Did anyone else’s November just pass by without so much as a “hello”?
… apart from Adele’s album release that is…
Mine sure has. Then again, I spent most of the month inside a fictional world where the characters were throwing all the things at me all the time.
So I guess that’s a good enough place to start as any with this wrap-up… THE MANUSCRIPT!
For NaNoWriMo this year, I decided to vomit out a draft of book 3 of the YA Fantasy series I’m working on. There are still scenes that need written and stuff that needs to be fleshed out, but I now have a skeleton draft of a story that has been clawing for my attention since the conceptualization of the series.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed writing this story. There were things that popped up that not only challenged the MC but also challenged me. The biggest hurdle I had to get over during this draft was allowing Meredith (the MC) to take each hit. She is not the warrior Kjersten of Book 1 is; she does not have the training nor the strength to defend herself physically. But dear lord can she take a hit.
Meredith managed to find herself in the most mentally and physically painful situations possible in this book and all I could do was sit there and watch it happen. BUT despite everything she goes through, everything she loses, she still fights to survive. She digs up whatever token of strength she can and holds onto it, determined to move forward. Always forward.
SIDE NOTE: After I wrote that last bit, I realized that it was my company’s motto during military training. SMH. Crazy what seeps into your subconscious.
This book also provided some of the world building answers I’d been looking for for a while. It just took seeing the alternate dimension through Mer’s eyes to find them. (She can manipulate time and space.)
GAH! I could gush about this story and the characters ALL DAY! The more time I spend working on this series, the more excited I am to [hopefully] share it with the world some day.
Looks dreamily off into the distance.
Anyhoo, that was pretty much the gist of my November. I did get to meet my long-time CP Lynanne for the first time, which was AWESOME! I took a weekend, drove up to see her, and spent the weekend writing, laughing, and procrastinating by way of THE MUMMY. But seeming as how Ardeth Bay is the inspiration for the father of one of my characters, I’m choosing to think of said procrastination as inspirational material. Totally legit. *cough cough*
Again, I apologize for my radio silence on the blog and on social media. I guess I can’t multitask when I’m in the rough-draft stage. SORRY!
Now onto plans for this month…
I should be back on my normal posting schedule (MWF). Might be discussing some writerly things like handling character deaths and other emotionally complex issues (I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit miffed by that PW article. I mean seriously?! YA isn’t emotionally complex. Here, let me throw a bookshelf at you.). If you have a writing topic you want to discuss, PLEASE leave it in the comments below!
But the big To-Do in December: Get Book 1’s MS ready for querying. I’m so close, SO CLOSE! And I’m so excited to see what it looks like in a couple drafts. Hopefully, it’ll look somewhat like a representable manuscript. *fingers crossed*
What about y’all? What did you do this past month? What are your plans going forward?
Happy Writing!
Breeanna Pierce 
My whole year has been like that – I faintly remember it starting and now suddenly it’s December again. The hell happened? Part of me still thinks it’s May.
Well done on getting your skeleton draft finished and getting through NaNo! Sounds like you’re really enjoying the story, you’ve got me interested 🙂 The first half of my November consisted of waiting for my draft’s proofing period to end (I gave myself a month, which was painful) and the second half I spent actually editing it. I’m nearly ready to apply the first set of changes now so it’s been a productive month 🙂
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That’s a true story (about the year disappearing all together).
And that wait sounds extremely painful. Good on you for taking that time though. I’m sure it’ll pay off. 🙂
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It has made the editing much easier, so it’s a good thing I distanced myself. I know a lot of authors take longer, some take six months or more but I’ve not got the patience for that 😛
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I have no shortage of time spent running from the MS during the initial draft, but the moment I put on my editing cap, I’m in a constant state of stress, haha. Also excitement to see what the next draft looks like, but mostly stress to just get it done. Motivational stress though… not destructive stress… if that makes ANY sense. lol
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Um… YES! Are you kidding me? Last time I checked it was still September. Like what?!
Yay vomit draft! Woo! :p That’s awesome! It’s also awesome how excited you are about writing your own story. That’s a good sign. If you’re not excited, something’s wrong.
Procrastination? Nah! It sounds legit to me too! :p
Handling character deaths? Don’t you just like… kill them and walk away? … >.> … No? Oh… um… this is awkward…
QUERYING!!! Get it girl! I’m rooting for you! ^.^
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I hope so! (That the excitement is a good sign.)
As for killing characters, there are some that I barely bat an eyelash during the drafting stage, but I usually cry during revision. The death in Book 3 though was a doozy for me. I did NOT want to do it. It hurt so much.
And YAY! That means so much!
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Oh man! I do know that feeling. I had to kill off a charrie in one of my books and was just like NO!!!!! She’s the best! Darn you plot requirements. -.-
The rest I’m just like ‘meh.’
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Yeah… this series definitely has a body count. There are two deaths that kill me though. One in book 3, the other in book 5. *reaches for the chocolate*
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Wow. I originally read that as there were only two deaths in your series and I was like ‘WHAT?!’ :p I kill at least that many people in my first books. *cough* I mean… >.>
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lol In the words of Mushu, “We’re in a war, man!”
There are plenty of casualties.*maniacal laughter*
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*joins in maniacal laughter*
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Grats on winning NaNo, you’re awesome and your story sounds brilliant. Yeah the year rushed away too fast. It’s October, no it’s NaNo, no it’s December, wait it’s 2016.
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Congrats to you as well! Yeah, I don’t understand this time magic nonsense.
WHO GAVE THE GREMLINS THE TIME-TURNER?!
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