Drawing from the Well
It’s been a good week.
Since my last blog post, I’ve written over fourteen thousand words. I’ve cracked the 30k mark. I’ve caught way up to where I’m only two days behind now.
Bigger than that, I beat my best NaNo year. In 2015, I wrote just over 29k. As of now, I’m at 34.5k. It feels amazing, even if I’m 3,700 words behind. I can still do it.
In fact, I’m so confident that I’m going to win, I ordered my win shirt today. Hopefully it’ll arrive before the end of the month.
I forgot to post over the last few weeks how many completed scenes we have, so here it is: we’re at 55/229 scenes complete. Here’s the trackers for you:
Filling the Well
Not only was it a good writing week, it was a good reading week too. I chewed through some free Audible originals that were a fun ride as well as FINALLY finishing Elantris. It took a really long time to get into it but it was outstanding when all the chess pieces converged for the endgame. I really liked it. So here we are:
87. My Dear Friend Janet
88. From the Desk of Lady Miss
89. Chelsea’s Werk Week
90. Keri on the Loose
91. Sophie Dreams Big
92. Elantris
92/100 for #ProjectBookworm2021
Well Chat
Recently, I suffered an existential crisis with my books. Yes, all of them. Let me explain:
I follow several authors on YouTube who have published multiple books. I enjoy their humor and appreciate their tips. Recently, a particular negative trope came up several times. It sounded a lot like a key event in Book I that reverberates throughout the entire rest of the series. It got me thinking.
When I wrote my original Book I Draft I, I had never heard of this trope. I chose this path because my antagonist was dedicated to his cause to the point of committing heinous acts; this was my way of introducing that.
The implications of the negative connotation of the trope were a significant oversight.
Now, after working on that assumption within the text for years, I had to decide if I was going to do something about it. Adjusting for it would be an excavation of significant portions of the text of two whole books as well as the effects rippling forward into the remainder of the series. Leaving it meant facing potential backlash against it upon release.
I was at a loss of what to do, so I talked to two people I trust: my wife and my editor. They both had incredibly good advice including that tastes and acceptable tropes change over time and a key question: had I already published the book as I had intended, would I stand by the decision now? That was the crux. The text stays in, the events remain unchanged.
Was this much ado about nothing? To some, maybe. For me, it was an important exercise in having confidence in my story. When you have an existential crisis, search your heart, ask people you trust, and then make a choice and be prepared to defend it. In the end, it’s your art. Some people won’t like it, but others will understand it and through it, you.
For all those still working on NaNoWriMo, I wish you the best of luck. When next I come to you, it’ll be over. Win, lose, or draw. But get out there and win! You’ve got a week left. You can do it.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG