My Journal #2

NANO prep

The National Write a Novel in a Month is almost here. Well, in a month but October is prep time. Last year I had an idea, it seemed good and I liked it, Too bad it had too many holes. What was the MC goals? The story unfolded as if, "This happened, then this happened..." I had good conflict, but I couldn't explain "What did the girl accomplish for herself? or others?" She helped to break up an opium train. She met a man who she felt affction for, but in the end they had goals they wanted to achieve before committing to each other.

This year a story came to me. I'm still troubled with the middle so it doesn't read like a remake of my first novel. On the other hand, Isn't that what Genre writing is? We all know Harliquin books and other famous authors write in a similar style with different settings and situations. I guess this will be  one like that. If those who liked my first novel like that kind of reading, they will like this one. I was going to add some dark stuff in there, but my daughter said "Why?" Does it move the story? Can you move the story around this incident? Sure. I'm an author, I can come up with another situation to make a character go visit family across the continent.
I have great sisters that challenge me and come up with ideas when I think I have run out of ways to challenge my characters.
I'm still doing a rewrite on my detective novel. It just doesn't incite motivation or excitement. Its like going to work because you have to have a paycheck and not because you love what you do.
I love writing. An once I'm in the groove I hate to leave it. The problem being I have a partime (necessary) job that has rotating hours. Open some days, mid shift other days and close at least once or twice.  This really inhibits my writing, I can't fully commit.

Anyway I want to officially post I'm going to do my best to succeed this NaNo. I'm committed to the word count, but I won't feel a failure if my schedule interferes and I have to hand write some of it. Many times I don't get the words transferred on to the computer. I know I did it and that's all that matters.
If I have to, I'll put the word count in and transfer the real copy later.

I hope to see you listed in the Nano challenge.  No I don't look at other writers. Its too discouraging to see the posts of those who have no other commitments and can write 5K a day or more.  The challenge is for me to get the basic idea of my story on the page. 
Last time I did this I wrote the second 50K the following Janary 2013 and got my novel picked up and published Jan 2014. I think my readers will like this story too.
I didn't think I'd write in the same genre, but this plot feels good.