Nanowrimo Failure

I should have posted this before but so much has happened in my life over the last three months that I never got round to it. Due to a number of family problems and a nasty RA flare I did not get very much of the novel actually written. I still have the outline though and plan to get it finished sometime this spring, so watch this space for updates.

Nanowrimo’s Villainous Villains

I’ve got two of my main character sheets sorted but I am struggling with the crooked American sports promoter who is my intended villainous villain. I don’t want him to be too obviously evil straight away or my reluctant investigator won’t be conned by him. He has to be handsome and charming (at least on the surface) but there also needs to be some little tips for the reader not to be totally convinced that he is a knight in shining armour.

Attitude

Maybe his attitude to Rocky, the investigator’s own dog could give some hint as to his villainy, and perhap’s Rocky’s reaction to him could be another one. By the way his name is Jack Devlin and he comes from Chicago, where he still has a hand in a lot of pies. He’s been living in South London, England for about two years, during which time he’s become involved in fixing fights, illegal dog fighting, trying to fix a football match and being very nasty to anyone who gets in his way.

Dastardly Deeds

Just how he is going to keep most of his dastardly deeds under cover till the appropriate time is what is puzzling me. I might just leave him hanging for a while and get on with planning the scenes, sometimes characters emerge as their true selves through a gradual unfolding. Got to make him a nasty piece of work without actually saying so too early on.

Titles, Snowflakes and Characters. Or How to Drive Yourself Nuts in 30 Days

I’ve decided to have another go at Nanowrimo this year, as if I don’t have enough to do! I’ve got a bit of a cheesey title “Doggone” yes, the story starts with my female (reluctant) investigator being hired to search for a missing dog. Naturally there are all kinds of twists and turns along the way. I’m implementing the 10 step snowflake method along with “First Draft in Thirty Days. I already have a one sentence summary of the novel and a paragraph synopsis – so have an overall view of the plot. It’s the individual scenes I struggle with. know who my major character is because I’ve worked with her before and hoping to get to know her a bit better this time with the aid of a character chart. Only have a shadowy villain so far, an American sports promoter living in Brixton, London.

I started a new page for this because I aim to post every day or at least every couple of days between now and the 30th Novermber when the game ends. This year I am hoping to come up with a finished first draft, rather than half or three quarters of one. We’ll just have to see how disciplined I can be between now and then.

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