276 Pages! And on a Parallel Scene

6/2/2018

This morning, I cranked out a parallel scene in The Harvest of a fight scene in the arena. However, I want to tweak the point of view, so that Ashley notices things that Alan does not because she should know more about combat moves. The results of the battle will still be the same, but perception is never really 100% anyway.

I am also really excited that I reached 276 pages of my novel! I thought this piece would be done at 300 pages, but that's not how this work is developing. Anyway, it's always better to produce more and cut down, and right now, some sections need more narration. They are dialogue heavy, but this is a draft after all, and I have gotten well beyond the previous three versions of this novel. All of this territory has been new for some sections, now, but I like how this novel is developing and know I will finish by June 2018.

Well, in real life, I am off to do some essay reading for my regular job. I also designated this as "cleaning day", and my poor spouse has been working on the dining room, while I have been happily writing away. Chores, here I come.

Write first. Everything else will take care of itself. #Resist

4 Comments

Spencer link

6/2/2018 10:36:34 pm

Congratulations on reaching page 276! You’re one step closer to completing your book!

Jesu Estrada

6/5/2018 12:36:16 pm

Thank you for the kudos! I aim for 10 pages a day, but I don't get down when I can't get there.

Tish link

6/3/2018 12:56:58 pm

I too, am struggling with starting Draft 2 and getting my house clean before company arrives later in the month. Congrats on setting a goal and striving to achieve it!

Jesu Estrada

6/5/2018 12:38:33 pm

Hi Tish, Yeah, I have fantasy that my whole house will get cleaned on a weekly basis, but that is rarely the case with two small children, two cats, and a busy schedule. This week, I start teaching again, and I will have to work on getting up earlier. It turns out, I am a morning writer, but this heat is no joke! Anyway, good luck with draft number 2! I am hoping this will be the last full draft, and then onto a revision or two.

Dr. Jesú Estrada,
Chicago, IL

I grew up on the outskirts of Yuma, AZ, close to the Cocopah reservation. Because I was ever-bored, I became an avid reader of Spanish comic books and anything in English. Then I moved onto Steinbeck and Stephen King and now read international authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Atwood, and Roque Dalton. I also read a lot of coming of age fiction.

I have been writing stories in both Spanish and English since I was six years old. My fiction and poetry focus on working class issues, primarily about laborers in the Southwest. I also write non-serious fiction, like zombie fiction (I was into it before it got popular with the Walking Dead series, which I love) and dabble in magical realism with a fusion of cuentos and folklore.

I have a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Washington State University, a Masters Degree in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelors of Arts from Northern Arizona University. I have also taught creative writing, and will do so, spring 2019, if the stars align. Currently, I live in Chicago and teach full-time at Harold Washington College to an amazing student population.

More about me. I am happily married, been so for over ten years, and have a fabulous eight-year-old who makes my life phenomenal: He too is starting to write short stories. I had a second baby, Simona (3), which put a temporary set-back on the publication of my first book, but made my life infinitely more wonderful. My husband is also incredibly supportive and books my readings @ home60601@gmail.com.

That damned itch just won't let me be, so I'm back to my original love of words. Puro Amor!