Yep, JH is already up to 26,134 words–keeping in mind that this is not my NaNo word count (see graphic at right; support your local NaNo Rebel!), but the cumulative word count for the novel. I’ve been plotting in little chunks by working out the general idea of each scene, one chapter at a time, and then writing a detailed guide to the scenes I will write each day. I’ve just gotten into the territory where my existing notes consist of nothing more than notations of which subplot will get how many scenes in the chapter, interspersed with the occasional plot touch point previously marked out. In a week or two, I’ll move into the even more exciting area after my midpoint, where those plot touch points are all I have. I will admit to being totally intimidated by that, but in the spirit of NaNo, I will plunge on ahead bravely. Or foolishly. You decide.
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In other news, I’m out near the Santa Monica mountain range right now and, at or around 7:25 pm, I saw a bright light in the sky. (ETA: Make that last night, because my internet sucks and this post was delayed.) My family all saw it as well. It was comet-shaped (think flaming teardrop), bright orange, and had a smoke tail behind it. I looked at it with binoculars, but I could not make out any details. It faded steadily, ember-like, as it moved south-southeast. But, just before it disappeared behind the trees on the ridgeline, it flared briefly, as though something more on it had ignited.
I’ve been listening to local radio and watching the news, but no one has said anything. I even searched on Twitter to see if someone else had sighted this odd fireball. I’m guessing it was, sadly, some type of plane, with a second engine or fuel tank catching fire to produce that last flare I saw. I was rather hoping it was a UFO. So far, my aunt is the first person I know personally to have some kind of UFO sighting. I think it would be terribly exciting to see one. Still, a plane seems more likely.
The search for an answer did make me realize how, well, out of touch most of our news seems to be. I ran the gamut of sources, starting with radio, then television, then internet for newspaper and television sites, then Twitter for amateur reporting. With all these resources, shouldn’t we be able to get answers faster?
Part of me (not the part that wants to live on an island or in a cave for maximum solitude) longs for the science fictional world where we can create a video capture of anything we see and upload it from our technology-enhanced brains to the net for near instantaneous communication with the digital world. I long for a world where I could stand outside, watching an unknown object in the sky, and immediately record what I’m seeing, get satellite images of it, check news reports, make news reports, and generally plug in to the world around me.
Part of me (possibly the part that does want to live on an island/in a cave) is content to look up and wonder.
JOYCE SULLY :: Why Not Wonder 