December | 2012 | Writing Wings

UK biometric passport on pile of Euro currency (Photo credit: Christopher Elison)

Well November has disappeared and the hectic pace of NaNoWriMo has slowed to that of my walking-staggering. But there were two highlights: first and most important was my wife getting her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, until 2022 when her US passport expires. However she aims to have UK citizenship and to be a member of the maroon passport club by then. Will take more money of course, and she has to learn the National Anthem, plus swear to vote Conservative at every election and doff her hat to every policeman – last two might be exaggerations.

The second highlight was completing 50k+ of my 2012 NaNoWriMo novel, Wyrm Blood, before the end of the month. However I have to admit that I was unable to keep up my daily word count in the final few days or in the last few weeks. Wyrm Blood Draft 1 is still incomplete with about eight chapters to go and two sub-plots to build into it. These sub-plots are new ideas that I stumbled upon while writing scenes following – kind of – the outline that I’d written in October. I have attempted to write them into the last third of the WIP but I know that there are a lot of extra scenes to insert.

But is that a new draft or just add-ons to draft one?

I also feel that the antagonist needs scenes but I already have four POV’s and feel a fifth would be too much. Any thoughts as to whether even four is too much?

Trying to finish Wyrm Blood in December was the intended plan but that could be messed up. I’ve come out of the fervour of November torn between needing a break and wanting to finish. I also have a 2011-2012 Tax Return hanging over me, although it should be simple as I don’t really earn much – not that Inland Revenue believe me. Maybe I’m just putting it off as I always do.

If I do finish Wyrm Blood before Christmas then the New Year brings other options such as 100k in 100 days 2013 and the 2013 Debut Dagger competition. My original intention, back in the autumn, was to focus on an entry in the Debut Dagger, either Wyrm Bait (first part of Wyrm series), which is in its 2.5 draft stage, or the stand-alone Fates Maelstrom, which is still first draft. I can still choose to enter the openings for both of them, re-written and edited for the competition – entries close on Saturday 2 February 2013.

Wyrm (Photo credit: Jon_Tucker)

The rules for 100k in 100 days 2013 are quite flexible as it’s more about the incentive and taking part than winning anything. Less pressure than NaNoWriMo and wider selection of what counts towards the 100k. So it will be an incentive to write more blogs, although I have to resist boring the select readership with verbal garbage. If I re-write the first 3,000 words of my two chosen novels plus 500-1,000 word synopses of them, that will also count – but not shopping lists. Drawback is that I suspect that editing in terms of hacking and honing doesn’t count and that has to be my priority with four WIPs needing work.

The ultimate objective is to have at least one novel totally finished and the others much further advanced by the Spring.