Has it really been this long since I’ve written in my writing blog? Yes, unfortunately, yes it has.
Well lots has happened since I last wrote. I started a new novel–a contemporary inspirational and have struggled along with it for months. I don’t like talking about the struggles, but they are part of the writing life. I reached 50,000 words just a few days ago, which was quite an accomplishment seeing how I started it in 2017 as my NaNoWriMo project (National Novel Writing Month). NaNoWriMo participants are supposed to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Mine–well, mine has lasted months. I’m not sure why the writing of this book is going so sluggishly. I think it has something to do with my bottom not being in the seat and hands not on the keyboard. In my defense, I did just write another 1,800 words over this weekend and plan to add another 1,000 this week to it. I’m not sure where the book will end. I may have another 25,000 words to go. What I really want to do is write: “When the boy came home from school that day nothing else happened. The End.” But I don’t think readers would appreciate it, so I continue on.
I’m a panster–a person who does not plot their book, but writes by the seat of their pants. I wrote a 70,000 word historical, inspirational romance in six weeks–so what’s my problem? I think part of it is because I don’t know the ending of this book. I know the hero and heroine will wind up together but I don’t know the how or why of it and that bothers me. He’s the sheriff of their small town. She’s a foster mother and alpaca rancher. He was left at the altar the year before. She was divorced by her husband two years prior because she worked too much and didn’t want children. He struggles with intimacy and can’t seem to get past the friend stage in their relationship. She isn’t sure she can take on a relationship when her life is so full with managing her foster son and her herd of alpacas. Will they be able to bridge the gap from friendship to a full on relationship by the end of the book? Or will I just continue to dance around it? I don’t know. So the writing continues.