13th of July, 2018
Guys, thanks for continuing to read these updates on my self-imposed Beach Writing Challenge as I write the third book in my Supernatural India series.
If you have not read it yet, read what I did on the first day here: Day 1.
So the second day in Calangute began with me getting up late in a weird and divinely comfortable room, getting alarmed, and then realizing WTF I had no particular place to go to! As soon as I could, I set out for a breakfast and breakfast it was—a lavish English Breakfast at Infantaria (that famous restaurant attached to a church on Calangute), which had baked beans, Goan sausages, bacon, and two fried eggs. Dieting be damned.
The Spooky House
It was while returning to my hotel room from Infantaria that I noticed this particular bungalow. I had seen this the previous night too but as it was plunged in darkness, I couldn’t see much. Moreover, there was no light for a distance and there weren’t any people walking on this particular stretch too. In the darkness of the previous night, I had eventually noticed two dogs sitting on a corner of the fence surrounding the bungalow, and I had just walked away.
Now in the morning, I saw the house in its glorious self. It looked immediately like an abandoned house. All the doors and windows were shut; there was no evidence of anyone living inside. I heard no tales of this house from anyone, but it just gave off those vibes.
The gate is quite an anachronism to the rest of the house as you will see in the pictures. Maybe that’s why the house has this kind of bizarre appeal that makes a passerby stop in his tracks and take a few pictures.
Writing, Writing, and More Writing
On the second day of my writing challenge, I could not afford to not continue my writing. I was immediately back in my hotel room after breakfast and sat down to write. The scenes were already planned out and I had to lay them down now. So I entered into the world of Devika (the name of my protagonist in this tale) and built up her story as she enters into a new world. In parallel, I also wrote the chapters of her nemesis (the monster lady whom I shall not name for now). Really, it kicks me even as I write this thinking how I will build up to the eventual fight between Devika and her enemy.
By the end of the day, I had completed 13000 words, thus maintaining my average of 6500 words/day.
Night at Calangute
You cannot be on the Calangute Beach and not go see the water. So, I did. I am not having dinner these days, or rather it’s mostly a packet of biscuits, a pint of whatever beer, and a smoke. Lunches are heavy, afternoons are sluggish, evenings are vibrant. Just the way it ought to be during a vacation!
Spent a silent hour at the Calangute Beach just gazing at the water. The activities at Souza Lobo were going on in full swing and there were the hookah smokers at the adjacent restaurant. It was fun to watch when the rains came in all their heaviness and the waiters had to dismantle all their makeshift tables and take them inside. And funnier still was when the rains went away in ten minutes and they assembled everything again. We need some of these people in Mumbai for our municipal tasks!
End of Day
Back to the hotel, back to looking at my MacBook with 13000 words and rereading some of the good paragraphs I wrote and gloating over them in private, and then writing some more. Called it a night around one, and day 2 came to a close. Next day, new venue, new writing location.
See you with the next update. Ciao!