A Plan of Action

This novel is going to be a challenge. It will be my first attempt at "non-genre" fiction, the bulk of which has been Sci-fi with a handful of crime pieces. It is also going to force me to write a lot more than I ever have. I am a pretty slow writer and usually only sit down when I am in the mood or feel that I have something to say. With this novel though I am going to have to average a little over 6 pages a day if I want to hit 50,000 words by the end of November.

I've also realized that I am going to have to approach this differently then my other fiction. In the past all that I've had is an idea of how I want to start and finish. After that my process is pretty much plot as you go. It is a good process for me and I think that it has worked. But considering how fast I am going to have to write, much more plotting is going to be necessary.

So basically what I have done is write down ideas for about a dozen key scenes that I want to occur during the course of the story. I am going to tackle those first and then fill in the blanks. From that point I should have a fairly good framework to work within. I'll be writing out of sequence though and that can be dangerous. But it's the only approach that I can think of that will actually give me a chance of hitting that 50,000 word goal.

It Begins...

I've been sitting on an idea for a novel for over a year now and haven't really had the courage to start it. The National Novel Writing Month movement and Blogger's involvement with it has convinced me that November will be the perfect time to start. Beginning November 1st, I'll have the entire month to write a 50,000 word novel. I'm not sure if I'll be successful but at least I'll be on my way. Once started, I'll be giving daily updates on my progress.

Stay tuned for further details about the novel and wish me luck!