National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO) has begun, and I am well on my way on to the 50,000 word goal, 5,000 by day three as a matter of fact. Some of those words are even spelled correctly and arranged in order resembling English. I was able to do it last year and wrote a science fiction legal thriller. This month, I'm going for something more mainstream. Nanowrimo is not fun...
As most of you know, I write best in darkness. I used to start my novels in December. Last year, I started the science fiction book in November, and then had a decent first draft by January. I probably should be going back and revising that one more time, but I am up for the challenge. Or am I?
What am I writing? I'm calling it Rattlesnake Honeymoon so far. It is another book in the Rattlesnake Lawyer series. So I do have my characters down. I've literally been trolling through my old stuff to find characters I want to bring back. Remember Yesenia Ybarra who had a two page scene on page 80 of Rattlesnake Wedding? Dan was able to get her reinstated to probation in three paragraphs and then she never appeared again. I had to look up her name to make sure it had two Rs.
Well, she's now the femme fatale. When writing those three paragraphs about her two years ago, I had no idea that she had an old boyfriend who had worked at Los Alamos and passed on nuclear secrets to her, thus helping her to become a spy working for the Russians.
You also need new blood for these stories. There's a nice bank teller at one of the branches who is hearing impaired. In real life, she's an efficient bank teller who greets every customer with a smile. But in my book, she's now part of billion dollar international scheme where Dan is taking the fall.
I do have the basics of a plot....
In Act I, Attorney Dan Shepard is assaulted near Taos Mountain and left to die on top of Kachina Ridge. It has something to do with one of his clients in his law practice. Dan's client has some connection to the labs--either Los Alamos or Sandia, possibly both, and some important data is missing. Dan soon realizes that he is over his head as people around him start dying...
Act II Dan is suddenly a prime suspect, sort of like Edward Snowden and has to clear his name. Dan goes around New Mexico searching for a missing cell phone with the missing data. Dan will be taken out of his comfort zone and dealing with people who are truly dangerous.It threatens his marriage. By the end of Act II, Dan is working in tandem with his wife Luna and they realize how much they love each other.
Act III. For some reason Dan goes to Hawaii for the final showdown. I want it to take place at the observatory on top of the volcano. Why Hawaii? Why an observatory on top of a volcano? I have about 45,000 words to figure that out before I get there.
I also need a theme for this story. In Rattlesnake Wedding, Dan matures and gets married. In Rattlesnake Honeymoon, Dan learns the value of marriage and how he works better as a team. He also learns to reject the temptations that face him everyday.
Will I be able to get 50,000 words in 30 days? Probably. Will they be any good?
Well, next year, is Nanoedye...National Novel Editing YEAR....
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