I’d like to say that the idea for my NaNo story
came to me in some brilliant fashion. An epiphany that shone down upon my
unsuspecting brain like a ray of light from the Heavens above. Time and space
slowing, almost standing still, and a chorus of angels singing “Ahhhhh” around
me.
Truthfully, I can’t remember how I came up with
the idea.
What I do know is that:
a) It came to me many months ago.
b) It
probably has something to do with my…ummm… completely healthy and absolutely
normal obsession with Britain.
c) The story has been gnawing at me since.
Though I do recall, as I was blow-drying my
hair one afternoon, part of the plot worked itself out. A ray of heat from
above instead of light? Close enough!
This story has been hounding me, begging
me to start it. And why haven’t I started it? I’m glad you asked!
The plot is tricky. Well, tricky for me anyway.
It spans hundreds of years. My focus will be on three specific centuries in
British history: The 17th century
during the Plague, the 19th century
focusing on Jack the Ripper and the 20th century focusing on WWII.
Oh and here’s the kicker. It takes place all in
the same house and is based on actual facts. That’s right, I’m attempting to
tie fact with fiction. Scary, I know.
You see I am a stickler for facts. I enjoy
historical fiction but I’m rather hard on the author. I once started reading a
novel about Mary Queen of Scots and in her dialogue she used the word cool.
Okay, I admit I am no historian, but I can GUARNTEE Mary
Queen of Scots was unlikely to say something was cool unless she was referring to the
weather. And even then I’m not 100% sure. Needless to say I never finished the
book.
Note: If you have read anything by Diana
Gabaldon you’ll understand she has ruined me for substandard historical
fiction. And I love her for it!
So writing a historically accurate novel is, in
fact my biggest challenge to date. It’s the reason I haven’t started it. I fret
that I’ll become so bogged down in the facts that I’ll be paralyzed by them and
unable to proceed.
But then I stumbled upon NaNoWriMo.
NaNo is perfect! I’ll have to keep writing no
matter what to reach my 50,000-word target. There won’t be time to stop, stare
off into space and ponder whether or not I’ve captured Just the facts Ma’am!
With that said, I’m not going in blind either.
I’m doing my homework and researching as much as I can before I start. This way
I can satisfy my internal critic just a little bit.
This will be my first NaNo.
The first year I’m attempting to finish something in a month. Kind of a big first time
goal. What have I got myself into?
Of course I hope to win. Complete all 50,000
words before the looming deadline approaches. Oh and did I mention I want to
finish with time to spare? Yeah, I’m ambitious and perhaps a little insane.
Do I think I’ll succeed? Only time will tell.
I’m a writer not a fortuneteller!
But even if the 50,000-word target escapes me,
I’ll still be pleased. It’s the satisfaction of starting this long awaited
story that I’m searching for.
Success, in my humble opinion.
How do you measure success? Are you aiming for the win or just the fun of NaNo?
A 30-something part-time writer, full-time
corporate droid born in the Great White North - a.k.a. Canada - living in a
city known for its unpredictable weather. Angie Richmond (@write_Me_happy) grew up playing puppet master
to her Barbie dolls, putting them in all sorts of terrible, life-threatening
situations just for her own pleasure. As an adult, she realized it would be in
her best interest to pack up the dolls and write. Her characters, like her
dolls, have hard lives and terrible decisions to make. Her writing has been
described as dark yet comical, which suits her just fine. She’s currently
working on her second novel, The Reaper’s
Bride.
