Hello NaNo Preppers!
We are in the final days before NaNoWriMo 2018! I have been diligently (ok, not always so diligently) working through my NaNo Prep materials this month. I have an idea, some characters, my characters have some issues. And … I think that’s as good as it’s going to get. Every October I set out intending to be super organized, starting NaNo with files of research, character profiles, and a detailed outline of scenes to write. And every Halloween at midnight I throw up my hands in defeat and just dive in. I am a wanna-be planner. In truth, I’m a plantser (half planner, half seat-of-my pantser). What did Elizabeth Gilbert’s mom used to say? Oh yeah, “done is better than good.” So I’m calling it. I’m done with NaNo Prep.
So what’s this year’s project, you ask? It’s called To Rebehold the Stars (thank you, Dante). And I don’t really know what genre you would fit it into (please, please, don’t say chick lit), but it’s basically a coming-of-age novel for grown ass women. In it, a handful of women approaching (or slipping quietly by) the age of 40 realize they have worked very, very hard indeed and achieved much in their lives, but always on other people’s terms. They take the chance, at life’s natural midpoint, to redefine themselves (or to define themselves for the first time) through creative pursuits, through things they’ve always wanted but denied themselves. But they must battle that most deadly of foes: the belief that what they want–purely for themselves–has no value. Oh, did I mention that these women have been through some serious shit? And life does not stop throwing fireballs at them just because they’ve decided they will reclaim their identities. Oh no, folks. These ladies are going to have to lean on each other. But first, they need to find each other. Stay tuned.