Pass The Plot 2: Discussion Room

That's a great beginning to the story, Joanne! Phew!! I can't wait to see where the first up writer takes this.

And OMG, I was LOL about the keywords. :-)  "Mount"?  "Behemoth?" *snort*

This is gonna be GOOD. I'm so glad I'm not one of the writers this time...I don't think I could do it justice!

I knew that'd be tempting, lol.

Yup, chapters are still 1000 words. Joanne went long but a) it was AWESOME and b) who am I to edit out the awesomeness and c) she's kicking things off, so, really, she can do what she likes, lol. Plus, not sure I mentioned this, it was awesome! LOL.

Let's TRY for PG. PG-13 at least. *Peeking through fingers* And away we go!

Dee, what a fun list of words!!  Who knew my story vocab was so entertaining?  And thank you verry much for letting me run a little long (would that have made me a bad pass the plotter??), but I was so determined to leave everyone with lots of good tidbits to pick up in the ensuing chapters. I figured the more snippets tossed out there, the more fun we'll have watching the story take shape! 

Nessa of the Glen and Curran of Donedin, be still my heart. A medieval Scottish story! 

What a wonderful kick-off chapter. Joanne you Rock!

My brain is buzzing with ideas, but what direction will this take before it gets to chapter six? A sweet young thing, a cackling elderly chaperon, a potentially vile, dastardly brother-in-law. Where is the emoticon that has hands rubbing together?

And Dee, you hand us a word like behemoth and a phrase of 'the knight's broad, muscular thighs' and you want us to keep it PG or PG-13? 

It's so intriguing to my brain that there are 200 words to this story already penned and headed in a direction I can't guess!!!  It's like I handed off the story to an alternate universe and by the time I get it back, it will be all but done.  How nice if I could write all my contracted books that way--- I could pen first chapters like mad, send them off into the world and then see what they turned out to be once they were all grown up. 

Jane, it's quite an understatement to say I can't wait to see what you've got in store for us!!!

Argh, pity me. Just when I thought it would be a quiet month at home (writing and studying for some really important exams), the builders have moved in next door. Three months of loud radio, JCBs, and several muscular men yelling at each other a few yards from my door. And now I have to write the second chapter to Joanne's story ... ?!

These things are sent to try us.

I wrote chapter two of the last Pass the Plot, so I know how hard that spot was!! Good for you for getting it down so quickly. 

I can't *wait* to read what you've got!!   And how you used some of those keywords!

Great first chapter Joanne. I wonder if we're going to take the story in the direction brewing in your mind. Love to know if we were way off the mark after we're done with it.

Now we'll see which direction Jane will take us. I reckon this would be the most difficult point in picking up the gauntlet -  so looking forward to your installment Jane.

Linda 

Linda B., I really hope you won't be disappointed!! I've finished my 1000 words, but am now wondering about what would happen next, so will go back and change something to leave more of an open door for future plot developments. At the moment I've kind of closed off all avenues but one. Which isn't very far to my successors ...

I used to play a lot of pool, for my sins. In one of the games, known as "Killer", you play in a group. You have three lives, but lose one every time you fail to sink a ball, so leaving the player following you tight on the rail is pretty mean, but increases the likelihood that you'll win.

That's not a helpful instinct in Pass the Plot though, so I'm going back to open things up a bit!!

Oh, I haven't made it impossible. No one falls down a well, for instance, or is abducted by aliens. I just meant when I first wrote the chapter I was focused on my own little segment of the story, and now I'm thinking of the people who have to follow me and how the plot might be developed.

It'll be fine. Wait and see!

So here's the thing, ladies. I'm right here, waiting in the middle. We can do this the easy way ... or ... 

I can't wait to see how this thing grows!! I'm so excited to be a part of this. Thanks, RandomChooserGuy

 - Genevieve 

...to reading the next chapter!  Have fun ladies.  We readers are!

Not to worry about not hearing from Dee.  It is Mother's Day, and I think the last time I checked on her Facebook, the twins were sick.  Looks as though they might be better, but even so...  I'm sure she'll get back to you as soon as she can!  *hug*

<Squeal!> We're off and running to the Highlands!  Jane, what a fabulous job you've done here!  I really like how you upped the sexual tension and gave us some firm, new direction.  All the while skillfully handing off the chaperone .  I do like the backstory you've hinted at... can't wait to hear what other reasons Curran might have for seeking Nessa out.  Clearly, he remembers her better than she recalls him.  She left a lasting impression! 

Great job on weaving in the points words too... that was a tricky job well done!  I wonder why Curran is in every bit as much of a hurry to head North as Nessa?  Is it just for her protection?  Or does he have reasons of his own?  So much to think about here!  I'll be turning this around in my head all day.  As, I imagine, our chapter three writer will be!!

Jane, well done with moving the story along and getting in the point words!  You don't make it easy for the rest of us.  Wow! Too soon for me to writing, but it does have me thinking...

Great job. 

I noticed your sig line and had to find out what the Big Finish is?  Is that a Write Stuff program too?  I haven't spent enough time on this board!!  There's definitely fun stuff going on.  I really admire the way HQ makes lots of great tools available to new writers (well, for established writers too!).  But since eHQ didn't exist when I was an unpub, I don't know as much about the progams out there now.  Do tell!!

And I thought following the awesome first chapter would be hard. Chapter two was an equally wonderful read. I know I couldn't have done so well, even though I participated in last year's Pass the Plot. Great job! I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Dee: as your backup count person I sort of tallied up 151 points. I double checked by copying/pasting and red lettering the key words/phrases. I'm pretty confident with that count. Still, woooooeee... that's some point count.

 Let me know if I erred.

Tabitha, I think that would be brilliant. Curran of Donedin, a medieval vampire. Then we could flash-forward to the Scottish Borders, 2009, with him driving some snazzy sports car with black-tinted windows as he retraces that fateful journey with Nessa of the Glen, nine hundred years earlier, and wonders if he made a mistake that night. That's why he's in such a hurry, of course. It was fine to be out and about in the shady forest during the afternoon, but once dawn comes ...

Lol.

151 points sounds excellent to me! Though I have no idea how many I should have, not having counted them myself, and am a little embarrassed to have clocked up that many points.  (Hmm, perhaps I should have said "Inconthievable!" at that points count - Princess Bride being one of my favourite films too, Deb!)

Yes, got to second that from Joanne about Jake and Shanna in your Big Finish piece, Jodie. I read it with real pleasure. All your characters are exceptionally well-drawn and enticing. I'm amazed you're not out there in book form already ... and I want to know more about those two!!

Thank you! *blushing*  Jane, I'm trying really hard to get published! I've got 3 R's under my belt (*sigh*) but not giving up!! I'm still trying to find my niche, I think. I write all over the board...Supers, Paranormal (sort of Nocturne Light!), and Spice.  I'm just finishing up a piece to submit to Spice Briefs...so we'll see! :-)   And Joanne, that idea took forever to come to me! I love the contests, and I read the opening paragraph and thought "well, crud. I know nothing about historical!"  I was in the car with DH, coming home from somewhere, listening to an audiobook (we always have one or another in the car!)  and I thought "YES! Finally!" The piece practically wrote itself after that, LOL. 

Thank you both for the kind words! They mean a lot!

until we get to read the next chapter! Woo hoo!!! Can't wait to see where Linda takes it!

That sounds interesting. Will we need to cover our eyes?!

Really looking forward to Chapter Three now! 

Just read Chapter Three, and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this story, you all are doing an AMAZING job.  Medievals are my absolute fave historical read, and you've all got me hooked.   Loved the way Linda wove some backstory into this chapter, and the humour over the pillow was such a nice touch, these little things really breath life into a character.  I also thought Jane was brilliant in coming up with the ailing nanny and sidetrip to the monastery...adding historical flavor and context to the story.  NICE!

Jayne

JV and Jayne, thank you so very much.

I tried hard, believe me. I decided the story needed a little hero POV, and I like my heroes to be essentially decent men.

I also like a strong heroine. And I like humor, so all of my stories have some.

I have an idea of what I would like the ending to be, but I've had my turn.

If my medieval doesn't sound right, please tell me where I went wrong. I usually write Regencies.

Nancy, good luck, and you'll do just fine.

Linda

i am so loving this story (and a tad bit jealous). the writing is superb, i doubt i could even begin to match it. i like to read, but not any good at writing historicals.

 hiya Dee... do you want me to send you the point total i get? just wondering...