The WWIDS Principle

I wrote about seven thousand words yesterday. Which is… moderately insane, but not in any way I want to argue about. My brain just switched on and said write. And I took the opportunity as offered. I don’t argue when the words come. I just crank the volume and hold the laptop close while it burns out of my fingers white hot and my housemate offers me some brandy to wash it down.

The weirdest thing about it isn’t even how fast I’m writing it or the (in some cases) dubious musical choices that I’m using as backing tunes, it’s that I’m writing it in order. I’ve never written a book in order before. Normally I jump about in the book, writing pieces that are all over the place, and then figure out how to bring them together.

And sure, I’ve jumped about a bit with this but in the ‘jumping into the next scene before I’ve finished this one and then going back and finishing them in order’ kind of way. Which isn’t at all the same. And I think I’m only doing that because I’m writing from two different first person perspectives and occasionally I have an idea for the other side that I need to write down before it falls out of my brain to get out of the way of the fire.

Maybe it’s coming out this way because I don’t know what’s going on. I wanted to go with my characters confusion on that, instead of figuring it out. So things just keep happening to them and I’m figuring out how it’s all connected at the same time they do. Which is fun, and disorienting, and disconcerting. And making them and me a little paranoid. I’m used to the omniscience of godhood and they’re… well, I don’t think either of them really saw this coming. Although they could be lying about that.

They’ve already spent a bit of time lying to each other. And trying to save one another’s lives. Which is hilarious because their guiding principles are so different.

Not-Harry (who is currently going by James because… yeah, never mind, still working on that one) thinks that Gray (formerly known as Charles Watson) should simply apply the WWIDS principle (What Would I Do, Silly?) whereas Gray thinks Jamie should try WWYCPD (What Would Your Chess Partner Do?) on the principle that if they’re kicking his ass at chess they’re probably a few steps ahead of him in the real world too.

Also both of them are still a bit drunk. And I got to make a duck joke.