NaNoNoGo

[jacey]

I think that NaNoWriMo is officially a dead duck this year. I've done 28k words on the secret dragons story - which means it now stands at 38k, which is not to be sniffed at since it's a children's book and I'm aiming for 60k maximum. But this book is proving wrigglesome as far as plot is concerned and I think it would be counterproductive to write any more until I've nailed the shape of the ending.

Thing is - I had a plot when I started writing this, but it largely got derailed by various critiques (Nothwrite, Milford and my own) which pointed out - quite rightly - that the dragons did not enter the story early enough. So I rewrote the beginning and the tiny ripples on the pond turned into great big waves.

The plan I had for the plot can still work, but the motivations are a bit off, now. I'm wondering if I'm trying to do too much by writing the linear story of two girls (medievalish setting) trying to hide two small but growing dragons AND detailing the problems of an army returning home after an absence of six years to find that the gaps they left behind them have healed over and the folks left behind have managed quite well thankyouverymuch!. I don't think I've really done that theme justice (yet) and at the end of the day it's not really relevant to the dragon plot, it's a sub-plot which develops character and world. I'm wondering if I've got two books intertwined.

Ideas? plot noodles?

Comments

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Dad won't find out about the dragons until close to the end, but his final decision will be informed by the fact that he's fought mounted female warriors in the recent campaign.

I'm fighting very hard not to make this Dad's book, because I really like him as a character.
:-)