Nov Novel Month Recap
filed under writing on 22 Dec 2024
tagged writing, tasto, nanowrimo, and alpha & omega
I wasn’t going to do a November novel writing challenge after NaNoWriMo imploded, but after joining the lovely Tavern At the Edge of the World writing discord and finding the Tasto challenge, I just had to participate, even though I had two projects going already.
I spent October writing on those existing projects, and preparing for my Nov project. My prep was more extensive than the first two projects, with some fun community character and world building questions. I also discovered a love of sprints!
I decided to go for both low-hanging fruit and a challenge; I picked my example characters from Alpha & Omega, a ttrpg I wrote but haven’t yet released, and decided to tell their story. It was easier, because I knew the gist of the story (it still surprised me) and the characters (I thought), but harder, because I really wanted to do their story, and their world, justice.
My goal was 1k a day, to get to 30k (and “the end”) by the month’s end; stretch goals were 50k, and then the impossible 70k.
My outline for my Nov-novel was solid and hefty (for me), almost 2500 words; I created a new narrative structure for it, built on the concept of ebb and flow, and then filled it in with scenes. I also put truths to reveal under each scene, so I could keep track of what had been explored, and when.
Status Quo. 1% done; 1% or 3 pages. The hero, as they usually are, doing (or trying to do) what they usually do. Establish the frame of the usual, the normal, and carry it forward.
1 Felix erupts from the Boss’s office, hitting Jamie with the door. Spider’s fast enough to avoid it. He makes a bad impression as a snarling arcology brat. She makes a bad impression as a resentful Vanner. They’re partners now.
- show the class difference, the education difference
- show that Felix is a second generation Agent, and Jamie isn’t an agent at all
- show Spider won’t throw their upbringing into the mix
- show the sun is gone, it’s a solar array now
And, of course, I established a premise question, one I could turn to whenever I wasn’t sure what would happen next, or how someone would act.
So far my premise question is definitely “how are they more powerful than they seem and how do they hide that?” Also “how do they feel unworthy, and of what, and how do they act because of it?”
I kept a side document, by scene, where I wrote down potential issues with that scene, things I needed to establish earlier or that would need to be changed retroactively (“pre”), and follow-up scenes/notes to hit (“post”).
And then I just wrote; two big pushes right at the beginning for a 10k weekend put me on a really solid start. The outline stayed pretty consistent, though I had a couple of scenes that weren’t actually scenes, just vibes or a thing happening. And I identified a couple of places I would need to beef up a subplot (the kids next door became much more important than they had been, but they were just a faceless group) and introduce one (a character who could anchor the idea of the world being worth saving).
I took the time, frequently, to do a commented-out “what’s going to happen in this scene” chunk up front, and that helped a lot when I wasn’t sure what a scene would cover. I ended up rewriting from third to first person pov after a chapter or so. I also rewrote a couple of scenes from a different POV.
It pulls too many punches; there’s not always enough conflict, and what conflict there is resolves too quickly. It simmers and then it explodes, but I am uncertain if the heat is high enough. Part of the problem is it feels like it could be a three book trilogy detailing the redemption of a world, but it could also be an open-ended series focusing on the main characters fighting the problems of their society. And I don’t think I did enough to take it solidly in either direction; it will be better when I decide.
I was also surprised at how the characters developed in play; one was well-developed from his appearance in the ttrpg, but the other was nothing more than a name, a culture, and an iffy superpower. I generated her a backstory using what I call my “Heirs” process (after yet another unfinished ttrpg) using my Misery oracle (I’ll try to remember to do a post on how I do this eventually). I let her speak to me as I wrote her, and her culture blossomed from being defined by a purpose to a group of infuriating and amazing characters I can’t wait to write more about when the holidays are over.
I was nervous, starting out, that plotting too much was going to stifle me, but it turned out to be the opposite; I felt supported enough that I could really work confidently. I think that’s a subjective point, but I also think it’s well-worth looking for, for yourself.
Anyway, here’s my related bluesky posts:
11-04-2024
13000+ words on my not nano, over the last three days. Unsustainable pace, so I’ve gone back to a thousand goal per wip (I have two I’m writing forward and one I’m revising for pov). The extra prep on this has made it pretty easy to flow forward. #writingcommunity
11-09-2024
Just hit 30K in my Nov project; my month goal. That brings me to 500 pages written since Sept. 8th, split across three projects. Some of those days were unsustainable; I can do 3k if I push, but 5k was no longer fun. And three wips is too many at once. But pretty proud right now. #writingcommunity
11-10-2024 6:35
Just finished the final two scenes in my Nov novel, logging another 3.5k words and putting me at just under 35k total. Plenty of notes to incorporate. Also a supporting subplot to flesh out, and a second subplot for contrast that needs to be fitted in. Not a bad day’s work. #writingcommunity
11-10-2024 6:54
I just realized this means I have to incorporate all my notes, and write two supporting subplots. Uuuuuuuuuuuugh. I sure hope I feel motivated tomorrow, or I might just spend the whole day touching up the sex scenes (I wrote those already, haha).
11-11-2024 10:32
Rough draft. 1k per wip per day goal, for 70k in 70, but no more than 90 days. “First page to last page” numbers (90 days in para):
WIP1: 09/08 - 10/28, 52k (11/17)
WIP2: 10/03 - 11/11, 55k (12/12)
WIP3: 11/01 - 11/10, 34k (12/01)
Pushing unsustainable/unfun, but worth trying. #writingcommunity
11-11-2024
I wrote 1000 words, did laundry, and messed around with my tool chain. Going to conquer nixos and write more. #writingcommunity
11-15-2024 5:15 pm
I had like, a stupid amount of caffeine today. I probably need actual food but I actually already ate once today. Probably. I might stay up all night writing and I’m sure I won’t regret it in the morning! #writingcommunity
11-20-2024 4:50 pm
Hit 50k on my Nov novel. I had a strong outline, confidence I knew the characters well enough to carry the plot, and daily discipline. Next time? A stronger outline (“scene 16: tbd” past-me? Really?), also embracing that I won’t actually know them until halfway, but it’ll be fine. #writingcommunity
11-20-2024 5:15 pm
That existential crisis in the face of work being completed hit awfully fast. What do I do now? Three wips at between 50 and 60k, all three done open-to-the-end. This is going to be fun, if I can motivate to do it with the numbers going up more slowly. #writingcommunityt
11-26-2024
Still chugging along, despite some of those pesky life hurdles popping up. 50 words just getting started today, but that’s 58,233 in my Nov novel project. I’ve been working in the other two WIPs but tabled them through our big move tomorrow & the holiday. Be gentle with yourself! #writingcommunity
11-30-2024
Well. Today is a rest day! Hit my 70k third Nov goal last night. And it’s actually pretty tight already. A few small placeholder bridges and some lore redundancies or omissions, a few places I want to describe stuff more. Reread time! #writingcommunity
