Days 9, 10: 22,465 words

This year is turning out to be the fastest I've ever written anything. It takes very little effort to get going once I start - on the other hand, it doesn't take much to stop, either. I can start and stop and be interrupted and pick up where I left off with ease, which is a lot different from needing big stretches of unbroken time, during which I have no distractions.

I guess to summarize what I'm learning about myself, writingwise: plot and setting needs to be thoroughly detailed before I start. Characters need to be severely underdeveloped before I start. If I have that, writing it takes about as much effort as falling off a log.

Of course, it also feels sort of boring, because there aren't really any surprises. The characters pretty much do what I want them to, and don't deviate much. Still, it's good to know that I can write a passable story this way, if I really wanted.

And the story does appear to be passable. I'm starting to get ideas about its overall structure - which parts of the plot to tell in what order. There seem to be four main subplots:

1. Zombies.
2. A serial killer.
3. Endron oil.
4. A governmental overthrow in Myan.

The first two are pretty well-developed at this point. So far I've only hinted at the fourth. 1, 2, and 4 are all being caused by the demon buried under Fortress Launne, while 3 is a coincidence that works in the demon's favor, and therefore he's trying to exploit it.

So far I'm still writing out the setup. I have no idea what will happen when I actually set the fully explained plot in motion - that is, when I unleash the zombies. Currently they're all sitting in a warehouse awaiting the signal to start their rampage. I guess it depends on how informed and prepared everyone else is when that happens - which I haven't decided yet.

As for what order to put them in, my thoughts at the moment are:
1. I need to write a precursor scene that shows Zeke defeating the Rouge Rogues, and possibly also killing his secretary. That's what sort of sparked it all off.

2. Fast forward to the middle of the tale, where it follows the discovery of the serial killer through the eyes of Suunja Henderson. Keep going on his plotline until he runs into Martha.

3. Stop Suunja's plotline and start at the beginning of Martha's, about Endron Oil. Go until she runs into Suunja.

4. Continue the story from the point of Suunja and Martha meeting each other, until they run into a third subplot (I haven't written far enough yet to know which one it'll be. Tentative speculation suggests the zombie one).

5. Do the zombies subplot and the overthrow of Myan subplot in the same way - Sarabelle of the former has run into Jacob and Kim of the latter now.

6. Once all four of those subplots have run into each other, start over at the beginning of the Rouge Rogue's side of things. Which explains where the zombies, the serial killer, and the governmental overthrow are all coming from.

7. Then move forward from there. The zombies get released, mayhem ensues, etc.

I didn't write as much today as I hoped - got distracted by a quest for sushi that took longer than it should've. Yesterday I got in over 4k words, which is the highest day for this marathon so far. Even so, I'm still about 10k words behind where I want to be. Tomorrow isn't looking too good either, because I have work and some other non-novelling things to do. Wednesday I have a couple appointments as well, though they'll be done with by mid-afternoon. Hopefully I'll manage to catch back up on Wednesday evening and Thursday.