And So It Begins...

I am at just over 1,000 words, and am calling it for tonight... will come back to the story tomorrow. Here is the beginning of my novel, it introduces the three characters: Grace, the eldest, Hope, the middle, and Prudence, the youngest. I am writing about them as adults but introduced them as children first.
Here it is:
"Three little girls, all in a row. They lay side by side in the bed that last year might have been big enough for the three of them. At bedtime there was giggling, and arguing, and pushing, and fighting. But now, deep asleep, they are still. Three little girls, with long, dark hair, curling just a bit at the ends, slightly damp, from sweat, or from a bath, we can’t tell. They lie so close to each other, their hair is intertwined. Three little girls, all sweet breath and soft sighs, and velvety flannel nightgowns, worn thin with use. They lie out of order, with the littlest in the middle, because she is the youngest she gets the least preferred place. No space to stick a long leg out to catch the fresh air, shuttered in by her two older sisters. Laying on her side, she clutches a lock of her hair (hers or her sister’s, we can’t tell), her thumb in her mouth. She’ll wreck her teeth, (got to stop her from doing that, got to stop her, Frank, it’s gotta stop). The baby still has the round cheeks of young childhood, and if she were awake we’d see her dimples and her sweet, happy smile.
The middle child lies on the left, a frown creasing her brow. Is it a bad dream? Or is it her usual expression? A bad dream we’ll say. She faces the baby sister, all long lashes and freckles, her nightgown short on legs that seem to have grown a foot since last summer. As she sleeps she lays her arm protectively across her younger sister, when in wakefulness she would have shoved her away.
The oldest lies on the right, her arm tucked under her head, her face in her sister’s long hair. In order to not fall out of the bed, she has to hold her young sister close. Her expression, even in sleep is serious, the responsibility of being the eldest etched in her features, a part of her. Three little girls in three short years. There is not much space between the oldest and the youngest. In grown up years the difference is nothing, but in child years, it is everything. And these patterns, once established, will never change."

At Midnight Tonight...

...the train departs. 50,000 words, 3(1) days... Shit is about to get real, people. Are you ready?

Three Sister... Three Plots... WTF is my problem?

I have been thinking some more about my novel, and am finding it pretty much impossible to plan beyond just thinking about who my characters are. I have decided to stick with my idea of naming each sister after a virtue... the names are Grace, Hope (I think), and Prudence. I am still working out exactly what the deal is with these characters, but they are three very different women, encountering three very different issues in life.
As usual, there will be flashbacks to childhood, to see the formative years of these gals... still trying to work out who Tim will be in this book and what relevance he will have to which of the women. Gordon will make an appearance for sure... but mainly, I am trying to leave things pretty open and discover what is going to happen as I go.
Even getting into the initial planning stages of this novel is complex because I have three plot lines, and I am wondering if I am setting myself up for massive frustration/depression/a whole lot of nothing happening in my book. But then again, isn't that what NaNoWriMo (and particularly EsNoWriMo) is all about?? Can I get a hell yeah?
Why this picture of Taylor Kitsch as a hockey player? Why not is what I have to say in response. The truth is, I did a google image search of "Taylor Kitsch drunk", but a picture of Mel Gibson came up and I simply couldn't bring myself to post it in my blog. So this is what we've come to. Could be a long summer.

People Get Ready

Another summer of jeers, beers, and more than a few tears. I admit that at times I question the sanity of this venture, but I am always glad that I do it, mainly for the bragging rights and the time with my sisters; drinking, noveling, and generally making ourselves more and more unappealing to outsiders.
My signature drink this summer will likely be the White Russian... inspired by 'the Dude' from The Big Lebowski, a person I aspire to emulate- except I really don't want anyone to break into my house and urinate on my area rug.
My novel this summer is about three sisters... each one will be facing a different crisis. I need some ideas for life crises, so please post ideas in your comments. Also, I was planning to call the sisters Faith, Hope, and Charity- a sort of themed name system, but am not sure I can get behind any of those names... again, suggestions?