NaNoWriMo

Doing it again this year. If I keep this up for another decade I might just produce something saleable. :)

This year I'm doing something a little different. I'm attempting to rewrite and finish a story I started back in 2008 for NaNoWriMo, Critically Damaged, but had only got a couple of chapters written. I think the problem was two-fold. I let real life intrude so was unable to make enough time to write. And I didn't think I could pull the story off.

I only realised the latter reason a few days ago when I was starting to fret. I phoned up my Mum and was worrying to her about how I could possibly create a couple of parts of the story. When I was explaining to her about one particularly troublesome part, where a main character behaves really badly, Mum simply asked "Does your character have to do that? I wouldn't." I was about to answer that the story requires it; without it, there would be no reason for the rest of the story. Then I suddenly realised that wasn't true. She need not do it. And I realised it didn't ring true for me either. How did I ever think I could write something that was so counter to my own natural inclinations?

So suddenly I was off the hook for one of the two major difficulties in the story. And the other big problem? I think I'm working it out. We'll find out this month if I'm correct.

Not sure if I'll post this online as I go...
If you'd like me to post chapters as I write them, let me know here and I'll do so.

(Crossposted from http://miriam-e.dreamwidth.org/325855.html at my Dreamwidth account. Number of comments there so far: )