I thought that I was going to give more updates here as I progressed through NaNoWriMo this year. Maybe give some insights into how I felt it was going, what I liked about my characters and the such.
I did not do that. Instead, I won.
Winning at NaNoWriMo is such a great feeling. I really wanted to high-five people, but didn't think anyone would understand. Its hard work to write 50,000 words in one month, and especially when one has school and work to do as well. (It should be noted that no assignment was late, and I got high marks on papers written in November. It would be interesting to see how many words total I wrote in the month.)
Much like the time that I won in 2009, the story was not finished at 50,000 words. I think at least another 10,000 will be needed to finish it. Originally I planned for this to be two books, but decided to make it one. I say at least 10,000 now, but it may be more. Hey, A Song of Ice and Fire was supposed to be three books when George R.R. Martin first planned it out. Book 5 was released this summer.
That to me sums up the exciting part of writing creatively. You might say "I am going to write a 50,000 word story" and then you get to that point and realize that there is just no way the story is done. Maybe characters have started to do things differently than you expected. Maybe a minor character has acted out in a way you did not plan for. It might seem odd to those of you who do not write that this could happen. After all, doesn't the author control the story? Shouldn't characters behave the way the author intends? Not necessarily. I think that when you start writing out characters, certain things begin to change. In your head, you have a rough outline of who this person is. Think about it this way, if I were to describe my best friend as if he were a character it would not even come close to describing the actual person. It would have details, yes, but there would be so much more in terms of little quirks or habits, back stories filled with interesting experiences, and chance encounters with people. A character in a story faces the same things and so he can change and the story changes with it.
To give a brief synopsis of the story (so far) we have our pirate, Erik Dolmonson, who is second in command to one of the most famous pirate captain's of all time. When an attempted mutiny goes bad, one of the rebelious crew members slips that he would prefer Dolmonson to be the captain. The captain (John Cotter) decides to maroon Dolmonson on an island. Unbeknownst to Cotter though, the island is the den for another pirate crew, this one now led by Captain Olivia Rickheardt. While pouring over the previous captain's log and posessions, they discover maps of the uncharted lands beyond the "Dead Calm" a region of the far southern sea in which the wind does not blow and there is no current. Theorizing that the new found maps and charts explain how to get across the Dead Calm, they believe that Captain Cotter leaves his treasure there, as where he keeps his treasure has been a closely guarded secret. Currently the crew headed by Rickheardt (which Dolmonson has joined) is headed for the eastern sea, but first must navigate the "Red Cape" a dangerous stretch of sea known for its brutal winds and rocks.
I have had some people ask to read it, and I would be willing to do that. Let me finish it first, obviously. I'd also like to give it a bit of editing. For instance, I think halfway through, I begin referring to the "Dead Calm" as the "Dead Zone". I do realize of course that people who read it can also help with the editing with their suggestions and criticisms. I'll keep you guys posted.
Until then, its Finals week, but I should post some more in the next few days. I've done more reading for one thing. I can't wait to share with you.
