Huh

[jmtorres]

So I put all the bits of V60 I've written in one doc and outlined the scenes in between that still need wrote and came up with a current total of ~8300 words. I think that means I still have a long way to go, but it feels less terrifying now that I can identify all the scenes. On the other hand it feels more terrifying that I identified places where I was like "if Matt knows X AND Y, why has he not pennydropped on the whole grand scheme yet?" and also: I can't figure out the order their fates get decided in (Matt, Danny, Harriet, Harriet's baby, Harriet's husband...probably reverse order, except Matt still comes before Danny).

At some point I guessed the whole thing would be about 30,000 words, and I think I'm still right, based on the ratio of what I've written to what I still need to write.

I realized that only one scene I've written is from Danny's POV, and I'm trying to figure out if I want to correct that by swapping over some other scenes or by dropping that scene and having Danny tell Matt about it later. The second sounds easier except for how there's one more scene later that's Danny off doing stuff that Matt doesn't know about, that I don't know how I'll deal with. Maybe he knows Danny went to see Count Vorkosigan but not what came of the meeting, because he's too involved with the Appalling Secrets eating his brain?

I feel like the ending needs some kind of bow tied on top. I don't know what that could be yet.

All of the stuff with Count and Countess Vorkosigan is yet to write. In case you were wondering, Cordelia continues to inflict total awesomitude on Barrayar despite its pleas for mercy. She has a plan to sneakily slip past the Council a bill that would essentially provide a way for any woman on Barrayar to get access to a uterine replicator on the Imperium's dime. Matt is quite impressed when he figures that one out. Also it's probably going to result in marriage law reform. *cough*

Then there's foodness and cluebat to write, and I never did find a place to fit in the detail about Byerly, but it may not be relevant. Also I have to find a way for some detail of Danny's family backstory to tie into the thing Matt is solving as an inspiration, like a "right, Barrayarans are fucking backwards! got it" moment or something, so I can have an excuse to insert that backstory. Maybe what constitutes a mutant at different classes--Danny's family kept his sister, whereas Harriet's mother-in-law killed her daughter.

Comments

[lannamichaels]

Also I have to find a way for some detail of Danny's family backstory to tie into the thing Matt is solving as an inspiration, like a "right, Barrayarans are fucking backwards! got it" moment or something, so I can have an excuse to insert that backstory. Maybe what constitutes a mutant at different classes--Danny's family kept his sister, whereas Harriet's mother-in-law killed her daughter.

Possibly a bit too stereotypical for this purpose, but how about urban vs. rural? The urban may have more options, while the rural poor don't.

[jmtorres]

Oh I don't say there aren't other distinctions but for reasons of "this is who these characters told me they were," Harriet's mother-in-law is like, disgraced Count's-daughter level Vor and Danny's family doesn't even have the extra syllable, and it can't be irrelevant, especially not ~40 years ago. It's also going to be the part that's least intuitive to Matt, that he'll need the kick in the head about.

[niqaeli]

Hm, and class isn't an axis that you can differentiate that on, since Harriet's mother-in-law is Vor and Danny's family are not.

[jmtorres]

Eyebrow. Caste, then.

[niqaeli]

No, right, that sounded stupid. I meant, not the usual way. Danny's family, who kept, were not-Vor. Harriet's mother-in-law, who killed, was Vor. Usually the upper class can better afford to keep around children who aren't going to be useful little workers.

But perhaps she was all invested in Being A Good Barrayarran Vor Woman, instead.

[jmtorres]

I think the Vor are very, VERY invested in "there is no mutancy among us!" and could maybe afford to flaunt Ezar's new laws more regarding not killing babies. Whereas the lower classes--I think there was a shift, with the law; the law made it harder to get away with, so there was probably more of a judgment call made: is there something sufficiently wrong with this baby that it won't be able to work and will be a drain on family resources such that risk of arrest might be acceptable, or will it at least be useful in that sense?