7,000 words in one night. So far, that's my personal best. Doesn't say much for the quality of what was written, but it's word count. At this rate, I'll have 60,000 words by the end of the month. There are a lot of inconsistencies. My ignorance shows through a lot of the narrative, especially when it comes to a subject so precise as the military. I learned I've apparently blended two military domestic subcultures: the officer's wives circle was distinctly different from the NCO and enlisted circles. Not all were terribly formal, as I've portrayed in the story so far. But the cast of characters I've introduced so far are a reflection of truth. I went straight to the source for this one. I interviewed an officer's wife and an NCO's wife, and I got the impression both circles had your "uppity wife" and your "nutty wife"--your "ladder-climbers" and your down-to-earth people. Crafting this fictitious world that Rita's trying to adjust to has been so enjoyable for me. I realize a lot of these scenes are extremely stereotypical, but they do form some basis for the points I'm trying make. In the rewrite, I'll be able to come up with something far more fresh, original, and believable. But in the meantime, I think it's important I just establish the social pressures Rita's facing. ~~~~ "Angel," the sexy Army wife with the streak of rebelliousness, has really come into her own as a character here. I haven't gotten to the point where I reveal very much about her, but I think I've definitely brought her forward and invited the audience to pay attention to her, to question her past and her motivations--and what she's capable of. This friendship Angel and Rita are forming...it encompasses so much I've experienced over the years. The wives of the higher ranking soldiers form this formidable social wall; it's a wall that manifested itself in my life in a different way, but the stark, definite, separating societal line that's illustrated in the military social system is so perfectly representative of the what it was like for me growing up in a civilian community. The intimate friendship between two women who don't exactly "fit in" reflects the way I coped with being an outsider. ~~~~~ I can see where Rita's going from here, and I'm surprised Angel has matured so much as a character and stepped forward to play such a strong, positive role in the story. It's not apparent now. I'm still manipulating the audience's impression of her by allowing her to "show a little leg," but this is a tool I intend to use to even the plain, to shatter preconceived notions and stereotypes. Of course, to be fair, I'll have to play the same on the other side of the line, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to approach that yet. It'll be a little uncomfortable writing that, because I'll have to sympathize with a snotty officer's wife. But we'll see. It can be done.