November Writing and December Plans

[osprey_archer]

Sleeping Beauty continues to kick my ass, so after much gnashing of teeth I set it aside and have taken out again the m/m Depression-era tramps story that I set aside last December, because at the time it was causing much gnashing of teeth.

Goodness knows what changed in the meantime, because I surely haven’t done much research on that topic since, but now the book and I are getting on like a house on fire. I had about 30,000 words of old draft, and since restarting it on November 23 I'm closing in on 50,000. I expect it will be between sixty and seventy thousand in the end.

I am, rather puzzlingly, writing it more or less backwards, starting at the end and working back toward the beginning. There are enough scenes of old draft (what is missing is the material that links them) so serve as blazes along the way.

I’ve gotten to the part where James gets beaten up by a railroad bull and Timothy tenderly cares for him in the cold dark rain. They end up spending the night at the YMCA hotel, where the gay desk clerk takes one look at them and concludes (erroneously but understandably) that James got beaten up protecting Timothy from homophobic toughs.

Comments

[philomytha]

I’ve gotten to the part where James gets beaten up by a railroad bull and Timothy tenderly cares for him in the cold dark rain. They end up spending the night at the YMCA hotel, where the gay desk clerk takes one look at them and concludes (erroneously but understandably) that James got beaten up protecting Timothy from homophobic toughs.

This sounds extremely relevant to my interests!

[osprey_archer]

This book has it all! H/C, snuggling for warmth, main character stoically repressing his emotions because He Must Get Through This (but eventually it's all too much for him and he does break down a bit), and a name check of mid-twentieth-century gay culture at the YMCA.

[oracne]

Oh No, the Cold Dark Rain.

They Must Huddle For Warmth.

[osprey_archer]

Timothy has to snuggle James very gently on account of how he's just been beaten with a truncheon. The tenderness levels are truly off the charts.

[asakiyume]

Wow, great! You were still in the I'm-not-tackling-this-one phase when you wrote to me last.

[osprey_archer]

Apparently it was my comment on that front that set my brain going "Hmmm. But what if we did, though???"

[sovay]

They end up spending the night at the YMCA hotel, where the gay desk clerk takes one look at them and concludes (erroneously but understandably) that James got beaten up protecting Timothy from homophobic toughs.

I just assume this is directed by William A. Wellman.

[osprey_archer]

The story is indeed HEAVILY influenced by Wild Boys of the Road. No one is going to lose a leg but if I can come up with a place to stick in a shantytown built in giant pipes I absolutely will.

[sovay]

No one is going to lose a leg but if I can come up with a place to stick in a shantytown built in giant pipes I absolutely will.

Hooray!

[littlerhymes]

It's ZOOMING along, wow!

[osprey_archer]

Sometimes writing is a slog and sometimes stories just zoom!

[calandrahunter]

All writing is good writing! Maybe the back of your brain needed to mull something over and now you're at it with fresh energy!

Also, aww yiss tender caring.

[osprey_archer]

I think my brain is just so relieved to be doing something! anything! that is not Sleeping Beauty that it has flung itself upon this alternate story with glad cries. A break! A vacation! A relief!

[calandrahunter]

Whatever gets it to produce words!