Last journal said that I had begun construction on the latest story. Let me clarify what happened:
I pretty much wrote the into to the story, just a few pages to set up the starting point of the plot before moving toward the objective, but then a day later was hit with a storm of newspaper deadlines, composition assignments that required a bunch of tedious readings, and a test AND project for the same class due all one after another (yeah, college sure does like to make things fair for its students, doesn't it?).
Fortunately this week as been less hectic, and I managed to get back to work and keep my rhythm pretty steady. Whereas I'd stopped at page 3 before getting hit with so much schoolwork, this week has allowed me to crank out a whopping twenty pages! As of typing this, I'm just a few paragraphs away from completing the first draft of the first chapter. Now let me clarify what that means by explaining my writing process:
1) Write out the ENTIRE STORY from the first to the final chapter, just to get the whole thing out and done with (considering that this is probably going to be a 3-4 chapter story, that's not too much of an ordeal)
2) Go back and fix errors that I know I made while typing the story out (I use Google Docs, so I can easily put notes on things that I know aren't great with the knowledge that I can find the note and fix it later).
3) Read through the whole story myself and find as many errors as I can, making notes on all of them.
4) Fix as many new errors as I can by myself.
5) Pass it off to a proofreader, have them read it and find errors that I missed myself
6) Fix those errors
After that, the story is complete and ready to be published. Once I get one chapter all spruced up and polished, I'll be sure to post that one, with the hopes that the next one will be ready within a week of the previous posting. The rate it's going now, you can probably expect this story to be published either at the end of November or the beginning of December.
In the meantime, I don't want to leave you guys too thirsty for something, so here, have an excerpt from the first chapter so you know what's coming (be advised that since this is still the first draft, there's a good chance some of the wording and dialogue will change)
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Judy reached the front doors of the museum first, tugging on the knobs only to find it locked. She cupped her paws over her eyes to stare into the glass doors, Nick doing the same. From what the both of them could see, there weren’t any employees present to let them in. Judy tapped the glass a few times before giving up and reaching for her walkie.
“Dispatch, this is Z-240; can you contact Bogo and have him tell the curator we’re outside, over?” she asked.
“Roger that, he’ll have you in about four minutes from now, over,” the feminine voice of Benjamin Clawhauser responded.
“10-4, over and out.” Leaning against the glass, Judy holstered her walkie and leaned her head back against the glass door. “You ever been to this place before, Nick?” Judy asked, as the fox took her cue and pressed his back against the door.
“I have actually,” Nick replied, “I came here after a ride on the subway, with some redneck hick. Can’t remember her name though, because I ended up getting in a fight with some sheep.”
“Hoh, so funny,” Judy said with a smirk, “I meant aside from when we got cornered by Bellwether and knocked into the pit.”
“Yeah, once or twice as a kid. Mom took me when I was really little, and I had fun seeing all the dinosaur skeletons. Then I went again on a class field trip in grade school. Wasn’t really that into it.”
“We should go again some time,” Judy suggested, “You know, explore the place when we’re not being chased down by corrupt politicians?” Nick opened his mouth to respond, before his eyebrows lifted and his jaw remained frozen in place. “Whoa,Nick, if you don’t want to go, that’s fine. It was just a suggestion.”
“No-no, it’s not that, Judy, it’s…” Nick trailed off, his ears lowering just slightly.
“Oh… that?” Judy said, nodding her head downward toward his stomach.
… Yeah,” Nick said with hesitance, “That.” While Judy was correct in guessing where the problem resided, it was a different problem than what had plagued him for the past few days. The stabbing pain he’d felt had subsided, only to be replaced by a soft swelling in his sphincter. While he’d tried numerous times to push out solid matter on the porcelain throne, his efforts had proven that his flatulence certainly hadn’t gone anywhere. He considered giving his sphincter a push to relieve some of the pressure, but wasn’t sure if he trusted the stairs he sat upon, in case they caused the noise to reverberate his gas to an embarrassing volume. Flexing his lower muscles, he willed his sphincter to pull back and stow the pocket of building gas away for the moment.
“I know it’s not that big of a deal to you,” Judy said in a hushed tone, “But if you reach day four without any improvement, you might want to schedule a doctor’s appointment.”
“I will,” Nick replied, “It’s not like I’m enjoying being blocked up, you know?”
With an understanding nod, Judy turned her head to see a pig in a drabby uniform unlocking the doors from the other side.The two stood to their feet as the doors opened, the pig tipping his hat to the both of them.
“Hey there, officers,” the swine greeted them, extending his hoof to shake their paws, “You guys here about the break in?”
“That’d be us,” Nick replied, clenching his butt cheeks together as he felt the building need to fart return.
“Curator’s on the third floor, in the Zootopian Renaissance section. Once you go up the elevator, take a left and it’s the first corridor on the right.”
“Wonderful, thank you so much,” Judy replied as they left, the pig tipping his hat to them before relocking the doors. Nick’s jaw clenched somewhat tightly as they moved toward the elevator, his mind racing to think of a way to release some of the pressure before entering the elevator without letting Judy know. His anxiousness made it hard to think, and before he could come up with a believable excuse, Judy had pressed the elevator button and the silver doors had opened. Nick reluctantly followed Judy inside, feeling the pressure increase exponentially once the doors closed.
Okay, just be really really careful, Nick thought to himself as the elevator slowly crawled lifted them upward, letting his tail lift at a slow pace, Don’t even push, just let it ease out on its own. Nick breathed in through his nose, concentrating as hard as he could and letting his anal muscles relax from the mounting pressure behind the orifice under his tail.
Praaaaaapt-pluup
Nick eyes widened and his ears fell back in shock from the explosive blast from his rear. He’d meant to gently let it slip out in silence, but his sphincter had gotten carried away with the idea of relaxation and had followed through more than he’d wanted. It had been so powerful that it had made his red buttcheeks vibrate underneath his pants. He knew that Judy had heard it; she’d have to have been deaf not to hear such a thing, and even then she might have been able to feel the sudden vibration. On reaction, Nick took a breath through his nose, and caught a powerful whiff of the gas he’d released from his behind. He pulled his lips in when the sharp acidic stench entered his nose. He’d ripped some robust farts in his life, but this particular one was more powerful than any he could remember. He prayed that through some miracle, Judy wouldn’t have to smell what he’d just unleashed; that somehow he could keep his gaseous shame in a self-contained bubble away from her.
“... Ack-kaff-kaff --augh!” Judy coughed as she turned her head away from Nick, making his innards twist as his embarrassment squeezed him tight, “Oh my God, Nick!” Judy exclaimed through the collar of her shirt pulled over her nose and mouth.
“I’m sorry, Judy,” Nick said shamefully, futilely waving his right paw behind his butt to fan away the invisible fumes lingering around him, “I didn’t think it was gonna be that bad.” Nick looked in desperation to the floor screen, showing to his dismay they’d only just reached the second floor.
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but — ugh!” Judy gagged, “Usually your farts aren’t this bad!”
“That bad?” Nick asked, “How often are you able to smell them?”
“All the time! That’s what happens when you drink that much coffee. I just don’t say anything about it because they’re somewhat bearable. I was gonna say anything about this one either, but just — ugh, what even makes that smell?”
“I don’t know!” Nick exclaimed, internally begging for the door to open once they’d reached the third floor. It felt like an eternity, but the silver doors at last opened, and Judy sprinted out in the blink of an eye. She lowered her shirt collar and inhaled the uncontaminated air outside the elevator, before coughing for several more seconds. “Judy, I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine, Nick,” Judy said, putting her paw up to him, “I’m not mad at you, just… holy toledo, that was a bad one.”
“Yeah. It was. Don’t know where it came from.” Judy shot her eyes up at him, before directing them down to his lower half and then back up to him. “Shut up. I’m embarrassed enough as it is, alright?”
“I don’t blame you. I would be too, if I let a blast like that one slip.” Still waving her paw in front of her nose, Judy began to walk down the left side of the hallway with Nick behind her, until they reached a corridor on their right.
