November is almost here, which means it’s time for NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month is an annual celebration of the pain and misery of pounding out 50,000 words in thirty short days. Why do we do this every year? I know that I have always failed within two weeks, but I’ve made an attempt every year for the past five years. It’s hard, much harder than you think. If you’re doing the 30-day plan, it’s 1,667 words per day, every day. Keep in mind that November is only 30 days, not 31, and it also has a giant chunk taken out of the 2nd to last week for American Thanksgiving. Be flexible, know your needs, know your limits. I’m preparing for the worst: no writing on the Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week, and also no writing on weekends. That knocks 10 days off the schedule. If I want to make 50k words by November 30th, that means I have to crank out 2,500 words per writing day. That’s a lot, but it’s doable.
I’m also doing things slightly differently. Most people doing this challenge are working on a single novel. My goal is three projects (yeah, I know, super smart). The first is a novelette called A Little Adventure. I’m planning on using it for a reader magnet. If you sign up for my newsletter, you can get it for free here. It’s a simple story about a boy and his brother braving a dungeon to steal treasure from a notorious dragon. I’m planning on a fairytale vibe with some Easter Eggs that will pay off a few books down the road. Will it be a “must read” to understand the series? Nope. It’s a side quest. It gets you some XP and some nice fluffy lore.
The second project is a novella called It Takes a Thief. It introduces the world of Local Heroes and the first adventure of Vash, Corwin, and Jabez together. The Eth Mitaan attacks the Duke of Sathsburg, resulting in Vash’s capture and impending execution. His old friend, Corwin Walker, approaches him with a chance to save his own life…but there’s a catch. It’s an exciting adventure with a dungeon crawl and lots of personal drama. It won’t be a “must read” for the series, but it will fill in the gaps about the Local Heroes’ early days together and some of Vash’s background. A side quest, but with some info that helps on the main quest.
The third project is a major overhaul of a finished project called The Vagabond Law. This is the first meeting of Corwin and Jabez and how Corwin becomes a Wayfarer. Much like It Takes a Thief, this is a fluffy side quest that informs the story in the novels, but if you miss it, you’ll still get the gist in the books. The point of this novella is a reward for my Patreon, which I plan to launch soon. Patreon followers will get these novellas and novelettes as I complete them. These stories will follow events and characters that don’t fit in the books. Fun stuff and characters I want to explore but not super important to the main plot of Local Heroes.
It’s ambitious and I’ve never “won” NaNo before, so there’s every chance I’ll fall on my face. However, if I win, then I’ve got three finished projects to jumpstart my writing. It’s a gamble, but one worth taking, I think. Keep watching the blog and my socials for updates on writing, my doodles, and other bits and bobs as I careen headfirst into this project.
Until next time!