I’ll admit it, I didn’t think I was going to make it this month. When I looked over the weekend and realized that I was around 2,000 words behind where I needed to be, I worried that this would be another failed Camp NaNo month.
Instead…
WOOHOO!!
It was only when I went back in and had to verify my novel that I realized just how much work I had put into this piece throughout July. I was copying scene after scene; some are going to be included in the final novel, and others are there to help me explore characters. I’ve had several unexpected characters crop up that I didn’t expect, like Lieutenant Varg, the friendly but secondary military personnel who takes it upon himself to check in on Shaleigh and her friends from time to time. Then there’s Meryl the imp who is tasked with taking care of guests and cleaning up after them, but who harbors a darker side as well. Not to mention my two dismissive healers, Franklin and Mel, who were not too pleased to have to deal with Shaleigh obviously terrible injury.
All in all, it’s been a fun month, and I don’t even think I’ve hit the hit the halfway point on this novel yet. I’ll keep posting updates here to help me stay on target.
Here’s the progress on my YA other-world fantasy novel about urban explorer Shaleigh Mallett who is whisked away to the Land of the Fae. Along the way she encounters living statues, friendly minotaurs, and a backstabbing ruler. When she gets tangled up in a love story that can’t possibly end well, Shaleigh finds herself forced to make a difficult choice that could change the future of this new land, and prevent her from ever getting home.
Project: Madam Cloom’s Garden
Current Word Count: 37,040
New Words Written:
7/30 – 2,267
7/31 – 2,145
Progress: Learned that imps can be quite pushy. Picked up some awesome new clothes; then got mocked by the very person they were supposed to impress. Finally met the person who wants to get rid of me.
Next up: A tour of the land, meeting up with a frenemy, and an unexpected sight. Not nearly enough training though.
Commentary: It’s amazing what a deadline hovering over my head will do for my daily word counts! I sure didn’t think I could squeeze in >4,000 words in a couple of days, but there it is. I’m happy that the lady antagonist has finally arrived on the set, but I’m looking forward to some upcoming scenes with a few of my favorite characters.