I've taken the plunge! I'm participating in the National Novel Writing Month 2010! :)
You can track my progress here. Below you'll find the first chapter I've finished writing. Bear in mind the idea here is not to edit and be perfect. It's to write without thinking. Editing is saved for December. That in mind, clearly this is far from perfect. It's just my first honest-to-God attempt at writing a novel.... such a big step!!!
Chapter One
Phones clang and fax machines clang at a dizzying pace. The Los Angeles weather outside the imposing thirty-seven story building downtown is a stark contrast to the bustle of the worker bees buzzing their way through the PR firm. In a not-so-special cubicle like any other in the office, two friends gab away while unfinished PhotoShop images burn into their computer screens. The moment shared between the two of them seems more like an image from a sorority house than a professional working environment.
“Oh my God, the man has exquisite taste!” Lilly squeals, examining her friend’s left hand.
“I know, right? I’ve been dropping hints as to what kind of jewelry I admire, but this is unreal. I never imagined he’d pop the question with a rock like this,” Jacqueline blushes.
Lilly slides Jacqueline a wickedly jealous glance before burying her nose back in her computer. Their boss, Mr. Price, walks past our cubicles with such impeccable timing to ruin a giddy moment between two friends. In an authoritative way only he is famous for, Mr. Price nods his head in the direction of their monitors, suggesting that the hard-earned riches he’s cultivated aren’t paying us to giggle wildly like school girls.
Sure, Jacqueline can talk about the ring like it’s an extravagant piece of jewelry unlike anything else she’s ever laid eyes upon. But it means so much more to her than that. While she can appreciate a man with expensive spending habits, the only thing that matters to her in life is love. Robert, Jacqueline’s fiancé, and she have been together six years. While it cliché to say he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her, it does resonates pretty true in Jacqueline’s situation. Before we met she was a fucked up teenager willing to screw anyone who would buy her booze, or worse. To Jacqueline, those days of confusion seem like ages ago. Now she is a modest public relations and event marketing executive and has been clean for five years. And it only gets better; she’s going to marry a six-figure power trading executive. What Robert actually does for a living is beyond Jacqueline, but he does talk about his accounts day-in and day-out and has to frequently leave to New York on business trips. It’s of little importance what he does, because he is the most faithful and sensitive men she’d ever met in her entire life. Jacqueline fell head over heels a long, long time ago.
* * *
Lilly was good enough friends with Jacqueline to pity her. She was appalled that bastard even had the guts to propose to her best friend and that Jacqueline was so blindsided by the proposition she happily obliged. If only she knew what was really going on right underneath her nose. All Robert’s “business trips” were scheduled by his slutty secretary, Eve. She’d been arranging secret rendezvous in New York for the two of them. No expense was spared and Robert had shamelessly written them all off as business expenses. Lilly saw no reason why this would not continue once he was a married man.
The dilemma was a touchy subject. How do you feign genuine excitement for the biggest news of your best friend’s life? She was torn between telling her before the nuptials arrived, or going behind her back and slapping an ultimatum Robert’s way. The confliction of emotions was too much for Lilly to bear; she could not sit back and let this prick rip apart her best friend’s life. Something had to be done.
* * *
During the lunch hour at Price and Watermann Public Relations, Jacqueline could not stop chattering away over her Waldorf salad.
“I already have the perfect little place in mind,” Jacqueline’s wedding details were mind-numbing. It was as if she’d been planning her wedding for the past two years. “There is this gorgeous hotel in Santa Barbara, the Four Seasons, and it’s right on the beach. The views are absolutely breath-taking. Although it would be a perfect little beach wedding, I think the venue’s classy enough that we could make it a little more luxurious than most beach weddings…”
Nervously, Lilly put her hand over her friend’s, “Jacq, isn’t it a little early for all this talk?”
“What? No way. Have you ever been to Santa Barbara recently? You need to move on this kind of thing quickly before the opportunity’s gone. I mean spring is just around the corner and I want to make sure my wedding will be perfect.”
“But honey, shouldn’t you at least talk to Robert before you set your heart on something like this?”
“Are you kidding me?” Jacqueline stopped short of laughing in her friend’s face. “Robert is so preoccupied with work and the new merger they’re trying to land. He basically gave me the green light and specifically told me to spare no expense.”
For a moment, Jacqueline seemed to be transported to a far-off land. Her face twisted into a blissfully pitiful smile as she envisioned her fast-approaching wedding day.
“Robert wants me to be happy. He really is the perfect boyfriend… er, I guess I should be saying fiancé. Gosh that sounds so strange coming out of my mouth! I can’t believe how real this all is.”
Lilly decided to let Jacqueline have her moment for now. Squeezing her hand and reaching for a big embrace she let the tears fall on her shoulder, “I really am so happy for your Jacq. You’ve come so far and you deserve all the happiness in the world.”
The emotion was all genuinely there, but Lilly’s optimism wasn’t. True, she deserved eternal happiness. But Robert did not deserve an ounce of what Jacqueline had to offer. Something needed to be done soon.
You can track my progress here. Below you'll find the first chapter I've finished writing. Bear in mind the idea here is not to edit and be perfect. It's to write without thinking. Editing is saved for December. That in mind, clearly this is far from perfect. It's just my first honest-to-God attempt at writing a novel.... such a big step!!!
Chapter One
Phones clang and fax machines clang at a dizzying pace. The Los Angeles weather outside the imposing thirty-seven story building downtown is a stark contrast to the bustle of the worker bees buzzing their way through the PR firm. In a not-so-special cubicle like any other in the office, two friends gab away while unfinished PhotoShop images burn into their computer screens. The moment shared between the two of them seems more like an image from a sorority house than a professional working environment.
“Oh my God, the man has exquisite taste!” Lilly squeals, examining her friend’s left hand.
“I know, right? I’ve been dropping hints as to what kind of jewelry I admire, but this is unreal. I never imagined he’d pop the question with a rock like this,” Jacqueline blushes.
Lilly slides Jacqueline a wickedly jealous glance before burying her nose back in her computer. Their boss, Mr. Price, walks past our cubicles with such impeccable timing to ruin a giddy moment between two friends. In an authoritative way only he is famous for, Mr. Price nods his head in the direction of their monitors, suggesting that the hard-earned riches he’s cultivated aren’t paying us to giggle wildly like school girls.
Sure, Jacqueline can talk about the ring like it’s an extravagant piece of jewelry unlike anything else she’s ever laid eyes upon. But it means so much more to her than that. While she can appreciate a man with expensive spending habits, the only thing that matters to her in life is love. Robert, Jacqueline’s fiancé, and she have been together six years. While it cliché to say he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her, it does resonates pretty true in Jacqueline’s situation. Before we met she was a fucked up teenager willing to screw anyone who would buy her booze, or worse. To Jacqueline, those days of confusion seem like ages ago. Now she is a modest public relations and event marketing executive and has been clean for five years. And it only gets better; she’s going to marry a six-figure power trading executive. What Robert actually does for a living is beyond Jacqueline, but he does talk about his accounts day-in and day-out and has to frequently leave to New York on business trips. It’s of little importance what he does, because he is the most faithful and sensitive men she’d ever met in her entire life. Jacqueline fell head over heels a long, long time ago.
* * *
Lilly was good enough friends with Jacqueline to pity her. She was appalled that bastard even had the guts to propose to her best friend and that Jacqueline was so blindsided by the proposition she happily obliged. If only she knew what was really going on right underneath her nose. All Robert’s “business trips” were scheduled by his slutty secretary, Eve. She’d been arranging secret rendezvous in New York for the two of them. No expense was spared and Robert had shamelessly written them all off as business expenses. Lilly saw no reason why this would not continue once he was a married man.
The dilemma was a touchy subject. How do you feign genuine excitement for the biggest news of your best friend’s life? She was torn between telling her before the nuptials arrived, or going behind her back and slapping an ultimatum Robert’s way. The confliction of emotions was too much for Lilly to bear; she could not sit back and let this prick rip apart her best friend’s life. Something had to be done.
* * *
During the lunch hour at Price and Watermann Public Relations, Jacqueline could not stop chattering away over her Waldorf salad.
“I already have the perfect little place in mind,” Jacqueline’s wedding details were mind-numbing. It was as if she’d been planning her wedding for the past two years. “There is this gorgeous hotel in Santa Barbara, the Four Seasons, and it’s right on the beach. The views are absolutely breath-taking. Although it would be a perfect little beach wedding, I think the venue’s classy enough that we could make it a little more luxurious than most beach weddings…”
Nervously, Lilly put her hand over her friend’s, “Jacq, isn’t it a little early for all this talk?”
“What? No way. Have you ever been to Santa Barbara recently? You need to move on this kind of thing quickly before the opportunity’s gone. I mean spring is just around the corner and I want to make sure my wedding will be perfect.”
“But honey, shouldn’t you at least talk to Robert before you set your heart on something like this?”
“Are you kidding me?” Jacqueline stopped short of laughing in her friend’s face. “Robert is so preoccupied with work and the new merger they’re trying to land. He basically gave me the green light and specifically told me to spare no expense.”
For a moment, Jacqueline seemed to be transported to a far-off land. Her face twisted into a blissfully pitiful smile as she envisioned her fast-approaching wedding day.
“Robert wants me to be happy. He really is the perfect boyfriend… er, I guess I should be saying fiancé. Gosh that sounds so strange coming out of my mouth! I can’t believe how real this all is.”
Lilly decided to let Jacqueline have her moment for now. Squeezing her hand and reaching for a big embrace she let the tears fall on her shoulder, “I really am so happy for your Jacq. You’ve come so far and you deserve all the happiness in the world.”
The emotion was all genuinely there, but Lilly’s optimism wasn’t. True, she deserved eternal happiness. But Robert did not deserve an ounce of what Jacqueline had to offer. Something needed to be done soon.
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