And On We Go...

Hello happy NaNoWriMoers. At least, I hope you're happy. How's the word count going? If you're in the US, are you already dreading the Thanksgiving break, trying to write around time with the family?

This week was big for me. Not only did I totally catch up, I am now ahead. As of Thursday night, I have 32,031 words. I hope to stay ahead so that I don't have to pull out all the stops when I get back from the holiday the last two days. Is it just me, or is Thanksgiving super late this year?

My story is going good, the pacing could be better, but that's not what's important for NaNo. I'm still enjoying the concept and getting to really know my characters so it's fun each and every day. It's the words down on the page, telling the story in a messy first draft. That's what the following months are for, to make it a GOOD manuscript.

If you're a little behind, don't worry. There is still time to catch up. It's possible. Believe me, I've done it. If you're having trouble concentrating, try to get out of the house to write. Whether you have a laptop, an Alphasmart or just the simple pen and paper, you would be shocked how much you can get done away from distractions.

I hope all of the US YAedgers have a great Thanksgiving! Eat lots of turkey, read lots of books and oh yeah, don't forget to write a few words, too!

Shifting Gears: From Paranormal to Steampunk

For my NANO project (which is moving slower than I'd hoped), I decided to diversify and skip my usual genre, paranormal fiction. I had intended on this piece to be completely supernatural/magic/fantasy free, alas...the rotten thing had other ideas. A few pages into Rogues Gallery, the story of four looserish teens uniting against a common foe (the town's superhero) I knew my underachieving overachievers wouldn't stay contemporary YA. Nope, all too soon they managed to work in fantastical elements and I could only sit back, type and watch it happen.

However, this is definitely not paranormal fiction, so I feel I've had a measure of success with my effort to branch out. If anything it's more steampunk/supervillain/dark comic - but set in the present day. Sooo, how's that for mashing up genres?And though you may argue that steampunk uses science and gadgets....said gadgets are fantastical, impossible things, not contemporary "real life" YA in any sense.

Steampunk and superheroes/villains conventions complement each other - both have braniac mad scientists to be defeated, there are nifty gadgets that help save the day and strange man-made creatures. A Rogues Gallery of villains with quirky abilities is (are??) always nice, as is a failed romance or unrequited love. Toss in a rival for the true love's affections and possibly the end of the world and whoopa - you've got yourself one hell of a tale.

Really, paranormal fiction isn't too far off. I've just traded gadgets for magicks. Now if I can only get my butt in gear and shift into PLAID....I might be able to get to 50,000 by the end of the month. If not, I can always use my handy cross-over SUV (aka mini-TARDIS - it's much bigger on the inside) to go back in time and fit in more words.

Hmmmm....perhaps I'm watching too much Doctor Who. Ya think? Good luck meeting your word counts, my mad NANO friends!