I have often said that I hate my brain.

But, this morning? I'm going to have to take that back.

I started writing this scene yesterday. It was supposed to be a kind of throwaway bar fight, Ben's had a bad day and this is why he's having (yet another) nightmare.

BUT THEN.

I realized, late in the day, that this scene sets up the pivotal one where he ends up back on the table for good. Rather than "random vampire is pissed at him in general because he's a werewolf, and taunting the werewolf is fun when he can't fight back," now it's "this gorram dog did fight back and nothing bad happened to him, so vengeance is mine."

NOT ONLY THAT.

But in the scene where Ben does the thing that puts him back on the table, he very coldly snaps the silver lock (burning his hand, not that he cares) and then takes the collar off. This is because, if he Changes with it on, it will choke him. But I didn't get to mention that in this scene. HOWEVER. In the bar fight, I can mention that Ben doesn't Change because if he does, the collar will choke him. Also, wolf shoulders aren't built for wolf forelegs to be fastened behind a wolf back. I would think that some sort of painful dislocation at the least, if not actual breakage, might occur, if he tried to Change with his wrists fastened behind him with the cuffs.

So. Not only is this scene integral to my Plot, but it also sets up actual information for later.

Good Brain. Have a cookie.

I have often said that I hate my brain.

But, this morning? I'm going to have to take that back.

I started writing this scene yesterday. It was supposed to be a kind of throwaway bar fight, Ben's had a bad day and this is why he's having (yet another) nightmare.

BUT THEN.

I realized, late in the day, that this scene sets up the pivotal one where he ends up back on the table for good. Rather than "random vampire is pissed at him in general because he's a werewolf, and taunting the werewolf is fun when he can't fight back," now it's "this gorram dog did fight back and nothing bad happened to him, so vengeance is mine."

NOT ONLY THAT.

But in the scene where Ben does the thing that puts him back on the table, he very coldly snaps the silver lock (burning his hand, not that he cares) and then takes the collar off. This is because, if he Changes with it on, it will choke him. But I didn't get to mention that in this scene. HOWEVER. In the bar fight, I can mention that Ben doesn't Change because if he does, the collar will choke him. Also, wolf shoulders aren't built for wolf forelegs to be fastened behind a wolf back. I would think that some sort of painful dislocation at the least, if not actual breakage, might occur, if he tried to Change with his wrists fastened behind him with the cuffs.

So. Not only is this scene integral to my Plot, but it also sets up actual information for later.

Good Brain. Have a cookie.

More flailing about.

Part of my problem with the new novelthing is that I've been lacking a Villain.

The lady!vampire started out that way. And then, as all good characters do (and I don't mean "good" as in "good vs evil"), she evolved. She's not the villain. She doesn't want to hurt Ben and does, in fact, have his best interests--as she sees them--at heart.

Now, what she sees as his bests interests aren't, necessarily. In fact, Ben himself rather vehemently disagrees with her on what his best interests are. But this doesn't make her the Villain. This makes her the Contagonist.

The three main Plots are: Man vs Nature, Man vs Man, and Man vs Himself. I had the Man vs Nature (or the environment) conflict going pretty well there. The Man vs Himself conflict was cooking merrily along. You'd think this would be enough conflict, but it really wasn't. I still wanted to have a Man vs Man conflict as well. Some would say this is because I like throwing 90mph curveballs at Ben's head. They may very well be correct. Because I can be a bitch like that.

Anyway. Now that I've got this vampire guy who is pissed at him for being the Uppity Cur Who Doesn't Know His Place in the Natural Order of Things...my actual Plot is coming together very nicely. Instead of this just being a random collection of "How can I hurt Ben today and make him fall apart in the worst possible way" scenes, I have something that will tie them all together and have them make some semblance of narrative sense.

I've been pounding away at this thing, word-vomiting away. I've been pleased with it, but not Happy. Now? I am Happy. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to turn it into something Special.

In other news, we're heading out to Moab tomorrow, as the handsome and talented kurukami is going there. We shall visit Arches National Park, I think, and possibly take him jeeping, I'm thinking up Poison Spider Trail. The Willys is in primo condition after getting the radiator fixed, and this can be a nice little shakeout cruise for it. I may be scarce on LJ for the next couple of days.

More flailing about.

Part of my problem with the new novelthing is that I've been lacking a Villain.

The lady!vampire started out that way. And then, as all good characters do (and I don't mean "good" as in "good vs evil"), she evolved. She's not the villain. She doesn't want to hurt Ben and does, in fact, have his best interests--as she sees them--at heart.

Now, what she sees as his bests interests aren't, necessarily. In fact, Ben himself rather vehemently disagrees with her on what his best interests are. But this doesn't make her the Villain. This makes her the Contagonist.

The three main Plots are: Man vs Nature, Man vs Man, and Man vs Himself. I had the Man vs Nature (or the environment) conflict going pretty well there. The Man vs Himself conflict was cooking merrily along. You'd think this would be enough conflict, but it really wasn't. I still wanted to have a Man vs Man conflict as well. Some would say this is because I like throwing 90mph curveballs at Ben's head. They may very well be correct. Because I can be a bitch like that.

Anyway. Now that I've got this vampire guy who is pissed at him for being the Uppity Cur Who Doesn't Know His Place in the Natural Order of Things...my actual Plot is coming together very nicely. Instead of this just being a random collection of "How can I hurt Ben today and make him fall apart in the worst possible way" scenes, I have something that will tie them all together and have them make some semblance of narrative sense.

I've been pounding away at this thing, word-vomiting away. I've been pleased with it, but not Happy. Now? I am Happy. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to turn it into something Special.

In other news, we're heading out to Moab tomorrow, as the handsome and talented kurukami is going there. We shall visit Arches National Park, I think, and possibly take him jeeping, I'm thinking up Poison Spider Trail. The Willys is in primo condition after getting the radiator fixed, and this can be a nice little shakeout cruise for it. I may be scarce on LJ for the next couple of days.

afdklszj;akjs;asdl;

ARGH.

Okay, so I've got this scene, and suddenly this other scene makes more sense, right?

Except the other scene only makes more sense in my head rather than on the screen, and both of them are going to require a massive edit job in order to make actual sense.

*headdesk*
*facepalm*

WHYWHYWHY do I do these things to myself?

I tell myself it's because I don't outline. And then I ask myself "Why outline when you could be actually writing?" And I answer that question thusly:

BECAUSE OF SITUATIONS JUST LIKE THIS, DUMBASS.

On the plus side, one of these scenes just got a massive upswing in dramatic tension--or it will once I properly edit it. Win?

afdklszj;akjs;asdl;

ARGH.

Okay, so I've got this scene, and suddenly this other scene makes more sense, right?

Except the other scene only makes more sense in my head rather than on the screen, and both of them are going to require a massive edit job in order to make actual sense.

*headdesk*
*facepalm*

WHYWHYWHY do I do these things to myself?

I tell myself it's because I don't outline. And then I ask myself "Why outline when you could be actually writing?" And I answer that question thusly:

BECAUSE OF SITUATIONS JUST LIKE THIS, DUMBASS.

On the plus side, one of these scenes just got a massive upswing in dramatic tension--or it will once I properly edit it. Win?