As of today, I'm working in earnest on chapter 19 (tentatively titled "Struck Senseless"), and am now 983 words into it. As you can probably tell, I've elected to skip writing an introspective "acclimating to baby" chapter (we can acclimate to the baby a few paragraphs at a time over a series of chapters instead) and skipping several weeks of ( Read more... )

Posted chapter 18 ("Beautiful is the Child") at approximately 4:00 A.M. today, detailing the hours up to and including Wyatt's birth. I was exhausted all day--which work didn't help--but it was worth it! I'm satisfied with the way the chapter came out, especially as it was so long in coming. Still, all the research I did ultimately paid off: I ( Read more... )

I know I said I'd post Monday or Tuesday, and that it's nearly Friday now. My apologies--"best-laid plans" and all--but we're in the middle of a heat wave (the thermometer hit 104 F/40 C at one point yesterday), and all my energy's been going into staying at a semi-tolerable temperature. I have been working on the chapter, but given that my mood ( Read more... )

Added another couple hundred words to chapter 18...I'm beginning to think I really should have begun when Piper was already in active labor, as opposed to lying in bed waiting for active labor to start (especially considering passive labor can take up to 20 hours in first-time mothers). As it is, though, she is where she is, and I really don't ( Read more... )

I did some work on chapter 18 yesterday--just a few paragraphs' worth, but they were excellent paragraphs (I'm currently in the middle of a pre-birth conversation between Phoebe and Piper), so I consider it time well spent. Scenes involving the whole family can be a bit more difficult to work with, since there are more personalities in play and ( Read more... )

First off, my heartfelt thanks to all of chapter 17's reviewers--I saved your comments to read on my birthday and rode the resulting wave of euphoria all day long ( Read more... )

Chapter 17 is posted early! This should give everyone plenty of time to review, and--hopefully--make up a bit for the lateness of the previous chapter. (Once more, my sincere apologies for that ( Read more... )

I seem to be making up for nearly two months of writer's block and Real Life all at once--chapter 17 of TRD (definitively titled "Five Together Stand Entwined") is complete in rough form and ready for preliminary editing first thing in the morning, so there'll be no need to worry about another lengthy wait...I'll post as planned on Sunday (or ( Read more... )

CHAPTER 16 IS POSTED! Pardon the capitals, but I'm just that happy about it--you would not believe how great I feel right now! (Of course, part of that could be hyperactivity due to sleep deprivation, as it's now nearly 3:00 A.M., but let's not go there.) I'm back on my regular writing schedule, inspiration has finally struck, and it should be ( Read more... )

Yes, I know it's been awhile, but I have great news! I have hit a breakthrough with Chapter 16 (now definitively titled "Preparations Begin"), and it's about 70% complete! A few new plot points have popped up (who knew spontaneity was such a great thing?), and I've moved emphasis off protection during the magic-outage--which I've taken care of-- ( Read more... )