As you can see from the word counter above, I'm still doing really well on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel, and I'm feeling really very chuffed with myself. I'm quite proud because every single day, so far, I've managed to keep my word count way above the line of where it's recommended I be at, in order to finish on time, as you can see in the below graph:
The orange "bars" represent my word count for each day, so far - see how close I am to the very first milestone of 15,000 words? - and the diagonal line heading upwards is the target that I need to hit each day.
I love being ahead of the game so early on, because it gives me a little breathing space, further down the metaphorical line, allowing for slump days or even days off, which is kind of nice to know.
With regards to the actual story, I am loving the freedom that comes with not having a firm plan to work to, as I did last November, which at the time, I had felt far to restrictive for the way that I personally feel that I write my best.
As this is a story idea that I've worked on in the past (although I have started completely from scratch this time around), I have a fair idea about where the novel is heading, however, I'm loving how differently the characters are getting from A to B this time around, compared to past attempts. Noting that these are characters that I have been working with for around five years, and the only thing that has changed about them is the years in which they live, and the amount of detail that I have (initially) gone into, is only basics, for now, I feel like I've finally reached into their souls and this is the story I've been looking for, for a very long time.
I'm certainly enjoying writing this novel more than I did writing Felicity, which is sad, because for a story that I felt so "attached" to, I've grown to wonder if I've taken it down the right path, and I've got lost in the umming and ahhing of it. But this one, I feel much more content with.
Fancy another sneaky peek? Well, here ya go:
Richard woke with a start, and for a moment couldn't quite place where he was. His head was throbbing, but he eventually managed to fathom that he'd spent the night sleeping on the kitchen floor. And now he had awful back ache. And if that wasn't bad enough there was an incessant ringing inside his head. A ringing that wouldn't go away. He hit the side of his head, knocking him awake just enough to realise that the ringing was actually the doorbell. He dragged himself to his feet, and over to the Intercom.
"What?" His mouth was dry, and he sounded raspy as hell.
"Richard, it's me. Let me in." Recognising his younger sister's voice, he leant hard on the Intercom until he heard the door click after her indicating that he didn't need to keep holding the door open, in fact, he probably didn't need to be holding it down for so long anyway! He unlocked the door and threw himself face down on the sofa. Maybe he could suffocate this hangover out of him. Probably not, he thought, but maybe death would be easier than this.
