inspiration. The eight pointed star represents goddesses like Inanna and Venus, but as far as I'm concerned, this card belongs to the muses.

So I think of this woman as a muse. I love how she's pouring fresh water into the pond, as if she's overflowing with ideas and insights.

I've always thought of myself as having plot bunnies rather than a muse. Plot bunnies seem less pretentious and easier going. But my character Zev is being so pushy about his story that I think he's acquiring muse-status for me. I hope he keeps inspiring me in November, when I stop taking notes and officially start Not So Safe. I want to claim a NaNoWriMo victory this year!

The Arkham Cafe, Part Two

Author: J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Character Exploration
Warnings: None
Feedback: Welcome!
Summary: The Arkham Cafe is a place for all my characters--no matter what story, series or genre they're from--to hang out. In this part, Ross Edmund from Roxburg stories runs into Zev Moscowitz from my upcoming NaNo novel, Not So Safe.
LINK TO PART ONE


The Arkham Cafe by J. Rosemary Moss is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

~oOo~

Zev leaned back in his chair, puzzled. His quip about the Sopranos seemed to have struck a chord. Maybe Ross really was from a Mafioso family. Or the WASP equivalent of one, anyone.

“So what’s your story?” Ross asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“What makes you think I have one?”

Ross shrugged. “Nothing--I’m just hopeful. Misery loves company and all that.”

Zev considered that. “Fair enough. Ok, this is a little schmaltzy, but it’s the best I can do. How does unrequited love strike you?”

Creative Draw of the Day: Two of Swords

"Your eyes can deceive you; don't trust them."

~Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars

Ah, as you might have noticed, I failed to draw a card yesterday. My apologies! I was occuppied with a new RPG (role-playing game) system that my group was trying out for the first time. More on that later--I think it has some bearing on creating characters.

Meanwhile, here's my draw for today: the Two of Swords. The traditional interpretation of this card suggests stalemate--a person trying to make a decision, but flustered and confused and unable to view all her (or his) options.

I don't agree. To begin with, I don't think the blindfold means this figure is flustered or confused. I think she put it on deliberately, just as Luke (with Obi Wan's help) put on the blinding helmet in Star Wars for light saber practice--letting go of his conscious control in order to allow the Force to work through him. Likewise, I think this figure has blindfolded herself so that she can better follow her gut and intuition.

I'm not even sure she's trying to make a choice--those two swords seem well balanced. In fact, balance-rather-than-choosing will be a theme of my NaNo novel, Not So Safe. The goal of my main character, Zev, is to convince Marc that he doesn't have to choose between Zev and Sean. They can both have a relatinship with him, without any pesky jealousy.

How well this will work out for Zev remains to be seen, but that's the direction he's going. And I think he's got enough chutzpah and determination to make a polyamorous relationship work . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Four of Cups

A young man--it could be a woman if you squint--is sitting cross-legged under a tree, calling to mind the Buddha under the Bodhi tree. He has three cups in front of him, and is contemplating a fourth held out by some sort of angelic hand. He seems  to be giving serious thought to the offer.

Is he hesitant and confused, not knowing whether to accept the gift? Is he trying to choose between all four cups? Or has he learned to be patient, waiting for just the right cup?

I'm not sure, but this is a card of someone who turns inward for answers-and a card of someone who has some mastery over his emotions. (Cups represent the element of water, which in turn represents the emotions.) He's not going to act on his emotions--not immediately, anyway.

I think I'll use this card to represent Sean Valencia from Not So Safe. Sean is rather shy and cautious, and he's definitely the contemplative type. He's almost the polar opposite of Zev . . .

The Arkham Cafe, Part One

Author: J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Character Exploration
Warnings: None
Feedback: Welcome!
Summary: The Arkham Cafe is a place for all my characters--no matter what story, series or genre they're from--to hang out. (See this post.) In this part, Ross Edmund from my Roxbury stories runs into Zev Moscowitz from my upcoming NaNo novel, Not So Safe.


The Arkham Cafe by J. Rosemary Moss is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

~oOo~

Ross unbuttoned his coat as he ducked into the café. He assumed it was new, as he had never laid eyes on it before--but nestled between the pharmacy and the Verizon store, it was easy to miss. Either way, though, he’d be able to sit down and figure out what the hell to do about his family.

He paused on the threshold and glanced around. It was an eclectic crowd; some people appeared to be in old fashioned, costume-like clothes, even though Halloween was another three weeks away. Others were wearing short sleeves and shorts, as if it were still summer.

Ross shrugged and looked around for a place to sit. There were no empty tables, so he walked up to a man who was sitting on his own. The guy looked safe enough: no costume, and his clothes were appropriate for the weather. As a bonus, he was about Ross’s age: late twenties or so.

“Are you saving this seat?” Ross asked.

The guy glanced up from his menu and smiled. “Not at all. Sit down.”

Creative Draw of the Day: Two of Pentacles

I think I've found the card for Marc Jaffe, one of the characters for my NaNoWriMo. No, Marc doesn't wear a funny hat--he sticks with business casual wear. But this card exemplifies his state of mind as Not So Safe begins.

Marc is very much in line with the suit of Pentacles: he's down to earth, he has a good head for figures and he's a financial wizard. But, like the juggler in this card, he's off balance. He has been since his wife died three years ago.

I would usually interpret this card to indicate a problem juggling finances and debt, but I don't think that's the case for Marc. His finances are fine. True, he's a bit disorganized in his professional life, but that's why he has Zev as his administrative assistant. So Marc has a different problem.

Marc has never come to terms with his bisexuality; that storm-tossed sea behind the juggler matches his emotional turmoil when it comes to Zev. (Water in the Tarot is connected to our emotions.) He has an excellent working relationship and friendship with the man, but he's never taken the next step. He's left Zev to assume that he's thoroughly heterosexual.

But once Sean, Marc's ex-lover, enters the picture, Marc finds he can't put on a show anymore. That leads to all sorts of complications with both Zev and Sean.

The Two of Pentacles is a hard place to be. The card has promise--that green string surrounding the two coins is a symbol of infinity, a powerful symbol in the Tarot denoting holiness and eternity. If Marc can come to terms with his dualities, and his love for both Zev and Sean, he just might have a shot at finding happiness again.

Describing my NaNo Novel

Here's how I described Not So Safe (and my MC Zev) in the NaNoWriMo forums:

~~

Zev is my viewpoint character; he's the one driving the story. He's got a single minded crush on Marc, his painfully straight boss. Left to himself, Zev has no work ethic, but he has turned himself into a model employee to please the man. Marc is his perfect fantasy: a nice, successful Jewish guy who knows how to keep Zev in line--hell, if there were any way to make this crush a reality, even Zev's parents would be thrilled.

Finding out that Marc isn't as painfully straight as he thought changes everything. So does the fact that Marc has become re-entangled with Sean, a lover from back in high school. But Zev is undaunted, and sees no reason why he can't share Marc with Sean.

Zev is an optimist. He's also determined, proactive and good at getting his way. But sharing Marc with Sean may be more complicated than he realizes. If polyamorous bliss awaits the three men, it's a long way off . . .

~~

I'm happy with this description and I'm happy with Zev. He's damn pushy, though! He's insisting on narrating this story. That feels right to me--but I know a lot of romance readers don't like the first-person point of view. (Sigh.)

Meanwhile, I have to spend some time fleshing out Marc. And at least Sean--formerly known as 'high school fling' has a name! He's Sean Valencia; half Irish-American, half Columbian. He's a succesful therapist of some sort, but I have to figure out the details.

My Characters Want to be Polyamorous

Not So Safe, my NaNoWriMo novel, was supposed to be a Male/Male love story, with a bit of a triangle. But then I scanned the romance section of the NaNoWriMo forums, and I spotted a Poly Romance thread under the Romance topic. That's all my guys needed to see.

Now, instead of a triangle between Zev, Marc and an as yet-to-be-named high school fling of Marc's, Zev and High School Fling want to agree to a truce. They can share Marc--as long as they can convince him that this is a good idea.

I'm not opposed. But I don't know if Marc will maintain separate relationships with both men, or if the three of them will end up together. Zev and High School Fling will need more than a truce for the latter to work, so I'm thinking the former is more likely. (Plus it leaves the door open for more tension.)

Sigh. So this is what happens when you let your characters boss you around . . .

The NaNoWriMo Blog Chain