Writing in July.

{Actually Finishing Something} July

Is it just me, or do any of you other writers have a tendency to leave a story unfinished? Oh, those poor, hopeless characters who are locked in a story with no ending! It must be horrible to be frozen in place, not knowing how their tale will unfold.

Wouldn't it be great to actually finish something this summer?
Katie (Whisperings of the Pen), had a fantastic idea that July should be spent completing those writing projects that have seemingly been left behind. I'm joining the challenge and hope you will look into this as well.

Here is a bit about what I'm going to be attempting this July, if my imagination and the creative juices in my brain can hold up.

My writing goal: To accomplish progress on a story I started last November, The Gate. At that time, I made it up to 3,137 words---which is a good enough start to continue with now. It's been months since I've touched the story, but I'm longing to finish it! I may not complete it in July though. I'm not setting a certain amount of words I want to reach... I simply want to push forward with the story, and have plenty of progress by the end of the month. A tiny bit every day will go far in developing the story.

Synopsis: As the name of the story implies, it is about a gate. How interesting can that be, closely monitoring the daily dull tasks of a wooden gate? A gate opens. A gate closes. However, more than that, it is the sentry of who goes into that charming house on the grassy, green hill, and who goes out. Most importantly, it's about the people that live in that home, and the changes that take place over decades of time.

3 characters: {Wallace Atwood} ... He builds the gate that inspires the whole story. He's a tough man of few words, but with strong opinions. {Martha Atwood} ... She is Wallace's wife. She grew up in civilized New England and must adjust accordingly to an Oklahoman lifestyle in 1900. {Rosemary Windoff} ... She is Martha's mother, who lives in Maine. In contrast to Wallace's personality, she's a woman of many words with strong opinions. (So, you can certainly imagine the giddy tiffs they could get into!)

... A couple more questions from Katie's challenge for this week ...

How will you make your characters behave long enough to finish this goal?
This is quite a good question, and the answer remains to be seen, although I'm pretty sure they'll behave just fine!

Tea or coffee?
My preference would be tea, although I can't say that I'll be drinking any in July. :-)

A small snippet:

After a light supper, Wallace retired for the evening into the sitting room. He sat in a big, overpowering, leather chair—the same one his grandfather had sat in, probably with that exact philosophic expression that Wallace wore now. Martha sat across the room from him, next to a table lamp, where she was practicing her crocheting, something she had never done before marrying. Quietly, she crocheted through the entire evening, not wanting to disturb his thinking process, but all the time wondering what exactly he was pondering about. Was it something Mr. and Mrs. Gallant had said that afternoon? Or was he thinking of the coming visitor, soon to invade their quaint home?

When the clock rang out at nine o'clock, he pushed his spectacles up to the top of his nose, and stood up. "All I know is, she better like it here, or else, out she goes." Then he marched down the hallway, each footfall emphatically marking his path across the wooden floor.

Martha's fingers let her yarn and hook fall into her lap. In spite of herself, she grinned.