Writing Log #2 - Get up here and have some pizza with me, dork.

Wrapping up my work week with another writing log!

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On the art side, I'm uploading the original resolution of that one Lulu illustration I really like. Skating is everything to her, and there's a lot of pizza in the first book, so it felt thematic.

The other one is a mystery character design--you've also seen them on the previous group pic, but there isn't much I can say without entering big spoiler territory. I thought it'd be fun to drop them in today's post because their appearance is so far off, which lines up with most of the work I did this week.

(Starting Monday, my full-time OC weeks will have 3 writing days and 2 art/misc days; I've been feeling a lot of pressure to make something "upload-worthy" on just one day per week. I wanna take more time and draw more concept art too!)

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Early this week, I finalized the major events of the backstory/lore and the ending. That's obviously even more spoiler territory, so my plan of showing some whiteboard sketches and notes didn't really come to fruition, oops. But I'm happy to spoil that the ending has a bittersweet vibe to it, and I'm really excited about giving this journey life. (The romance will be alive and well because, y'know, I'm very normal about my lead duo.)

As planned, I finished writing the first draft for chapter 2. We learn a lot about the setting (and about the many things yet to be figured out!), but my personal highlights are all of Lulu and Alvin's silly interactions, of course. At this point it's impossible for me to predict what I'll end up drastically changing or removing during editing, so every snippet should be fun to look back at in the future.

I turn to him. "How long were we in there?"

"Sure it was only a few minutes from when I booted up," he says. "I would be happy to provide the exact duration down to picoseconds."

If I remember correctly, that's one trillionth of a second.

"Oh. That might not be accurate enough," I say dryly.

"I'm sorry, User Lulu. Your request exceeds my technical capabilities," Alvin responds, visibly downcast. "I will do whatever it takes to improve my services."

Great, now I feel bad.

"No, I—I was joking," I tell him, hoping he understands I'm being sincere this time.

"Ah, I know we're just messin' with each other," Alvin says, switching to what appears to be his default happy expression. "Limited to picoseconds! I mean, can you imagine?"

No matter how much planning I do and how much I imagine the characters interacting with each other in my head, a lot of traits don't really manifest until I actively start writing something. Alvin seems to have developed a specific brand of humour in which it's impossible to tell he's joking until he points it out in a way that reveals something unhinged about himself or the world around them. (Or is that the joke? We'll probably never know.)

There's three instances of that happening in the second chapter--which feels like I'll have to cut one or two, but I'm certainly taking it as a sign that this trait was always meant to be a thing. Let me just throw in one more.

I flip through the imaginary menu in my head and literally every single page says the same thing. "Pizza."

"What kind of pizza?"

"Onions, broccoli," I say and then decide to really test the system he has running here, "and pickles."

"Certainly, User Lulu." Alvin nods. "Although I am legally obligated to tell you that those toppings are slightly unethical."

"Come on, what's wrong with pickles?"

"I'm just joking," he assures me. "I'm under no obligations whatsoever regarding ethics and will do whatever my user asks of me."

This is one hundred percent inspired by the many times my friend makes fun of me for allegedly questionable food choices I make. Can't imagine why, pickles make everything better and I will defend them with my life.

My favourite bit is probably that this implies Lulu immediately knows and has felt that comedic pain as well. As they say, write what you know.

"A drink to go with that, perhaps?"

There's one thing that would definitely put me into a deep sleep later. "Do you have beer?"

He looks a little offended. "Only the finest from simulated Ireland."

"In that case, I'll have a simulated Smithwick's," I say with a concerning degree of normalcy to it. "And whatever it is that you wanna have."

I can't believe Lulu just asked if they have beer at a pub. (Trust me, it makes a lot of sense in context--but more on that, probably, when I'm going through the entire book for editing.)

This early into writing, I don't worry about things like making up fake brand names because I don't want to lose time thinking about that when I could just as well do legal research on an off day instead. That being said, I think Smithwick's might be more inclined to agree to a brand deal than YouTube, which I described as 'giving people brainworms' today. (I did give it credit where it's due, so maybe that balances it out.)

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Today I wrapped up the week by starting the first draft for chapter 3, which made it to 2,200 words. But more on that next Friday! I'm currently catsitting and we're saying goodbye to the li'l kibby on Monday, so I'm getting ready for a comfy cuddly weekend with the fur friend.