Progress. Also, looking ahead to NaNo '09.

It's been a little too long since I've updated. I apologize. I don't have some amazing excuse.

I haven't had a chance to read much lately (I haven't read anything in the last 2 months, which is highly unusual for me). I did see the 6th HP movie, which rekindled the desire to reread the books (went with a few people, and we spent lunch afterward discussing movie vs book canon). So that *may* happen in the next few weeks. I may have more time for reading, come mid-August. I'm hoping so.

I am still writing the fantasy. I have two friends working as beta readers. One has a degree in Creative Writing, and the other describes herself as someone like my "average reader" or target audience. It's good to have feedback from both. They each have a favorite character (or two) picked out, and they have picked different ones. That makes me feel a little better--more than one of my characters are likable, and it means that some of the characteristics I was trying to showcase actually came through in execution. I am writing the eighth chapter now, and so far, the story's about 180 pages. I'd say it's close to half done. It's about to take a fun turn here, in chapter eight. I'm looking forward to that part.

I still don't have a title for this story, but I'm much closer on that front. I have it narrowed down to the type of idea I want conveyed in the title. Hm. That sounds odd. Basically, there are three or four words that I'd like included in the title in some way (it doesn't have to be all four). So I'm currently brainstorming ideas and alternate words and phrases around these words, to see what comes up. Kind of like free association. Once I pick a title, I'll post about it.

The next story I do will likely be the fifth idea I've had (the one that came with a title). Yes, it will be out of order, but this idea forms more and more as time goes on, while the YA urban fantasy hasn't given me a lot in the way of new ideas. There have been a few (I've figured out who/what the sidekick is, and their personality. I might even have figured out who they're being named after), but not as many as with the other story. That one's either urban fantasy or magical realism. It could lean either way. I still have some time to decide. It'll be this year's NaNoWriMo piece. Speaking of, I've found some more friends who will be participating this year, and while none of the new NaNo friends are local (one on the West Coast, two in the UK), it will still be fun. We can still communicate through the Chat. I'm looking forward to it.