Thursday, August 8, 2013

David Wymack & The Monsters

+ What's on: Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own, by U2

Confession: I am not a U2 fan. But in every version of the Foxes' playlist this has been David's theme song. It got hooked into place when I heard the lines Listen to me now. I need to let you know: you don't have to go it alone. The rest of it is hit and miss, but it's still appropriate in a lot of ways. None of the Foxes have positive relationships with their fathers--half of them don't even know who their fathers are.

Anyway, I digress.

Here's a story (that took too long to write, for how short & rough it is) of how David Wymack meets Andrew's group. Takes place shortly after Kevin & Andrew's first meeting.


Friday, May 10, 2013

Kevin and Andrew

+ What's on: Come What May, by Scene Aesthetic

This back-story takes place roughly two years before the start of Foxhole Court, during the twins' senior year at Macon High School in Columbia, South Carolina. The Ravens offered Andrew a contract with them but were rejected. Now they've come in person to see why.

Apologies if it reads rough; the original version was from Andrew's POV and I rewrote it with the help of copious amounts of wine.



Monday, May 6, 2013

you're getting used to the rocks at the bottom

+ What's on: Let it Hurt, by Rascal Flatts

- I'm sorry, lovies; I don't have new news on book 2. As soon as I do you'll be the first to know. I promise I'm working on it! Trying my best with book 3, too, but book 3 is kicking me in the teeth at every available opportunity. There's an entire chunk I'm ripping out that'll affect everything from the middle onward. I also seriously want to rearrange part of the timeline because it'll make more sense if it's flipped, but unless I handle it right I'll wreck my fragile relationship.

- Regarding the aforementioned relationship---yes, the trilogy is supposed to have one, and it will, it's just the slowest thing in the entire world. You might've noticed while reading book 1 that Neil has a couple trust issues. Those are kind of bogging everything down and frustrating the ever-living hell out of me. If I could just throw these two at each other I swear I would.

- In between the hair-pulling and story-wrecking I'm working on the back-stories. There are a couple I never got around to writing and a couple I have to rewrite from scratch on account of the changed relationships and such, but. Some will be up before book 2 is released, others will have to wait until after. Half of them are the meet-and-greets: Kevin meeting the twins, Andrew meeting Coach, etc. Eventually I want to edit Renee & Andrew's story. It's Renee's POV of the cousins' freshman year and last I checked it was some 25,000 words long. That's definitely going to have to wait.

Some real-life nonsense:
a. Still working at the call center, but at the start of the month our project switched from paying us per call to paying us per minute of what they call production time--that is, time we're actually on the phone. Since we're inbound only and can't control the call volume, no one on the project is happy. I suppose the real riots will start when we see our first paychecks. Should be interesting.

b. Went to Universal Studios Orlando to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Absolutely amazing. Not looking forward to getting that credit card bill though.

c. Picked up Star Wars: The Old Republic because my sister is into it. Gives us something to do together besides rant about our respective uncooperative stories. Nothing says stress relief like force-choking one's enemies.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Dan Wilds & David Wymack

+ What's on: Gothic Messiah, by Future World Music

All of the impossible things of the Foxhole stories, all of the liberties I've taken, all of the convenient, self-indulgent bloodbaths--and Wymack is still one thing I find the most unbelievable. In the best of ways, but still. He is probably the only positive father figure I will ever write.

I can't tell anymore how strong his presence is in the book; I've rewritten the trilogy so many times I can't always tell how much has been left on the cutting room floor. I read and reread but I read between the lines to the dozen-odd backstories, the hundred-odd scenes I've pulled and set aside. All I can do is hope he shines through as the one piece the Fox line cannot exist without.

One Fox in particular would be nothing and no one without him. I've always loved Dan & Wymack's relationship, but every draft pushes it further and further into the background. A couple years back I tried to write Dan's story for NaNoWriMo. I never got far, just barely far enough to win NaNo, and I regret that. I wanted not only to have a "girl power" sports story but to have more time to explore their relationship. It's too personal to be father/daughter, too devoted to be coach/captain. D.W. & D.W.

Also: Dan is also the only Fox who knows Wymack's story. Wymack and Neil touch on Wymack's family in Raven King, but only in passing. Dan is the only Fox Wymack's ever felt compelled to explain himself to in full.

Here's how they first met. It's a little rough, because I've never properly edited it, but. Also, it was written so long ago the timeline is off a little bit, but the general idea is still the same.