Some of you may know I have been participating in NaNoWriMo again this year. I have taken a different method this time; I knew that I wasn’t going to complete the 50,000 words and I didn’t want to pressure myself to do so. Realms of Magic hasn’t gotten very far lately because I’m trying to protect the parts that I already have written. For the NaNoWriMo this year, I wanted to continue my efforts to continue to write as much as I can, add in the detail, and to lay down a foundation for the key points of my book taking it towards the end if not the end of the second book in the series.
I think if I tried to do the 50,000 words I would just put unnecessary content into it for the sake of building up words but setting up my own mini target gave me a goal and I actually enjoyed what I wrote more than I would have done.
The mini target that I set myself was 15,000 words then I would break it down further and do a set amount of words that each chapter or each sequence only and then after that I would plan to build on that foundation. Committing to only a certain number of words in the chapters allowed me to lay down the foundation and get sequences done and move through the story quicker to try and reach a climax.
I actually exceeded the target by over 1000 words which I was surprised about and over the moon also. I’ve been writing this book series for a number of years but I’ve never been able to get out of a few holes to come to a climax that I am proud of. And so, I hoped by laying just the foundation—or the bones—that I would be able to get further. Unfortunately, I didn’t do as much as I wanted to but thanks to NaNoWriMo I have moved further with my book, with approximately another third left to write.
Now I can plan right up to the climax and reveal some questions I hope the reader will have had while reading; I can also write some wrongs to my characters, and develop the relationship between my main protagonist, Nancy, and her sister. I also plan to leave the second book with an ending that will leave opportunities for a third book in the series.
My plan now that NaNoWriMo has finished is to try and refrain from editing and going back to parts of the story. I am determined to reach the end of the second book now and leave things open for a third book. I’ve enjoyed exploring all parts of my protagonist’s life trying to strike a balance between new and old I’m not proud of anything or any scene in particular but rather the paths and mindset that my protagonist and those around her are on leading up to the final journey, although this is still to be explored. Can’t wait to see what new adventures my third book brings.
The Life of Sophie 