Camp NaNoWriMo August 2011 - Day 2

[ladyseishou]

Day 2 - 29 days remaining



A word is a bud attempting to become a twig.
How can one not dream while writing?
It is the pen which dreams.
The blank page gives the right to dream.

- 
Gaston Bachelard

So the hard part is behind us, right? We've conquered the "blank page" and have forged bravely ahead, planting the seeds of our hero's story to see what blooms in the weeks ahead. And don't worry if you think that you're only going to get weeds. Even the dandelion has its uses, its own charms. So write on Nano Writer! Write on!

The word count today is 3,225 but remember it's still really just 538 words three times over the day, a handful of words, barely enough to describe what your character's wearing or what he or she's doing standing at the kitchen sink holding that bloody knife...

Questions, excerpts to share, recipes for dandelion wine? It's all good! Keep writing, Nano Writer!

Comments

[dark_kana]

Right *cracks fingers* I wrote quite a lot yesterday. :p I think I've reached yesterday's goal. *strikes fist in the air* I might manage today's deadline. *crosses finger*

Anyone who wants to join a cabin? :-) I really should have asked that yesterday. *headdesks*

[ladyseishou]

That's the spirit! Great job!

[otter_nanowrimo]

Managed 2,389 words of nothing for day one, and am a little shocked at myself. Did you know? Magic is the opposite of entropy. I didn't know either!

[ladyseishou]

I like that idea: magic is the opposite of entropy. It implies a lot. Keep it coming!

[otter_nanowrimo]

3,798 as the day comes to a close. Today I brought a journal with me everywhere and actually did a lot of "oh, I have a few minutes? I should write!" But I didn't really learn anything new about the world.

Magic is not exactly the opposite of entropy. Magic is a power, like energy, that reacts to and can make changes in matter. In my world but more advanced, magic would run through circuit boards in the same way electricity does. (Unless my world is more advanced and I just don't know it yet.) However, when matter reacts to energy, it tends to go from a more organized state to a less organized state, and that's entropy. When matter does that, it's called physics or chemistry. When matter reacts to magic, it likes to go from less organized states to more organized states. And that's why magic makes matter do things that aren't possible under the laws of physics!

Or something like that. I haven't quite thought it through yet. I have decided that elves are long-lived because their biology involves both body chemistry and "body alchemy," the magical equivalent. The more anyone uses magic, the longer they'll tend to live, because their body alchemy reverses most of the aging processes, but elves are particularly well-built for this.

I hope you don't mind me rambling at you! Trying to think through all the implications of this setup is difficult, and it helps to try and organize it for someone else. I do wish I knew a bit more biology and chemistry than I do... and some extra physics would help, too. I just have the feeling that magic isn't something mystical, it's something scientific.

And thanks to writing this out, I've decided I need to advance my civilization a couple of centuries. See how helpful you are!

[ladyseishou]

Very nice job with your word count!

And I love rambling! You know what Mr. Clarke says: any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Matter, I believe, as revealed by Dr. Einstein, is just another form of energy hence the power of the atom bomb. It sounds perhaps the "magic" in your world is a way to make matter (more organized state) from energy (less organized state), sort of working the equation backwards. Maybe?

So your "magical" agent (magic field?) could be responsible for reversing the damage done on a cellular level by rebuilding (matter "magically" created from energy?) telomeres on the end of chromosomes (if you subscribe to the telomere theory of aging) that would allow for continual cell division to ensure the health of body tissues like bone marrow and in effect, stopping the aging process.

Most of this stuff I read off of Wikipedia (under aging) and I suspect is more than you need for your story. But fascinating stuff!

And elves! Very cool!

[originalpuck]

I've definitely hit my goal for the day, which is a good thing. I keep finishing scenes/chapters and having no idea where to go, though, since I decided to completetly set aside my old idea a few hours before this month's session began. I mean, I'm not a planner by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm usually not this big of a pantser, either.

Oh well, here's to exciting and random new writing adventures to come!

[ladyseishou]

Great job hitting your goal! And three cheers for taking on a new writing adventure! You'll do great! Your muse and characters won't let you down but if you need any help just give a holler - lots of smart people lurk around here.

I'm also fond of asking my characters "why" when I'm stuck and then find I'm quite busy typing up their answers...

[medicalmouse]

I'm actually right on track, which surprised me since I spent most of yesterday and today actually working out some of the big plot points. But I have a basic outline for the month and 3450 words on top of that, so I'm very happy!

[ladyseishou]

Your word count is a beautiful thing! And kudos for the big plot points! Well done!

[rhosyn_du]

Made my word count with just minutes to spare, which I'm pretty proud of seeing as how I didn't even get home until after 10:30. If I can manage it again tomorrow, I'll be even happier.

[ladyseishou]

Well done!