1000 Pages

In case you're wondering, "mudhorse" is the slang word for runner in TRR;
it's taken from the horse races that used to be popular and the fact that many
of the poor runners, like Sam, race on muddy tracks of very poor quality 

A few minutes ago, I reached 1000 pages of my side-story-turned-monster, The Rat Race. I started the current draft a year ago (on Valentine's, according to my records) after two years of half-hearted brainstorming and trying to formulate a plot. Ever since running track for a few years in middle and early high school, I'd wanted to write a story about runners, and, well, here we are ;) No idea what this story is about? Here's a general description: it's what you might imagine a mix of The Hunger Games, The Great Gatsby, and the Olympics to be. Every four years, runners from all over the world vie for a spot on a team that will spend eight months racing across every imaginable terrain for a medal and political domination for their native country. I focus on the current medalists, who are forced to run the race again—John Alexander, his wife Caltarina, and his brother Jacob—and a young, formerly impoverished hopeful named Sam Decker. 
      "So these 1000 pages must be full of intense action and survivalist material and competition, right?" you ask.
      "No," I sheepishly reply. "In fact, the story is still five months away from the start of the Rat Race!" 
      "How on earth are you still five months away from the Rat Race after 1000 pages?!" you demand. 
      The answer, dear reader, is because I have a fascination with psychology and believe in thoroughly exploring the psyche of my characters ;) For example, both John and Caltarina suffer from PTSD (although John's is much more severe than hers), and it interests me to track their emotions and explore what they might be feeling in the months leading up to the Rat Race, knowing that they have to survive this brutal race again and that there's no way to avoid participation. I devote the other storyline to Sam and his rise from the slums to a runner sponsored by two of the richest people in the state. In other words, the first half of this massive monster focuses on character development, and the second half, yet to be written, will take those characters on an eight-month, 3000-mile journey that will test them to their utter limits. (Isn't that exciting? I'm excited!) 

Kudos to the person on Pinterest who
crafted this amazing piece!

And in case you're wondering where The Great Gatsby comes in, the technology—and the decadence—is equivalent to that of the '20s, and the clothing roughly to that of the 1890s, but also slightly modernized (see photo). Don't ask me why I made it this way; I still don't know. But hey, I really enjoy designing costumes for TRR! :D 
     Okay, if you're even still reading, I'm almost finished, I promise. I enjoy talking about this story because it genuinely interests me, and I love writing it. It will never be published (because who wants to read a 1000+ page story about running?), but it is, and always will be, near and dear to my heart! It's my stress relief and chance to comb fictional minds and situations that I myself will never experience. That's why I write, really—to learn. And in writing a book that I don't have to abridge for the public, lots of learning can take place! :) I can do whatever I please with this book, and that, for a writer, is a beautiful thing. 
      Now that I've told you everything you never wanted to know about a book that won't be published, I'm actually finished. Carry on, lovely people! ;)