Over on Youtube I’ve been experimenting more with writing vlogs in the form of the Author Diaries series. This fall I’ve been focusing on clearing the decks before Nanowrimo and 2023 start.
All of this began back in August, and so far I think I’ve made some really good progress. I finished and started editing Midnight Radio, worked on a website article, filled in some gaps here on the blog, finished the Publishing Roadmap, and started editing the compiled version of the Author Roadmap.
But with November quickly approaching, you might be wondering what my project is for this year.
Honestly, I’m on the fence. With everything happening the past few months with my job (or lack thereof) it’s been really hard to pin down writing time. The second Mrs. Andrews Book, The End of the Line, has been on my list for ages, but I’ve really been struggling with it. For a while, my health wouldn’t allow me to draft new things, but 2022 has finally seen me get back to writing new material instead of just editing older work from my back catalog. I have been struggling with the story, however. My first attempt was extremely boring to write, so I know it would have been even worse to read. I went back and re-outlined, trying to add more conflict. I’m still not quite happy with it, but I think the only way to fix the problem is to tackle it head on. I have about 20,000 words already, but the more I try to work on this book, the more I start to think that this story isn’t meant to be told. Should I leave Mrs. Andrews as a one and done? I’m not sure. I’ve tried so many things with this book, changing the plot and the narrators, adding characters, removing characters, but nothing seems to work. And what’s more, I can’t recapture the Gothic feel of the first book. It just isn’t coming together.
I binge-wrote Off the Rails. I had Mrs. Andrews voice in my head, and she would not shut up. But now? She’s silent. Should I go back and re-read her first book? Maybe the timeline is the problem–I set book two five years after the first book, and that might be part of the problem. I know I want to write more in her world (her only message to me so far is that she wands a middle grade/YA school story about her time in finishing school, but she hasn’t told me what the mystery is yet).
If Mrs. Andrews doesn’t start speaking up soon, I’m going to have to go with an alternate plan. I have a cozy mystery that can be expanded on, but I don’t see myself drafting more than 20-30,000 words this Nanowrimo just because everything is so in flux.
What are your plans for November? How are you prepping for it?
Like what you see? Check out Nano Boot Camp 2017.
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