Checks and Balances

This week was a pretty good week for writing, all things considered. I have my brand spanking new MacBook Air set up for writing and little else. This business of little else is key. If I’m sitting in front of bells and whistles I will tweak and twiddle, tirelessly. I’ve set a target of 3000 words per day and since getting back into the swing of things I’ve met that goal all days but one.
So let me jot down a few ideas about the book I’m working on right now. Forgive me if I’m a little vague here and there. I’m secretive! My story is an urban fantasy, set in Las Vegas (more on that later). A creature formerly in hiding is drawn into a mystery about men going missing around town. It’s a simple plot for a range of reasons, chief among them being that I can feel to my bones that it would be a mistake to be too ambitious for this first in what I hope will be a series of stories. The bulk of my effort right now is in building good characters, developing their motivations and defining their limitations. This last point, I think, is going to be especially important. The problem with magic in a story is that it can draw color and life out of a plot if not used judiciously. It’s really important to me that the abilities of my protagonist are not so game changing that she can get herself out of any predicament with the wave of a hand. Where’s the fun in that?
Next week I’ll be doing a lot of brainstorming to fine tune how magic works in this universe I’m creating. I’ll also be thinking a lot more about the map I’ll be drawing from. Yes, I’m setting my story in Vegas but it’s not quite so simple and literal as the Vegas you’ll find on a map. My version of urban fantasy will require that some people can travel to places that others can’t reach. Whole slabs of city, from back alleys to stores to entire casinos, will exist around corners and through doorways speckled throughout the streets of Vegas. Gah. It’s exciting but a little daunting.
Tomorrow I think I will write a little more about magic: the inspirations I’m drawing from and how I intend to construct my own unique rule book of checks and balances.