10.24.07
I Plod: NaNo
We’re just about a week away from the start of November, which is National Novel Writing Month. I’ve harped ont he event for a while now, but at last I’m really ready for it. I’ve done the kind of preparation that, in 2005, led to the creation of Inconsequential and its ultimate completion. That’s right, I’ve completed a full outline of the story. Two and a half pages of solid text that wind up being a complete and concise retelling of the story. Unlike Incon, however, I’m hoping that I actually stick to this one rather than veering ridiculously off-course and having to arbitrarily make up plot points some ten months after starting. Actually, no, scratch that. Unlike Incon, I’m hoping that I actually finish this one in a reasonable timeframe.
It’s been tricky, of course. I had the genesis of the idea back in the beginning of September, and I tried to keep the story within my head and ‘live’ throughout these past eight weeks, but it wasn’t to be. See, what happens to me is that I tend to have stories running in the background, and I flesh them out internally during times when I’m otherwise not mentally engaged. I can usually keep the stories running for a week or so; oftentimes they go for the better part of a month, but once they’re gone, or a newer tale replaces it, they’re gone. I was lucky in that when the current story was germinating, I started making tons of notes so that I could sort through it later and hopefully restore it. After today, I think I’ve succeeded. It’s not my ‘current’ story, actually– for some reason I’ve had trouble figuring that one out– but it’s fleshed out enough that I can get to the work of actually sitting down and writing it. The weekends of November are going to be spent like the day I first found this story– stashed safely in a Panera Bread, frantically typing on the MacBook, dumping as many words as will come to me as possible. Though unlike those marathon sessions, I have an idea as to what I’m working towards before I get there.
Inconsequential was initially written from beginning to end, but I started jumping around about 33,000 words in. I intend to write this book sequentially, as I’d done with “A Game of Lords” and as I’d planned for “Metal Rogue” (which is now officially on the back-burner). To be completely honest, I still have no idea what I want to call this one. I’m sure a title will come to me, but for right now I’m thinking that I might want to go with the ‘working title’ of “Five Hundred Prayers”. Even though this story has absolutely nothing to do with the concept that had initially spawned that title. As always, we’ll see.
Also as always, wish me luck, folks. One week to go.